Vicki Gunvalson revealed during a conversation with Newsweek that she questioned what would happen if she “didn’t survive” a recent “scary” medical emergency.
Gunvalson is best known as an original cast member of the Bravo reality television series The Real Housewives of Orange County, featuring in 16 of the 18 seasons since its 2006 premiere, but she is also the founder and CEO of Coto Insurance.
In August, the 62-year-old was rushed to a hospital and was later told she had pneumonia that turned into sepsis. Sepsis is a life-threatening condition that occurs when the body’s immune system overreacts to an infection or injury. She was initially sent home before the seriousness of the situation was discovered.
The medical emergency she suffered resulted in her losing her memory for four days—and she is still recovering. Making the situation even scarier was that she was given a 10 percent to 20 percent chance of survival.
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“I think God does this—I’m a very spiritual person—does this to make you stop and realize what is your life plan?” she said. “What do you want people to know you by? What is your experience on, you know, life in general, and are you making a difference in the world?
“I really feel like every day I wake up with my business, I’m able to change people’s lives with what I do for a living. But I also feel fortunate that I did get sick and did get good-quality health care. A lot of people aren’t able to do that.
“They made a mistake at one of the hospitals, and I went over to another one, and it was good, I mean, I was very fortunate. But it does make you think about it like, what if I did have a stroke? What if I didn’t survive? Is everything else set up with my trust and my estate and my insurance? And the answer is yes, but I still don’t want to be done yet, you know?”
Gunvalson has had a variety of health issues and operations over the years. When she was a child, she was diagnosed with an inner-ear tumor called cholesteatoma. She underwent surgery that removed the tumor, but when she was 32, it grew back. She underwent another surgery to remove the tumor that was successful. In total, she has had nine surgeries on her ear.
Gunvalson explained that her health history has taught her to take every day as a gift.
“I’ve always been in tune with that, but this one really, really knocked me down,” she said. “I don’t have any kids near me right now. You know, my son was in Spain, and my daughter was in Oklahoma with four kids, so thank God my boyfriend was here.
“He really saved my life, because I went to take a bath when he wasn’t there, and I ended up passing out in the bathtub. So it could have been very, very, very much more serious than what we saw there. It was scary stuff, but I just take every day as a gift. We’re all going to pass away some day. I don’t want to do it right now, I’ve got stuff to do.”
She said that recovery is going to be “a slow process” but she has made sure to take a break from work to look after her health.
“If I’m not healthy, nobody’s healthy, you know?” she said. “I’ve got to take care of myself so I can be back to work and be who I need to be. So I just took the time, and I’m still taking the time.
“I’m not putting in 10 hours a day, and I’m still in recovery mode, but I still feel better than I did before, and every day I get a little bit stronger. But I know my limit now, when I’m tired, I have to stop. So that’s important, you know, to keep healing.”
Gunvalson’s advice to others going through something similar? Take care of yourself.
“If your body’s telling you to slow down, gotta slow down,” she said. “We’re all responsible for something, whether it’s taking care of our children or running a business. It’s definitely difficult when you’ve got a lot on your plate and all of a sudden you have to put the brakes down.
“And I learned a lot through that. We can do it, we can be OK and we can still run a business. People that are close to you will pick it up.”
