NeNe Leakes’ 25-year-old son has a second chance at life following a life-threatening stroke in 2022 and now a recent heart transplant.
Brentt Leakes And NeNe Leakes – Source: Prince Williams / Getty
Brentt Leakes, shared on Monday (Oct. 21) on Instagram that he received “a brand new heart” in July, a necessary procedure to restore his health after suffering a stroke and being officially diagnosed with congestive heart failure in June. He disclosed that his heart transplant surgery was a demanding 14-hour process. Now in recovery, he is re-learning how to walk and communicate, stating that he’s becoming “even more fluent.”
The 25-year-old entrepreneur shared photos from his hospital recovery, including one image where he could be seen struggling to move his feet while hooked up to a patient monitor. Another photo captured Brentt laying on his hospital bed, hooked up to several tubes, with a long scar running down his chest, presumably the area where his heart transplant took place.
While he’s happy his health is on the mend, Brentt shared that his journey to recovery “has FOREVER changed” his life. He thanked his mother NeNe, his mother’s boyfriend Nyoni, fans, and several other family members for being by his side throughout the challenging princess. He also thanked his heart donor for saving his life.
“A huge thank you to MY MOM, marshella , Nyoni, Big Janae , Nikiyah, my friends, doctors, nurses, and everyone else who was pushing, pulling and praying me thru this,” he added. “Never give up.”
Fans React To Brentt’s Health Update
Fans and celebs poured love, light, and get well wishes into the comments section for Brentt.
“To God Be The Glory! It has been A LOT! I am so proud of how strong you’ve been thru this process son â¤ï¸ðð¾â¤ï¸ðð¾â¤ï¸ðð¾,” penned his mom, NeNe.
A fan commented;
“My GOD MY GOD!! Touch this young KING from the bottom of his feet to the top of his head with your ALL MIGHTY healing hands, HALLELUJAH!! IT IS DONE!! THANK YOU FATHER!!”
Motivational speaker, Alphonso Foster, wrote;
“To God be the glory! Praying that this new journey is so rewarding for you! May God continue to heal you from the inside out, give you the strength that you need, and bless you with a long and healthy life. What hell meant for evil, I’m so thankful God turned around for good!”
Black Adults Have A High Risk Of Developing Cardiovascular Disease, Studies Show
Brentt’s surprising diagnosis of congestive heart failure is not uncommon for someone his age. A 2022 study from Northwestern Medicine found that Black individuals face a higher risk of cardiovascular disease due to various biological factors. In fact, Black adults are 1.6 to 2.4 times more likely to experience cardiovascular issues compared to white adults. The study attributed these disparities to differences in social determinants of health—such as education and neighborhood poverty—along with clinical factors like blood pressure and lifestyle choices related to diet.
Additionally, a 2009 study published in The New England Journal of Medicine highlighted that certain risk factors for stroke, heart failure, and other cardiovascular diseases can emerge in Black men and women at a young age.
In the study, for Black participants aged 18 to 30, several factors predicted heart failure developing about 15 years later. These included higher diastolic blood pressure, being overweight, lower levels of good cholesterol (HDL), and having kidney disease. Notably, three-quarters of those who eventually developed heart failure had high blood pressure by age 40.
While addressing her son’s diagnosis on Instagram in 2022, Leakes revealed that doctors were unable to pinpoint the cause of Brentt’s condition.
“The first thing you know a lot of doctors think of when someone that age comes in with that kind of condition is maybe they have done drugs or maybe they have some serious infection. Maybe HIV or some sort of infection is what I’m being told by the doctors,” The New Normal alum shared at the time.
“Brentt doesn’t drink or do drugs. And obviously they’ve tested him for all of those things. They also tested him for HIV. They were thinking that maybe he had COVID and he didn’t know that he had COVID. It was very scary. I don’t even want to go into details. What happened and how I found out and what condition he was in. Obviously a stroke is a very serious thing…Keep us in your prayers,” she added.
Prayers up for Brentt Leakes! We’re wishing you a speedy recovery.