Earlier this year, Leah Messer published a memoir that offered surprising new insights into the struggles she’s faced over the years.
Leah opened up like never before about her abusive childhood, her battle with addiction, and her two divorces.
She’s been through an awful lot – but Leah is the first to admit that nothing could have prepared her for holding the hand of her daughter, Aliannah, as she fights for her life.
As Teen Mom 2 fans are well aware, Aliannah suffers from a rare form of muscular dystrophy that has left her mostly confined to a wheelchair.
Fortunately, Leah can afford the best medical care available.
But sadly, Tintin Myopathy Muscular Dystrophy is a progressive illness, and most patients find that their condition deteriorates with time, even in spite of recent developments in research and treatment.
Of course, that doesn’t mean that Leah and her daughter have given up hope.
Quite the opposite.
Leah recently shared information that has given her entire family cause to be optimistic.
“There are now over 100 cases of Titin Myopathy Muscular Dystrophy worldwide," Leah tweeted, underscoring just how rare the condition is.
“Research is showing a life expectancy of around 70 years, as long as there are no signs of heart or lung failure," she added.
“This news brought hope to our family."
In response to congratulatory replies from fans, the West Virginia native stated that she continues to have “hope for a cure.”
She later got even more personal with a tribute to her beloved 11-year-old daughter, who is twin to other eldest daughter, Aleeah.
"I wouldn’t change you for the world," she wrote.
"But I’ll do whatever it takes to change the world for you! #MDwontstopher #GirlMom #MuscularDystrophy."
Moving stuff.
Obviously, most of Leah’s followers have been supportive regard to Ali’s struggles, as one would hope they would.
But believe it or not, because some people are the worst, Leah has not received a universally positive response.
That’s right, there are no limits to how long fans (we use the term loosely) can go. This courageous young girl still receives hate from random trolls.
"She needs a strict diet she has gotten obese it’s disturbing," one commenter recently wrote on Instagram.
Leah was quick to clap back, and she posted a screenshot of the exchange as evidence of what she’s forced to endure.
"Wow. Obese? What a s–tty comment," she replied.
"Unfortunately, we get comments like this frequently. So let me bring you some insight. Ali’s body does not ‘build muscle’ or ‘break down fat’ the way ours do. We all eat a very healthy diet!" Leah added.
"Do some research on her disease. Maybe even share a meal plan idea with us next time. We would love that!" she continued.
"We don’t know what to expect from day to day but continue to make the best of every day without losing hope."
Fortunately, both Leah and Ali and brave enough to stand up to the hate, which has sadly been a byproduct of her rise to fame over the past decade.
We wish them all the best in their fight against muscular dystrophy, and against an online community where a few negative voices can seem loudest.