Sister Wives stars Christine and Kody Brown’s daughter Ysabel has come a long way after undergoing spinal surgery in September 2020.
Fans are getting to watch the days leading up to Ysabel’s procedure in new season 16 episodes, during which her struggles with scoliosis are discussed among the polygamous family before Christine, 49, and Kody, 52, announced their split.
“We finally have an appointment for Ysabel for her surgery,” Christine said during the Sunday, November 28, episode. “It’s about six weeks away. We found out that Ysabel had scoliosis when she was like 13 in middle school. It’s been about four years now that she’s just been in so much pain. We finally have the date.”
Ysabel, 18, was first diagnosed with the medical condition back in 2017 and had been dealing with chronic discomfort due to the sideways curvature of her spine.
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Kody was unable to accompany Christine to Ysabel’s surgery at the time and suggested they wait until a later date as the pair would have to be gone for a month, but Christine was insistent that waiting wasn’t an option because Ysabel was in “too much pain.”
While informing the rest of their family about Ysabel’s upcoming surgery on the episode, Christine revealed Ysabel will have a four-inch scar under her arm.
In a solo confessional, the mom of six admitted that Ysabel asked her about getting a tattoo to cover up the scar after healing from the procedure, which Christine approved of even though she knew it may upset Kody.
“Kody is so adamantly opposed to tattoos,” Christine explained. “I doubt she’s told him, but I mean, she’s going to be 18 and moving out. I guess how he feels about it doesn’t really matter because she [Ysabel] won’t be living at home when she gets one.”
Over the summer, Ysabel announced that she moved into half-sister Maddie’s home in North Carolina with her family of four, which Maddie said was so Ysabel could attend a nearby school. Ysabel has yet to share if she ended up getting a tattoo post-surgery.
On the anniversary of Ysabel’s procedure, Christine took to Instagram with an update praising her daughter’s strength. “It’s been a year today since @ysabelpaigebrown got her scoliosis surgery!” the reality star wrote. “She has always been so strong and has persevered with so much grace! I’m humbled and blessed to be her mom! #scoliosis #scoliosissurgery #scoliosiswarrior #blessed.”
For her part, Ysabel shared in an Instagram Story post that she has “never felt so pain-free and in control of my own body” one year after going through with the surgery.
Christine’s message about Ysabel came nearly two months before the longtime TLC personality went public with her breakup, confirming she was leaving Kody after 27 years of marriage. The exes had been spiritually united since March 1994 and share kids Aspyn, Mykelti, Gwendlyn, Ysabel, Truely and Paedon.
“We will continue to be a strong presence in each other’s lives as we parent our beautiful children and support our wonderful family,” Christine wrote via Instagram and Twitter. “At this time, we ask for your grace and kindness as we navigate through this stage within our family.”
Kody echoed her sentiments in his own public statement, which read, “Christine’s decision to leave comes with a great deal of sadness. We enjoyed many years together and I have a large amount of respect and admiration for her. Although we are moving forward on different paths, we will always remain committed parents.”