Being a special needs parent has unique challenges and Keke Wyatt, 41, is sharing some of them with her supporters. Her youngest child, Ke’Zyah Jean Darring, was diagnosed with trisomy 13, a genetic disorder that happens when a child has an extra 13th chromosome.
In an Instagram Live video, the singer shared that she had been sleep deprived for three days because of efforts to tend to her son due to what she says is a scarcity of nurses available to help tend to the toddler’s needs.
“I have no help. None. I’m literally a nurse. I think I’m going to go get my license,” Wyatt said jokingly.
Her son was born in 2022, making him almost two years old and he has been in and out of the hospital since birth. Wyatt also ran through her daily routine, detailing Ke’Zyah’s trouble sleeping.
“He has sleep apnea so when he sleeps, he stops breathing so you got to watch that. Then on top of that, he doesn’t like to stay sleep for long and he’s starting to roll over and so you got to make sure he doesn’t.”
Wyatt also mentioned that she’s worried her son may be nonverbal. The mother of 11 compared Ke’Zyah’s milestones to that of her other children. She also mentioned that the toddler isn’t yet standing and she’s working on getting him into therapy for that.
“I’m probably getting ready to face the reality that he may be nonverbal because he’ll be two in May and he could say ‘mom’ but that’s about it,” Wyatt said of his speech. “As a mother of many he would have been talking by now if he was going to be verbal.”
The “Nothing in This World” singer received her son’s diagnosis during pregnancy and was advised to have an abortion by medical professionals. However, she and husband, Zackariah Darring, chose to keep their baby boy and are doing everything they can to give him the best life possible. Since the Live, Ke’Zyah has returned to the hospital due to contracting two strands of COVID.
“We don’t choose for our children to be special needs or handicapped,” she said during the transparent clip. “I’m not going to kill my baby just because he’s different, but it’s hard work and it’s my reality.”
“This is my reality and I’m ok,” she added. “I love him and I’m here for it. I hate that I don’t have help but this is what I feel like you guys should see. This is what I really do.”
