Little People, Big World stars Tori Roloff and Zach Roloff‘s son Jackson Roloff might need surgery, the couple revealed. In this week’s episode, the couple has a serious discussion about the well-being of their children, Jackson, 4, and daughter Lilah, 18 months. Like Zach, the two were born with achondroplasia, the most common form of dwarfism.
In one scene, Zach, 31, said the couple was concerned that Jackson’s legs were starting to bow, so they plan to take him to a doctor soon to see if he would need leg surgery. “I think with Jackson’s legs, it’s mostly just like, I don’t want it to get to a point where he’s hurting because I’m pretty sure it’s gonna have to be dealt with at some point in his life and I just want to make sure that we’re ready to move on it,” Tori, 30, explained, reports PEOPLE. Tori also told Zach she wanted to figure out any issues Jackson may have with his legs before they get worse. “I just don’t want to let it go too far,” she told her husband. “I want to know how to avoid two surgeries like you had.”
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Zach needed two surgeries, first when he was 8 or 9, then when he was 14 or 15. During his first surgery, he had casts on both legs. During his second surgery, he needed work on his right leg, adding, “that’s the one with the pins.” The physical therapy afterward was “painful,” Zach explained. Tori does not want to see her son go through the same process. “It’s pretty brutal,” Zach agreed.
The episode was filmed around Lilah’s 9-month doctor’s appointment. After the appointment, Tori said Lilah’s doctor explained Lilah needs to hear “high-fat foods” to “just chunk her up a little bit.” Lilah is also having more health struggles in her first year than Jackson. It’s “a bunch of little stuff that all adds up,” Tori said. “I am just stressed,” Tori later said in a confessional. “I just worry about Lilah girl. She has made me into a worrywart.”
Despite the medical concerns the couple has for their children, they are trying to stay positive and on top of their struggles. “We’re just trying to monitor our kids and potential medical issues that might arise and we’re just trying to be proactive,” Zach said. “Like, we’re not searching … for something wrong, we’re being positive.” New episodes of Little People, Big World air on TLC Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET.
