Keke Wyatt Gets Candid On Her Son Living With Trisomy 13: What Is This Genetic Disorder?

Keke Wyatt is opening up about the challenges facing her youngest child, Ke’Zyah Jean Darring, who is living with a genetic disorder known as Trisomy 13. In an Instagram Live, Wyatt said her nearly 2-year-old son may be nonverbal due to the condition, which happens when a child has an extra chromosome. The 41-year-old mother of 11 children said Ke’Zyah is also struggling to sleep.

“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 said, Essence reported.

Adding to the challenge, Wyatt said it’s been difficult finding a nurse to assist her.

“I have no help. None. I’m literally a nurse. I think I’m going to go get my license,” Wyatt joked.

Wyatt added that Ke’Zyah is not yet standing. She said she plans to get him into therapy soon.

“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. “As a mother of many he would have been talking by now if he was going to be verbal.”

Wyatt said she learned about her son’s diagnosis when she was still pregnant. Although doctors advised Wyatt and her husband Zackariah Darring to get an abortion, the parents chose to move forward with the pregnancy. Since then, Ke’Zyah has been in and out of hospitals. Most recently, he contracted two strands of COVID-19 and returned to the hospital, Wyatt said.

The “Fall in Love” singer posted an image of her son lying in the hospital bed on Feb. 29.

“Hospital life… How is it that my baby has two strands of Covid and I have nothing??? 😵‍💫😵‍💫😵‍💫,” she wrote. “If the devil don’t leave my baby alone… We don’t even go anywhere fr… Smh!!!”

Despite all the challenges, Wyatt said she’ll do whatever it takes to give her child the best possible life.

“We don’t choose for our children to be special needs or handicapped,” she said. “I’m not going to kill my baby just because he’s different, but it’s hard work and it’s my reality.”

She continued, “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.”

According to the Minnesota Department of Health, it’s unclear what causes the extra chromosome that leads to Trisomy 13. The condition often causes heart and brain defects, as well as spinal cord abnormalities, the health department adds. Some children living with Trisomy 13 may also have a small head and small eyes or weak muscle tone. Researchers said the disorder happens in about one in 10,000-16,000 births.