Where Are They Now?
PAGE 4
In April 2005, Oprah interviewed Jenny, a woman who'd previously been known as Jim, a married male college professor. "Jim told his wife, Deedie, that he had to have a sex change or he would die," Oprah says. "And get this—they stayed married."
After the interview, Oprah received a letter from Jenny and Deedie's oldest son, 13-year-old Zach. "Sometimes it's hard to have a family that's different," he wrote. "But most of the time I feel like the luckiest kid on earth."
Zach is 15 now and says he can hardly remember the time before Jenny's transition. "I remember Maddy before she was a woman, but I don't remember that time between Step 1 and Step 2," he says. Zach says he calls Jenny "Maddy" because it's a combination of mommy and daddy.
When Zach's friends ask who Maddy is, Zach says he's honest. "I say, 'My mom who used to be my dad.'"
After the interview, Oprah received a letter from Jenny and Deedie's oldest son, 13-year-old Zach. "Sometimes it's hard to have a family that's different," he wrote. "But most of the time I feel like the luckiest kid on earth."
Zach is 15 now and says he can hardly remember the time before Jenny's transition. "I remember Maddy before she was a woman, but I don't remember that time between Step 1 and Step 2," he says. Zach says he calls Jenny "Maddy" because it's a combination of mommy and daddy.
When Zach's friends ask who Maddy is, Zach says he's honest. "I say, 'My mom who used to be my dad.'"
NEXT STORY
