Former Little Mix star Jesy Nelson's petition for spinal muscular atrophy screening in newborns has surpassed 100,000 signatures, forcing Members of Parliament to debate the issue in the House of Commons. The 34-year-old singer launched the campaign just days ago after both her twin daughters were diagnosed with SMA following their premature birth in May.
Nelson reacted with tears and visible emotion as the petition hit the milestone Friday night. Surrounded by friends and family, she watched the signature count climb past the crucial threshold that mandates parliamentary debate.
Emotional Milestone
In an Instagram video posted Friday, Nelson struggled to contain her emotions. «I cannot actually put into words how grateful I am that this moment has just happened right here,» she said. «And it is all thanks to you guys.»
As the signatures continued to rise, she was heard saying: «I can't breathe, I can't breathe. It's too much.» A voice in the background told her: «you did it».
Nelson thanked her 9.7 million Instagram followers and supporters directly: «Thank you to every single person that took time out of their day to sign this petition. You have no idea how much this means to me and the SMA community.»
Fighting for Early Detection
The petition advocates for including SMA in the NHS newborn blood spot screening test, commonly known as the heel prick test. Currently offered to every baby at five days old, the test detects nine rare but serious health conditions, but SMA is not among them.
Nelson's twins, Ocean Jade and Story Monroe Nelson-Foster, were born prematurely and later diagnosed with the condition. According to the NHS, SMA causes muscle weakness, movement problems, breathing and swallowing issues, muscle tremors, and bone and joint problems.
The singer met with Health Secretary Wes Streeting last month to discuss the critical importance of early detection for the condition.
Long-Standing Campaign
Nelson acknowledged the SMA community's years-long fight for screening inclusion. «This is the first hurdle but we bloody did it, and I truly believe that together we are going to make change,» she said in Friday's video.
Earlier this year, she told the Press Association that her activism «has caused a lot of commotion and it's been amazing because the SMA community have been screaming and shouting about this for years, and it's never been taken seriously.» She added: «I'm just really praying that it does eventually get changed sooner rather than later.»
Nelson's pregnancy journey, including complications from twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome, is documented in the six-part Prime Video series "Jesy Nelson: Life After Little Mix," which launched Friday.
Note: This article was created with Artificial Intelligence (AI).
