27-YEAR-OLD single mom of three, Gege, has "bones like glass" after she was born with osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) type 4 - also known as brittle bone disease. Raising three children with the constant fear of falling and breaking her bones is everyday life for Gege, especially since her condition means she stands at 3'8" tall. Speaking from the top of the stepladder that enables her to reach the kitchen counter, Gege told Truly: "I have to be very careful with how I move and carry my youngest baby so that I don't break anything." But Gege has additional challenges on top of being a single mom with a physical disability. Her eldest son, Montavius (9), was diagnosed with autism - and whilst Melaniè (4) has no additional needs, Gege's youngest, Mílani (1), inherited her mom's bone disease. Gege first became aware that she could pass on her condition when she was pregnant with Montavius. However, after her first two pregnancies resulted in her children being born without OI, Gege felt "very confident" that she would have the same good fortune again: "Third time's a charm, right?" Unfortunately, it became clear at her final ultrasound that her daughter would most likely be born with her condition, leaving Gege dealing with feelings of guilt. When Mílani was born, that guilt remained: "I don't want my baby to go through anything that I went through because it's not easy. Repeating that cycle, it felt like trauma to me." Mílani has broken nine bones in total and Gege feels the responsibility weighing on her, even though she was always just "letting her do anything a normal baby would do." To add insult to injury, Gege has been on the receiving end of an online backlash since sharing her family story on TikTok. Many have judged her for continuing to have children - Gege is no stranger to comments suggesting that "having children and reproducing is not for everyone" and that it is "very selfish" to risk passing on a rare condition. Her default response is defiance: "I'm going to do what I want to do regardless, it doesn't matter what you think of me." And that defiance has been challenging for Gege's grandmother, Darlene, and best friend, Cherish, to come to terms with. Both have supported Gege through all three of her pregnancies, watching on with concern as she put her body through a trio of C-sections - but Darlene predicts that raising Mílani will be a "full-time job" for Gege and already has concerns that the baby's bowed legs will require surgery soon. So with Gege preparing to tell Darlene and Cherish that she wants to have more children in the future, will they be ready to support her again, or will her grandma "explode" as Gege expects?
Follow Gege and her family:
https://www.tiktok.com/@gegeemacc
http://www.youtube.com/@iamgegee1696
https://www.youtube.com/@themaccfamily
