Single Dad With Rare Condition Admits He Was ‘Scared’ to Become a Father in TLC’s ‘One Day in My Body’ Exclusive Clip

Ryan Ledbetter was admittedly “scared” to become a father after years of learning how to live independently with his rare condition.

Ryan, who was born with Arthrogryposis, a condition that causes rigid joints and short, tight muscles, opens up about his life as a single dad in TLC’s new series, One Day in My Body, which offers a first‑person look at individuals living with some of the world’s rarest and most life‑altering medical conditions.

In a PopCulture.com exclusive sneak peek of Wednesday’s all-new episode of One Day in My Body, Ryan jokes that while he’s been living with Arthrogryposis his whole life, “don’t ask me how to spell that because I couldn’t tell you.”

“I’ve had to learn how to adapt to everyday life and learn how to do everything that everybody else does,” Ryan explains, as he’s shown using his nose to scroll on his phone and his mouth to grab his toothbrush first thing in the morning.

“The joints in my elbows right here are locked, so that prevents them from being able to bend up and down,” he explains. “Obviously, I can swing them, but I can’t make them bend like your average person can.”

Ryan continues, “When my mom was pregnant with me, there wasn’t enough room for my joints to fully develop, so my arms can only bend a certain amount.”

While it’s not always easy, as Ryan shows himself struggling for “three f—king minutes” to get a water bottle out of the packaging, he tries to keep a sense of humor about life, joking, “I ain’t have to struggle this hard since the night I lost my virginity.”

Ryan also makes sure to give his all to son River.

“My son’s mom and I, we didn’t end up staying together, but we have a good co-parenting relationship,” Ryan says as footage plays of him racing his son and playing ball.

“I was a little bit scared about becoming a father, because I had spent my whole life learning how to overcome my disability and be independent and take care of myself,” he continues. “So I didn’t know how that was going to transition over into being a dad.”

For more of Ryan’s story, watch One Day in My Body, which airs Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on TLC.