Yahoo Lifestyle 'Jay & Pamela': Meet TLC's Newest Couple With the Same Super Rare Genetic Disorder (Exclusive Trailer)
A new TLC reality series, Jay & Pamela, is just around the corner—and its stars are an engaged couple born with the same super-rare genetic disorder.
On March 4, viewers will officially meet Jay Manuel, 28, and Pamela Chavez, 30, who have a condition called Osteogenesis Imperfecta Type 3 (OI) that causes brittle bones.
Doctors previously estimated they wouldn't live past 5—or even 1, for that matter. However, this couple beat the odds despite suffering more than 400 bone fractures combined.
At the beginning of the series, Pamela and Jay live with Jay's parents, Raphael and Rene, outside of Atlanta, Ga. Pamela moved across state lines to live with Jay after they met online, bonded over their shared experiences, and fell in love. They recently adopted a dog named Cheddar and are planning their wedding.
Pamela and Jay—who are 3 feet, 4 inches tall and power wheelchair users—hope to move out and live in a place of their own after they say "I do." But in a trailer shared exclusively with Parade, Jay's parents expressed concerns.
"Of course, we do support their decision to move out," Raphael told producers in a confessional. "But what if something happens to them, and we're not there? I fear for them for that."
Later in the super tease, Jay was admitted to the hospital ahead of their wedding day.
"For Jay to be hospitalized literally weeks before we get married, it's like, very terrifying, really," Pamela told the camera before mentioning her estranged family. "Having to go through something like this really made me miss my family a lot."
"I know we are capable even though most people count us out," Jay said in a different scene showing him working out and practicing dancing with his soon-to-be bride.
"We are in love with each other and we cannot wait to get married," Pamela declared as TLC teased clips from wedding planning and the big day itself.
"Living my best life is getting married to someone that I really enjoy being around," Jay shared.
Pamela also told him, "You've brought joy and hope to my life, and I can't wait to scream at the top of my lungs, 'You're my husband!'"
To learn more about Jay and Pamela before their show officially kicks off, tune into their TLC digital series featuring the couple adopting Cheddar. New episodes drop on TLC's TikTok account every Wednesday; Episode 1 is currently available.
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"With an inspiring love story that is truly one in a million, Jay and Pamela are a power couple proving that although their bones are brittle, their bond is unbreakable," TLC promised.
Catch the series premiere of Jay & Pamela on Tuesday, March 4 at 10 p.m. ET on TLC.
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