BachelorNation coupleAshley HebertandJ.P. Rosenbaumare opening up about a recent health struggle that ultimately strengthened their marriage.
In a Tuesday interview withGood Morning America, the pair — who met onThe Bacheloretteandtied the knotin December 2012 — shared more details about the recent health scare that left 42-year-old J.P.temporarily paralyzed.
Last month, Ashley, 34,revealedthat her husband wasdiagnosedwithGuillain-Barré syndrome, a rare neurological disorder in which the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks the peripheral nervous system.
The initial signs of the illness were subtle, they explained, first with J.P. complaining of strange feelings in his hands. Then hours later, it became difficult for the father of two to even carry a box of pizza.
“I can’t hug my kids, pick up my kids, do anything for my kids, I don’t want my kids to see me like this,” J.P. toldGMA. “It’s all … I mean, I just burst into tears, just because I was scared and frustrated.”
Soon, it became a struggle for him to walk or stand.
“But I have to tell you, when he burst into tears — I’ve never seen him cry. Never,” Ashley, who shares son Fordham Rhys, 5, and daughter Essex Reese, 3, with J.P., added.
J.P. Rosenbaum, Ashley Hebert.Presley Ann/Getty
Since doctors detected the condition early, J.P. is now on the road to recovery, stillundergoing frequent physical therapyand treatment. But the stress of the health crisis only made the couple stronger, with the pair citing the wedding vows phrase “in sickness and in health” onGMA.
“It’s never that obvious until you’re in sickness and you realize what the potential catastrophic effect and can have on a relationship, on a family …” J.P. said, with Ashley adding, “… on an individual.”
“I’m progressing,” he shared in an Instagram post at the time. “My physical therapist said that I’m very, very lucky that I’m able to do things three weeks later that I shouldn’t be able to do, which is all incredible. My fine motor skills are virtually all back.”
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J.P. previously told PEOPLE that he was “very scared” when he learned of his diagnosis, and that he often felt helpless in being able to care for his two kids.
“Ashley and I used to have a pretty decent balance with the kids,” he said in December. “I would make breakfasts and lunches and drop off at school two to three times a week. Now, I can’t even pick up my kids. I can’t bathe them, I can’t do anything. I can’t contribute at all. Watching Ashley do all of it is the hardest part.”
“The kidshave been awesome,” J.P. said. “I was worried about how they would react. But we told them Daddy is sick and we have to be careful, but that I’m getting better and I’m getting stronger.”
“Ashley is a Superwoman,” he then added of his wife. “She’s been amazing. She’s been supportive, and she does it all. It’s a lot, but I’ve reminded her that this is temporary.”
source: people.com
