Tori Roloff/Instagram Jackson Roloff undergoes surgery.
“Little People, Big World” star Jackson Roloff underwent major surgery this week. The 4-year-old was put under so that doctors could help correct his bowed legs, which is something that Tori Roloff and Zach Roloff have talked about on the family’s TLC reality show.
Tori and Zach had been keeping a close eye on Jackson’s legs, which have been progressively getting worse over the years. Bowed legs is a fairly common side effect in children who have been diagnosed with achondroplasia, according to Ortho Info.
Tori and Zach wanted to wait until Jackson was a bit older to have the surgery done, but they wanted to be sure to do it when he was young enough that his recovery would be a bit easier. In a previous episode of “LPBW,” Tori took Jackson to see a doctor about his bowed legs.
“The doctor says his legs are an issue but it’s not an emergency,” Zach said on camera following the appointment, according to People magazine. “It’s kind of deep down what I think I expected, it’s all about deciding when, where and what the best surgery is. It’s the beginning, I think, of a long journey,” he continued.
“Hearing that Jackson’s going to need surgery, that was heavy and that’s going to be scary when that day is here,” Tori said. “But it’s encouraging because his knee — which is where I believe they broke [Zach’s] leg — his knees are pretty straight, it’s the ankle that’s very rounded on him so that could work in his favor, hopefully they only have to deal with one spot instead of two spots,” she added.
Jackson’s surgery took place on November 30, 2021, and all went well, according to Tori’s Instagram post.
Here’s what you need to know:
Tori Said That Jackson’s Surgery Day Was ‘One of the Hardest Days’ Ever
Seeing your child in pain or otherwise in a state in which you are helpless is extremely hard. Although Tori and Zach knew that this day would come, watching their son undergo surgery wasn’t easy — and Tori expressed such on Instagram.
“Our sweet Jackson had surgery today to help correct the bowing in his legs. This kid time and time again blows us away. He was so brave and confident. He made [Zach] and I so proud as he talked with the doctors and nurses and was wheeled away without worry,” Tori captioned a post of a sleeping Jackson.
“Today has been one of the hardest days I’ve ever had. Watching your child in pain is never something a parent wants to go through. However, we are trusting his doctors and our Lord that this was the best decision for him,” she added.
Jackson Is Recovering at Home
Jackson came out of surgery and was doing well enough to be discharged. On Tuesday evening, Tori took to her Instagram Stories to share an update on her son — and a photo of him giving a thumbs up as he cuddled up next to his mom.
“We’re home and little man is doing better than we could ever have asked,” Tori captioned the sweet snap. “Thank you all for the sweet notes and prayers. We felt so lifted up today,” she added.
It’s unknown how long the recovery process will be, but Tori previously said that Jackson may have only needed to have his growth plate scraped. “From what I understood it sounded like he was a good candidate for scraping the growth plate and hopefully avoiding a major surgery,” Tori said on “Little People, Big World,” according to People.
“It’s still a big surgery but there’s no breaking of bones. [The other surgery consists of] actually breaking the bone and, like, making the bones straight,” she said, adding that the recovery time would be “two months” in a “full on cast, wheelchair situation.”
“And then he like basically has to relearn how to walk,” Tori said. Based on the fact that Jackson is already home and was laying on the couch and seemed to be in good spirits, it sounds like the Roloffs were able to go with option one.
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‘Little People, Big World’ Star Jackson Roloff Undergoes Major Surgery