‘Sister Wives’ Star Maddie Brown Brush Reveals Why Her Sweet Baby Daughter Is Missing Her Fingers & A Toe

‘One of the hardest things’ that Maddie Brown and Caleb Brush ever faced was their daughter’s rare medical diagnosis. The malformation also impacts the baby’s limbs.

Out of fear of “mean jokes and cyberbullying,” Sister Wives stars Maddie Brown Brush, 23, and Caleb Brush, 32, were hesitant to share “heartbreaking” news about their two-month-old daughter, Evangalynn Kodi. With these worries in mind, Maddie made a vulnerable yet brave move when she revealed that her baby had recently been diagnosed with FATCO syndrome. “It’s a rare medical syndrome where bones in extremities do not fully develop,” the new mother explained in an Instagram post on Oct. 23, which also gave Instagram fans’ their first look at little Evangalynn’s hands and feet. The adorable baby was missing three fingers, a toe and her fibula (also known as the calf bone).

Maddie made sure to include a disclaimer before going into details of her daughter’s medical condition. “This is one of the hardest things that Caleb and I have gone through and the decision to share almost as difficult, but after a lot of consideration, we realized that it’s the best thing for our daughter and there is a chance it may help other parents who may also be struggling,” Maddie began her message.

The TLC star went on to recall how she and Caleb learned about their daughter’s uncommon condition. “It wasn’t a complete surprise; we were aware of some abnormalities before birth. We knew something was wrong when we went in for a routine anatomy ultrasound at 26 weeks and what should have taken 45 minutes, ended up lasting a nerve-wracking two hours,” Maddie wrote. “It was then that the doctor told us that they couldn’t find all ten fingers and diagnosed the baby with oligodactyly (fewer than 10 fingers). Although this was better than expected, it was still heartbreaking news.”

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This is one of the hardest things that Caleb and I have gone through and the decision to share almost as difficult, but after a lot of consideration, we realized that it’s the best thing for our daughter and there is a chance it may help other parents who may also be struggling. . Our beautiful baby daughter Evie has been diagnosed with FATCO syndrome (basically the abbreviation for lots of intense Latin words😅). It’s a rare medical syndrome where bones in extremities do not fully develop. . . It wasn’t a complete surprise; we were aware of some abnormalities before birth. We knew something was wrong when we went in for a routine anatomy ultrasound at 26 weeks and what should have taken 45 minutes, ended up lasting a nerve-wracking two hours. It was then that the doctor told us that they couldn’t find all ten fingers and diagnosed the baby with oligodactyly (fewer than 10 fingers). Although this was better than expected, it was still heartbreaking news. . But when Evie was born, Caleb and I found out our precious little girl was missing more than just one finger. She was missing three fingers, a toe and her fibula. She also had a bowed tibia, a shortened forearm and some fusing in her fingers. It was at this point, the doctors diagnosed her with FATCO syndrome. . We were hesitant to share Evie’s condition publicly for fear that our infant daughter would become the target of mean jokes and cyberbullying. That said, we felt not being open would be even worse and make Evie feel ashamed for something that makes her all the more special in our eyes. .. As far as we have been told, with fewer than 10 recorded cases of her specific findings, it’s unclear what causes the condition. She is healthy in every other way aside from the missing bones. As a family, we have decided to be open as we walk through this journey. We want Evie to always feel pride in who she is, and all that God gave her!

A post shared by Maddie Brush (@madison_rose11) on Oct 23, 2019 at 5:27am PDT

Maddie also pointed out that her daughter has “a bowed tibia, a shortened forearm and some fusing in her fingers.” It’s such a rare condition, the reality television star was told there were “fewer than 10 recorded cases of her specific findings” and the cause is unclear. You can read the rest of Maddie’s message above to learn why she and Caleb were hesitant to reveal the diagnosis their Instagram fans (the parents share a combined total of more than 240,000 followers).

Maddie and Caleb welcomed Evangalynn, their second child, on Aug. 20. They also share a two-year-old son, Axel Brush. The couple tied the knot in 2016, and the wedding was aired in a Sister Wives special in 2016! Despite the name of the TLC show, Maddie’s not in a polygamist relationship with her husband — the title stems from her parents’ unique relationship (her mom, Janelle Brown, is the second wife of her dad, Kody Brown).