Key Takeaways
- Jenny Slatten defended taking a beach trip with her husband, Sumit Singh, amid her ALS battle, telling critics, “My life is going to end, and yours will keep going on.”
- The 90 Day Fiancé star said she only uses a wheelchair for long walks, though bulbar ALS has increasingly affected her mobility, speech and swallowing.
- The couple’s GoFundMe has reportedly raised more than $138,000 for medical costs as they seek an emergency visa allowing Singh to accompany Slatten to the U.S. for care.
Jenny Slatten isn't letting critics tell her how to spend her remaining time as she battles ALS.
The 90 Day Fiancé star fired back at people accusing her and her husband, Sumit Singh, of using donations from her medical fundraiser to pay for a beach vacation in Goa, India. Slatten, whose condition has deteriorated significantly in recent months, reminded her detractors exactly what she's facing.
“My life is going to end, and yours will keep going on, so if you don’t agree with our sea vacation, keep it to yourself,” Slatten wrote on Facebook on Tuesday, Oct. 20.
The backlash erupted after the couple posted photos from their trip along the Arabian Sea. Some commenters questioned whether Slatten was spending money raised through her GoFundMe on the getaway rather than her medical expenses.
Slatten explained that the beach trip was meant to help her condition, saying she believed negative ions from the ocean could benefit ALS patients. However, no established clinical evidence shows that ocean air or negative ions treat the disease.
The photos also showed Singh pushing Slatten in a wheelchair, another reminder of how much her health has changed.
“I'm not in [a wheelchair] all the time, only on long walks,” she clarified.
Just a month earlier, Slatten had warned fans that a wheelchair would likely become necessary as ALS increasingly affected her mobility.
Her speech has also deteriorated. In July, Slatten pushed back against false reports that she was bedridden, insisting she could still care for herself with Singh's assistance.
By August, however, she was struggling to speak. When Singh asked whether she wanted to address fans in a video, she replied, “No, I can't talk.”
Slatten's daughter, Christina Cuevas, subsequently revealed that her mother has bulbar ALS, a form of the disease that initially affects speech and swallowing. Cuevas also said weakness was spreading to her mother's spine, neck and hands.
Meanwhile, the couple has been fighting another battle: getting Slatten back to the United States for additional medical care.
Singh's visa application was denied despite doctors advising that Slatten should not make the lengthy trip from India alone. Cuevas appealed to California lawmakers for help obtaining an emergency humanitarian visa, but the couple has yet to secure permission for Singh to accompany his wife.
The financial strain has also intensified. Their GoFundMe, established in May to help cover mounting medical expenses, has reportedly raised more than $138,000.
Singh previously explained that Slatten lacks medical insurance in India and that his responsibilities as her primary caregiver make it difficult for him to work.
“Money will not heal, but it supports and makes life easier,” Singh said in an earlier update. “We never ask for money before.”
“Sumit does everything for me,” she said. “Our love has become stronger because we've had to face things together that we never expected.”
Fellow 90 Day Fiancé star David Toborowsky supported the couple's decision to travel, commenting, “Enjoy every minute and extend your stay.”
