“90 Day Fiancé” couple Jenny Slatten and Sumit Singh addressed the criticism over their GoFundMe to raise money amid her amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) battle.
Slatten, 68, announced her ALS diagnosis last month. A GoFundMe was created for them on May 20 to help cover her medical expenses, with a goal of raising $250,000. As of publishing time, $56,360 has been raised.
In an Instagram video posted Monday, Slatten’s speech was noticeably slurred as she and Singh explained why they were asking for donations. Singh, 38, said that as the two did more research on ALS, they found that treatment was going to be extremely expensive.
“‘I’m trying to make her life as easy as possible,” he said.
Slatten said that she didn’t have medical insurance in India, and Singh explained that going to the US wasn’t an immediate option for them since it wasn’t easy for him to get a visa and she would have a hard time traveling solo.
The couple also said they didn’t want to rely on Slatten’s three daughters in the US.
Singh shared, “I’m here to make sure Jenny is doing well, and whenever she needs me I am available. And if she goes to America she will have daughters, but they have their own families and their own lives.”
Slatten then interjected, “And I don’t want to be a burden.”
Singh continued to ask for donations from his followers.
“Money will not heal, but it supports and makes life easier,” he said. “We never ask for money before, we’ve been on the show, we’ve struggled a lot many times, but we never ask. And we need it now, that’s why we are just asking.”
He added, “Negativity is bad for Jenny, so please don’t say anything wrong and mean, at least this time.”
Slatten also gave an update on her ALS battle, sadly sharing that she would probably need to be in a wheelchair soon.
“As you can hear, my voice is completely different,” she said, referring to her slurred and delayed speech. “My speech is very slow now. I’m still walking but I get very tired.”
“I’m gonna keep walking, but wheelchair probably soon,” she continued, noting that she didn’t want that.
On a more positive note, Singh said that his wife was still largely independent.
“Giving up is not an option,” he stressed, as Slatten noted, “I’m trying my best.”
According to their GoFundMe, the donations will be used help cover Slatten’s growing medical expenses, including for equipment such as a walker and wheelchair, in-home nursing or caregiver support, and future hospital and treatment costs.
Slatten and Singh, who received significant attention on the TLC show due to their 30-year age difference, got married in 2021. Their wedding in India was aired during the season 3 finale of “90 Day Fiancé: The Other Way.”
Singh told People last month about supporting his wife through her health battle, ““Honestly, I never felt this much love, or I can love anyone this much, I used to … live for myself. But from [the] last so many years, I feel like doing [things] for someone who you love gives you happiness, I think that’s what love is.”
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