Tori Roloff Gives Inside Look At Husband Zach's Recovery After Emergency Brain Surgery
"Little People, Big World" star Zach Roloff has undergone emergency surgery to replace a shunt in his brain, according to an Instagram post shared by his wife, Tori Roloff. "It's been a scary 72 hours but he is doing well and recovering," Tori captioned her post, which included two photos of her husband resting in a hospital bed. News of Zach's surgery was initially confirmed in an Instagram post shared by his dad, Matt Roloff. "Family has been in constant contact and communication. We are all praying for Zach as he undergoes [an] important shunt revision," Matt captioned his Instagram share.
According to Johns Hopkins, a shunt is "a hollow tube surgically placed in the brain to help drain cerebrospinal fluid and redirect it to another location in the body where it can be reabsorbed." Although the surgery is considered serious, it takes about one hour with just a short hospital stay of a few days, depending on the patient, a passage on the website continues. Zach, who was born with a type of dwarfism called achondroplasia, "handled it like a rockstar," according to Tori's post.
Tori Roloff is hopeful that Zach recovers without any complications
Tori Roloff was sure to thank those who have helped out during the unexpected emergency, including Zach Roloff's neurosurgeon team and her mother-in-law, Amy Roloff, who has been watching Tori and Zach's three young children and "playing hide n seek for who knows how many hours." In one of the photos shared by Tori, Zach can be seen laying down in a hospital bed with his eyes closed and a bandage around his head. In another, he's sitting up with all kinds of wires hooked up to him. He smiled as Tori snapped the pic and he gave the camera a double thumbs up. "I'm here praying that Zach's recovery is quick and easy and that this will be our answered prayers to relieving his migraines," Tori wrote.
Fans of the family's TLC reality show likely know that Zach and his dad haven't been on the best of terms in recent years — ever since Zach expressed interest in buying the family's farm. However, in October, Matt told ET that things between him and Zach were "on the right path." This seems to be the case based on the fact that Matt's post about his son's health included some high praise for Tori. "He's in good hands with Tori advocating tooth and nail for his best interest ... all prayers up please for Zachs successful recovery," Matt's caption read.
Fans have been offering their prayers and well-wishes to Zach, and everyone is hopeful he heals quickly.
Amy Roloff has shared an update on Zach
Hours after Tori Roloff shared that her husband needed emergency surgery, Zach Roloff's mom shared an Instagram post of her own.
She started off by thanking the community for their prayers and well wishes for her son. "So far so good and we're praying his recovery is strong and goes well," she captioned a picture of Zach in the hospital. "I know he doesn't want to be here again anytime soon." She added that she's been hanging out with her grandkids which she says has been "a blast" and that her son is a "trooper." She shared the same sentiment for his wife, and let everyone know that Zach will be home "in a day or two."
Several fans continued the well wishes for Zach in the comments section of Amy's post. "Thinking of your family Amy. Hoping Zach gets well soon. Sending good vibes," one Instagram comment read. "Praying for Zach to make a full recovery," another user wrote.
All 3 of Zach & Tori Roloff's kids have achondroplasia
Tori and Zach Roloff have three children together, Jackson, Lilah, and Josiah, and all three kids were born with achondroplasia, just like their dad. As defined by Johns Hopkins, a person with achondroplasia has smaller limbs due to an impairment of bone growth. There are a number of symptoms that a person with this type of dwarfism can experience, including neurological issues and other bone structure issues, such as bowed legs.
Tori and Zach's oldest son Jackson had surgery in 2021 to help correct his bowing legs. About a year after his surgery, Zach provided an update on Instagram when a fan asked how Jackson was doing. "He's good," Zach responded. "It's tough because the screws in his legs help straighten the leg as he grows," he said. "Well for him he maybe grows a inch a year so it's tough to see and won't be obvious for awhile." Zach and Tori are hopeful that this surgery will help Jackson in the long run and that he won't need a major surgery in the future.