Tori Roloff’s newborn son, Josiah, has been diagnosed with achondroplasia, the same form of dwarfism that his dad, Zach Roloff, and two siblings have.
“[It’s] not his identity,” the “Little People, Big World” star, 31, told Us Weekly of her 3-week-old’s condition.
“He has achondroplasia, but he’s not, like, ‘Josiah the achondroplasia.’ Just like I’m Tori, I have brown hair. I’m not a brunette — like, that’s not how I would classify myself.”
The TLC personality is also the mother of son Jackson, 5, and daughter Lilah, 2, who arrived in 2017 and 2019, respectively.
She told the outlet that dwarfism is “so normal” to her and Zach, 32.
“We have so many resources and there’s a lot of parents out there who don’t have the same resources and … don’t have the same confidence in everything that Zach and I do,” she explained. “We will definitely be advocates for people with dwarfism [be]cause of our kids.”
The reality stars welcomed their baby boy last month, nearly three weeks ahead of his due date.
“You surprised us all by coming early, but also the wait felt like a lifetime!” Tori captioned the infant’s Instagram debut. “Best birthday present ever!”
She went on to call her eldest two children the “absolute best big brother and sister,” gushing, “Jackson wants to hold him constantly, and Lilah is so concerned he will miss his Binkie or blanky!”
The Washington residents spoke candidly in 2019 about having a “hard” time finding out about their children’s dwarfism diagnoses.
“I think health-wise with dwarfs, you never know,” the photographer said in an episode of their family’s show at the time, with her partner adding, “It’s a lot to process.”
Zach went on to say, “It’s a little bit emotional, more heavy, when you know your child is going to potentially have more issues or maybe a different path than 95 percent of the other kids in the world.”
Tori has been vocal via Instagram about their kids’ health struggles over the years, sharing Jackson’s December 2021 leg surgery and Lilah’s strabismus diagnosis for crossed eyes in November 2020.