Did Kody Brown Keep TLC From Paying for Daughter Ysabel’s Scoliosis Surgery?
Kody Brown pushed back against his daughter Ysabel's apparently medically necessary scoliosis surgery for an odd reason.
- Ysabel Brown’s severe scoliosis caused her ongoing pain and a decline in self-confidence, leading to the necessity of surgery.
- Kody Brown, her father, initially opposed her surgery due to being away from the youngest children and concerns about COVID.
- There is speculation that TLC’s reduced payment for the family’s events and medical needs coincided with Kody’s refusal to contribute to Ysabel’s surgery.
Throughout the many seasons of Sister Wives, there have been several instances where the family has come up against medical problems. Whether it was one child’s appendicitis, another with kidney issues, eye injuries, or even the entire COVID period. With that many family members, it is bound to bring a significant amount of medical bills.
Despite the turmoil that was going on with the family, a critical medical decision about one of the children needed to be made. Despite his position as the father of the child in question, many speculate that Kody Brown may have made things more difficult for his daughter and her apparently medically necessary surgery. However, that wasn’t the case when it came to some of the other children in the family.
Ysabel’s Scoliosis Diagnosis Was Brought Up Multiple Times On ‘Sister Wives’
Fans of the hit reality show know that Ysabel Brown, the daughter of Christine and Kody, has long struggled with severe scoliosis. With the extent that it progressed, the young reality star was experiencing an incredible amount of ongoing pain that was hindering her quality of life.
Prior to the surgery, the family explored more natural options to attempt to align Ysabel’s spine correctly and alleviate the pain she was experiencing. For a period of time, she wore a firm back brace to hold her spine in place. However, after trying multiple routes, it was determined that surgery was in the child’s best interest.
In addition to the pain, Ysabel was suffering from a decline in self-confidence. Her mother, Christine Brown, stated on an episode of the show that her daughter would routinely wear baggy clothes to disguise the curve of her back.
For those two reasons, she felt it was imperative to get her child the help she so desperately needed.
Kody Brown Didn’t Want His Daughter To Have Surgery
Fans were outraged when it came time for Ysabel to finally have her surgery, as Kody Brown promptly asked to have it postponed. His reason centered around not wanting to be away from the youngest children for a period of six to eight weeks while Ysabel recovered in another state.
Ultimately, he decided to stay behind and made a big display of his disapproval over having the procedure done during a time when COVID was highly prevalent.
Although fans were upset at Kody’s behavior, especially after he opted to attend a friend’s wedding shortly after, it wasn’t all that surprising. Kody has often seemed to put other members of the family ahead of others, even if it doesn’t make sense or seem remotely fair to the rest.
The refusal to be there for his child in a time of need struck a nerve with many and caused fans to see him in a different light, even if that light hadn’t been so positive before.
However, the diehard Sister Wives fans will remember an episode from several years before where Kody attempted to exert authority over the issue of surgery by saying Ysabel, himself, and Christine would not be returning to the specialist treating his daughter and that he would not be consenting to any recommended surgeries.
Despite one of his other children advocating on her sister’s behalf, the family patriarch was firm in his response that the issue wasn’t life-threatening and, therefore, unnecessary.
Why Didn’t TLC Pay for Ysabel’s Surgery?
It has been divulged that TLC has covered, in large part, expenses that come up on the show. However, these events took place before the decline in viewership that Sister Wives experienced. Whereas each wife reportedly made almost $200,000 per season before the change in ratings, the entire family ultimately had to split a similar amount among each other as part of a new contract negotiation to keep the show on the air.
While it hasn’t been confirmed, it’s likely that a reduction in payment for the family’s weddings and surgeries coincided with the changes. According to fans, Christine Brown stated on a Facebook Live event that she was selling Lularoe clothing to raise $50,000 for her daughter’s medical needs.
Fans really want to know why Ysabel’s father didn’t try to come up with the funds alongside her mother. With the assistance of public records, it’s clear that he has disposable income to distribute among the causes of his choice.
It’s highly speculated that Kody Brown refused to contribute to his daughter’s surgery because it isn’t something he agreed with. Despite the years of agonizing pain that Ysabel had experienced, he previously admitted that he didn’t find medical intervention necessary because it wasn’t threatening her life.
However, the show has frequently shown other family members receiving medical care, including rumored plastic surgery for one of the older children to have full control of his eyelid.
While advocating for a child’s best interest is a core responsibility for any parent, it would appear that Kody Brown only feels this pull for a select few of his.
