Myles Stephenson has spoken out about the heartbreaking discovery that his son Shiloh has suffered a stroke.
The Rak-Su singer, 31, who won The X Factor in 2017 with his band, revealed in January last year that he and his girlfriend had recently welcomed Shiloh, although he did not reveal his age.
On Friday, he took to Instagram to share how he noticed Shiloh’s right hand was constantly in a fist when he was just six months old, while they were later seen dragging his right foot when walking.
At the suggestion of family, they took him to the doctor for a check-up and he was later diagnosed with hemiplegic cerebral palsy after suffering a previously undetected stroke in which the damage to his brain was irreversible.
Myles shared a photo of herself with Shiloh in the hospital, writing on Instagram, “Stroke awareness. The hardest part about being a parent is the things you can’t control. When Shiloh was about 6 months old, we noticed that he wasn’t using his right hand and that he was constantly in a fist.
Devastating: Myles Stephenson, 31, has spoken out about the heartbreaking discovery that his son Shiloh has suffered a stroke
Parents: The Rak-Su singer, who won The X Factor in 2017 with his band, announced in January last year that he and his girlfriend had recently welcomed Shiloh, though he did not reveal his age
“As first-time parents, we didn’t think much of it, especially as we mentioned on his developmental checkups that he seemed very left-handed and this didn’t seem like a problem to us.
“He pulled himself up when he was about 12 months old and it took him another 6 months to take his first steps.
‘When he started to walk we noticed he was dragging his right foot and family members recommended that he make an appointment with the GP to make sure everything was okay. We were not prepared for what unfolded.
Several appointments and finally an MRI scan would later show that he had damage to the left side of his brain that had affected his right extremities.
“We were told that Shiloh suffered a stroke sometime before, during or shortly after birth. Hearing the words hemiplegic cerebral palsy caused a wave of anger, confusion and sadness.
“We were not told that your son will not be the next Messi or Ronaldo to be in pain. It was the thought that tying shoelaces, turning spaghetti on a spoon, or playing certain games with friends might be challenging for him. The little things.
‘But…ShiShi doesn’t know any different, he’s figuring out how to do things his own way and while the brain damage can’t be reversed, we’re doing everything we can to help strengthen the right side of his body!
“Shiloh has made so much progress and we are so proud that he is taking on challenges he doesn’t even know are there!
Sad news: On Friday, he took to Instagram to share how he noticed that after six months, Shiloh’s right hand was constantly in a fist, while he later dragged his right foot while walking
“Every day we learn more and this is still very new, but we are doing what we can.
“We’re sharing this in hopes it will create awareness for other new parents who may notice something different about their baby, because the sooner you find out, the better it will be in the long run.”
“If there are any parents or people with hemiplegia reading this, please privately or in the comments share experiences that have helped you and/or your loved one. ❤️ Thank you to our F&F supporting Shi and to the health professionals for helping us learn more and understand how we can help Shiloh.”
Myles revealed in January last year that he had become a father and revealed that his girlfriend has welcomed a son named Shiloh.
The pop star took to Instagram at the time to share a photo of herself holding the toddler in his arms at an event.
Alongside the post, he wrote, “Like father, like son. Shiloh Stephenson, my greatest blessing in a little person. My mini me.’
Myles, who appeared on I’m A Celebrity in 2019, had been in a relationship with his girlfriend for over a year at the time of their son’s birth.
Condition: Shiloh was diagnosed with hemiplegic cerebral palsy after suffering a previously undetected stroke
Sad news: Myles said he and his girlfriend were told by doctors that the damage to Shiloh’s brain was irreversible
Pop star Myles revealed that he was looking for love on celebrity dating app Raya in December 2019, but had never publicly confirmed a relationship.
His last high-profile romance was with Love Island star Gabby Allen.
As a member of Rak-Su, he won the fourteenth series of The X Factor in 2017, becoming the group’s first all-male act to do so.
He appeared on I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here! two years later where he finished in seventh place.
Career: As a member of Rak-Su, he won the fourteenth series of The X Factor in 2017 (pictured with Jamaal Shurland, left, and Ashley Fongho, right)