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Jazz Jennings’ Doctor Says She Had a ‘Severe Complication’ During ‘One-of-a-Kind Surgery’
No one could have foreseen it. One of Jazz Jennings‘ doctors, Dr. Jess Ting, admitted he did not expect her to have some of the issues she did after a gender confirmation surgery in an I Am Jazz sneak peek ahead of the Tuesday, January 28, premiere of season 6 of the series.
“Taking Jazz on as a patient for surgery, we knew it was going to be a one-of-a-kind surgery,” Dr. Ting said in the clip obtained by People. “We don’t have the experience of having said we’ve done 50 of these. I was just not expecting her to have a complication as severe as what she did have.”
The reality star’s other doctor, Dr. Marci Bowers, noted that Jazz, 19, “had a very difficult surgical course,” and that there were definitely issues with it. “She had a very incredible first surgery — it went seemingly very well, but there were problems,” she said. “And that prompted a second surgery, which I was not a part of, unfortunately.”
After the first surgery, Jazz revealed, “There was just an unfortunate event and setback where things did come apart, and there was a complication. I had to come back in for another procedure, but it was just all part of the journey. The good thing though is that it was only cosmetic and external so it wasn’t too dramatic.”
Recalling those challenges, Dr. Bowers explained in the clip, “This has been a real journey, hasn’t it? We knew it would be tough — it turned out tougher than any of us imagined. I think in hindsight we would have never sent you home from the hospital. You know, easy to say now.”
“When I wasn’t here when you had problems and had to go back, I can’t tell you how stressful that was,” Dr. Bowers confessed.
Jazz’s father, Greg, said that hearing the medical professionals “acknowledge” what happened mattered. “You know, it’s nice to hear, ‘I did something,’” he admitted. “On the other hand, there’s the medical side and an expectation that really should have been met.”
As always, we wish Jazz all the best in her journey!
