LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: 'Selling Sunset' star Amanza Smith, 46, was hospitalized for a rare and dangerous spinal infection called osteomyelitis in June.
She spent more than a month in the hospital, fighting for her life and mobility.
What was so scary about Amanza Smith's condition?
During this time, she decided to keep her two children, Noah, 13, and Breaker, 12, away from the hospital and only talked to them via FaceTime.
She told People that she did not want to scare them with her condition.
"I had tubes coming out of me — oxygen and an IV, one in my arm, one in my hand, and a catheter," she said.
"I was like, “They can’t see me like this, because it’s going to scare them.”’
Amanza said her children saw her suffering and she did not want to make them worry more. "At moments, they thought maybe I was lying to them. I was omitting things because I didn’t want them to think something worse was going on."
How did Amanza's children welcome her back home?
She finally came home on July 3, after 31 days in the hospital. She had an emotional reunion with her children who hugged her and cried.
"When I saw my son for the first time, he fell into my arms and started weeping," she said.
"He said, “Mama, I was so scared you weren’t going to come home. I had never seen him cry like that."
Since Ralph Brown went missing, her children have been living in fear of losing a parent
She added that her children have been living with the fear of losing a parent since their father, former NFL player Ralph Brown, went missing in 2019.
"That fear of a parent leaving and not coming back is in there because that’s what happened with their father. I would’ve picked him up if I could have, to let him know I wasn’t going anywhere."
The interior designer is still recovering from the infection and said it has changed her perspective on life.
‘“I don’t know if “reality check” is the word, but it makes you want to change things in your life to make sure that you are alive forever for your kids," she said.
"I want to eat healthier. There’s the person that I am, and there’s the person that I want to be."
"I will never take my mobility for granted again. When I can walk and jog again and do Pilates or ballet, I hope I stick to them, because I plan on living to be 107," she added.
