Leah Messer is no stranger to sharing her life with millions of people on Teen Mom 2, but she still hesitated to share her recent health scare with the cameras. The MTV star opened up to PopCulture ahead of the new Teen Mom 2 season premiere Tuesday, May 4, revealing that despite being “fearful” when she discovered a lump in her breast, she decided to push forward with filming her health journey anyways.
“Discovering the lump was very difficult for me to film about,” Messer explained. “I was fearful in that moment.” Thinking about being able to share her story with people watching Teen Mom was what convinced her to move forward filming that part of her life, as the “educational message” of 16 and Pregnant is something she has tried to maintain throughout the years. Looking back on her decision not to film anything surrounding the cancer journey of daughter Adalynn’s grandmother years back, Messer said she gained a new perspective and decided to move forward with letting the cameras film the intimate moments of her health scare.
Videos by PopCulture.com
The mother-of-three tried to “remain optimistic” as she moved forward with investigating what the lump could be, and Messer said she was open with daughters Aleeah and Aliannah, 11, and Adalynn, 8, about the whole thing, using her own experience as a learning opportunity for her girls to be proactive when it comes to their health. “I just kind of openly communicated with them what was going on — not to scare them, but to let them know everything is fine and is going to be fine,” she explained.
As her girls get older, Messer couldn’t be prouder of how they’re growing up and growing together. One highlight of the last year is Ali beginning horseback riding lessons with her sister Aleeah. For Ali, who has muscular dystrophy, the activity “really works for her core strength,” and it gives the twins something to do together. Driving back from lessons the other day, Messer recalled “hearing the joy” of her girls talking about their riding session, as Ali’s condition can make it hard for her to participate in more rigorous activities with her sister.
Looking back on her life when she first started filming 16 and Pregnant, Messer admitted she doesn’t know if it would be possible to prepare herself to open up her life “on such a large platform,” but she has gained over the years a thick skin and a strong sense of herself. “[Criticism] doesn’t really get to me anymore, because I know what kind of mom I am, what kind of person, and what kind of woman I am,” she explained. “So I don’t listen to [negative comments].” Don’t miss the return of Teen Mom 2 Tuesday, May 4 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on MTV.
