Aaron Chalmers’ ex-girlfriend Talia Oatway shared the first photos of her son Oakley as she spoke about his rare genetic syndrome and described the tot’s strength.
The couple, who have two other children together, announced their split in December, four months after their youngest was born with serious health problems.
After keeping his diagnosis a secret, Talia explained in a heartbreaking update shared this week that Oakley, 7 months, was born with Apert Syndrome.
After his birth, Aaron and Talia announced that their “little soldier” would be “operated and non-operated for 18 to 24 months,” with his mother staying by his side.
In a bold caption, the influencer described the “toughest seven months of her life” and praised her son for his bravery and determination after finally “coming to terms with everything.”
Brave: Aaron Chalmers’ ex-girlfriend, Talia Oatway, shared the first photos of her son Oakley as she spoke about his rare genetic syndrome and described the tot’s strength
Bad: The couple, who share two other children, split last year four months after the birth of their youngest amid serious health issues
The NHS describes Apert syndrome as “a type of complex craniosynostosis affecting the skull, hands and feet”, with the bones fusing together before birth.
“The facial bones are also affected, as the cheekbones and upper jaw do not grow in proportion to the rest of the skull. The bones around the eyes are wider apart and flatter than usual, causing the eyes to bulge outward.
Talia shared a series of photos from the hospital, cradling Oakley in her arms. Another cute snap showed him smiling broadly with a stuffed toy monkey.
She wrote: “This is OAKLEY. It was the hardest 7 months of my entire life. I was thrown into a medical world with no warning, no time to prepare.
“It’s only now that I feel like I’m coming to terms with everything, finally coming to terms with how I’m feeling and embracing our new normal.
“This is my beautiful son Oakley Bleu, he was born with a rare genetic condition called Apert Syndrome.
Apert syndrome causes sutures in the skull to fuse prematurely, resulting in a different head shape. Syndactyly – fusion of bones in hands and feet). Cleft in the hard palate causing difficulty eating and speaking.
“Choanal stenosis (narrowing of the airways) that causes difficulty breathing. Apert syndrome often causes a global developmental and learning delay. (Oakley sleeps on a respirator) and uses oxygen.’
Split: After his birth, Aaron and Talia announced their ‘little soldier’ would be ‘surgical and non-surgical for 18 to 24 months’, with his mother staying by his side (pictured together last year)
Journey: After keeping his diagnosis a secret, Talia explained in a heartbreaking update shared this week that Oakley, 7 months, was born with Apert syndrome
Tough: The NHS describes Apert syndrome as ‘a type of complex craniosynostosis affecting the skull, hands and feet’, with the bones fusing together before birth
Cute: Talia shared a series of photos from the hospital cradling Oakley in her arms, another cute snap showed him smiling broadly
Talia continued, “Oakley has a long way to go, this is a lifelong journey and it won’t be easy. But my boy, you showed me how strong you are!
“You are brave and determined and I love you more than you will ever know. I hope that by sharing our journey I can raise awareness and support other medical families.
“I’m so proud of this boy, he showed me that nothing matters in this world but health and love. It’s taken me a long time to get where I am, but I’m finally starting to feel happy again.
“Son, you’ve got two great brothers and one great big sister behind you. We have absolutely everything we need. Let’s do this,” she concluded.
Aaron and Talia share Romeo, two, and Maddox, 22 months. While Talia is a mother to daughter Siennah from a previous relationship.
After a series of arguments between the two, it was reported that Talia has moved out of her family home following their split in December.
A representative for Aaron confirmed to Web that the couple have parted ways.
Back in August, the couple revealed they were going through a “difficult time” when their son Oakley was born with health conditions – meaning the tot will need surgery in the next 18 to 24 months.
In his Instagram Stories at the time, Aaron addressed his son’s condition, revealing that his partner Talia required maternal-fetal medicine throughout the pregnancy.
Aaron also noted that he and Talia were a “whirlwind of emotions” after a difficult few days for the family.
She wrote: “This is OAKLEY. It was the hardest 7 months of my entire life. I was thrown into a medical world with no warning, no time to prepare.
Parents: Aaron welcomed Oakley to the influencer in August, alongside Romeo, two, and Maddox, 22 months. While Talia is Siennah’s mother from a previous relationship
Hart: After his birth, the couple spoke about going through a “difficult time” as the tot would need surgery in the next 18 to 24 months
Fetal medicine, also known as perinatology, is described as “a branch of medicine that focuses on the treatment of maternal and fetal health problems before, during, and just after pregnancy.”
Speaking to his followers, Aaron explained, “Unfortunately, there have been some issues with the baby.
“We’re in fetal medicine for most of the pregnancy, then we were released, unfortunately it wasn’t released, and it wasn’t detected on the scans, so probably little Bubba will have surgery and be out again for the next 18 to 24 months, so it’s just me and talia handling everything.
While Talia simply said, “After a long and hard few days, I couldn’t have made it without my husband Aaron.”