A wheelchair-bound woman on permanent life support after suffering a horrific spinal cord injury at birth is pregnant with her second child.
Alyssa Higgins, 32, of Rockland County, New York, shared the exciting news via Instagram Thursday — more than 30 years after doctors told her family she would likely never be able to breathe, speak, or eat on her own.
The mum-of-one posted a video of her two-year-old son Luke running towards the camera with an ultrasound scan in hand as she and her husband, Jimmy, 32, looked on in admiration.
The toddler was wearing a T-shirt that read, “I’m going to be a big brother.”
A wheelchair-bound woman on permanent life support after suffering a horrific spinal cord injury at birth is pregnant with her second baby
Alyssa Higgins, 32, shared the news via Instagram on Thursday – more than 30 years after doctors told her family she would likely never be able to breathe, speak or eat on her own again.
Alyssa broke her spine when a doctor roughly pulled her out with tweezers during labor. For the first eighteen months of her life she could not move on her own. She is seen as a baby
She has regained most of her range of motion over the years, but she still uses a wheelchair and a breathing tube that is always connected to a ventilator. She has been seen during her childhood
“We’ve been keeping a secret. We couldn’t be more excited to announce that our family is growing,” Alyssa captioned the clip. “I can’t wait to see Luke as a big brother.”
Alyssa broke her spine when a doctor roughly pulled her out with tweezers during labor. For the first eighteen months of her life she could not move on her own.
She has regained most of her range of motion over the years, but she still uses a wheelchair and a breathing tube that is always connected to a ventilator.
Alyssa, who often documents the realities of living with a disability to her 129,000 followers, previously shared Good morning America that she always dreamed of having children but wasn’t sure if she could get pregnant because she only has one ovary.
But after the doctors confirmed she could conceive, the couple started trying.
“I have no fears,” Alyssa told the outlet during her first pregnancy. “I’ve been through so much that it’s like, ‘Let’s take it.’ There’s no fear, I’m just excited.’
She and husband Jimmy – whom she married in 2019 – welcomed their son in March 2021, and are now gearing up for the birth of their second child.
And while Alyssa is looking forward to growing their family again, she admitted it People magazine that she was a little “nervous” this time around because it can be tricky having two young kids at the same time.
Alyssa posted a video of her two-year-old son Luke running towards the camera with an ultrasound scan in his hand as she and her husband, Jimmy, 32, looked on in admiration
Alyssa previously told Good Morning America that she always dreamed of having children but wasn’t sure if she could get pregnant because she only has one ovary.
“I have no fears,” Alyssa told the outlet during her first pregnancy. “I’ve been through so much that it’s like, ‘Let’s take it.’ There’s no fear, I’m just excited’
She and husband Jimmy – whom she married in 2019 – welcomed their son in March 2021, and now they are gearing up for the birth of their second child
“Luke is in his terrible twos, so it’s going to be hard to run around and teach him without him throwing tantrums at times, and it’s all going to happen while he’s having a new baby,” she explained.
“He was such an easy baby himself, so we hope the second baby will be somewhat the same. We’re so excited.’
Alyssa and Jimmy met on a dating site in 2013, but because she hid her wheelchair in most of her profile pictures, he didn’t learn about her condition until their first date.
However, he was not deterred by her spinal cord injury and the two soon fell in love. He popped the question in 2017 and two years later they tied the knot.
While Alyssa is looking forward to growing their family, she admitted to People that she was “nervous” this time around because it can be hard to have two young kids at the same time.
Jimmy and Alyssa met in 2013 through a dating app. Now he is determined to prove that she can be just as good a mother as anyone else.
“(People) underestimate and undermine her abilities,” he told People. “It’s more important to have a mother who is loving. The emotional things are more important than the physical things’
Now he is her greatest support, and he is determined to prove that she can be just as good a mother as anyone else.
“(People) underestimate and undermine her and her abilities,” he told People. “They think that certain people don’t deserve it… or that they put a child at a disadvantage because they don’t have a mother capable of doing things, you know?
“But it’s more important to have a mother who is loving.” The emotional things are more important than the physical things.’
Alyssa added that she hoped being so open about her story would help “normalize relationships between people” and help “disabled parents.”
“People need to realize that it’s okay. It’s not abnormal, it’s normal,” she said.