Kim Zolciak-Biermann is sharing new insight into her genetic heart condition—a common heart defect that has gone untreated for her entire life.
The 37-year-old Don't Be Tardy reality star was hospital-bound after suffering a mini-stroke, a completely unexpected occurrence for the young mother of six who had been competing on Dancing With the Stars.
Zolciak sat down with E! News to describe the terrifying event, which stemmed from a blood clot, the location of which is still unknown by her doctors. The clot was able to travel to another side of her heart because of an open valve that never closed when she was born. The passage stopped oxygen to the right side of her brain, which inevitably caused the mini-stroke.
"My aunt also has the same exact thing with the exact same story at the exact same age which is crazy," Zolciak said of her heart malfunction.
Zolciak, who is also a nurse, revealed that she had been weary of a heart problem for years, complaining to different cardiologists of reoccurring chest pain and dizziness. With normal lab reports, doctors tended to quell the former Real Housewives of Atlanta star's fears without further investigation.
Constant air travel and a heavy schedule with Dancing With the Stars may have played a role in causing the stroke, though Zolciak is thankful it did not happen during the birth of her twins or when she was on the table receiving her "mommy makeover" plastic surgery.
Currently, she is taking blood-thinning medication, but revealed to E! News that she will ultimately have to have heart surgery to correct the hole. The surgery is already scheduled to take place.
"I have one of the top cardiologists in the country who's amazing," Zolciak said. "Anything that has to do with you heart and brain is pretty scary, but heck, I've been through it. I'm OK."
While she is looking forward to not having the shortness of breath and other symptoms that result from her weakened heart, Zolciak says the speculation surrounding her very scary health situation—particularly from Wendy Williams who questioned the validity of her story— is disheartening.
"I don't know anybody of sound mind that would lie about anything having to do with health," Zolciak admitted. "For you to even think that in your mind, you're pretty warped."
Still, she isn't spending much time worrying about what other people think. Instead, she's urging others to pay close attention to their intuitions about their bodies and not to waste time getting to a hospital if they suspect something is wrong. Time wasted can make all the difference.
"It literally happened in a second and my whole life changed."
For more of our exclusive interview with Kim Zolciak, tune in to E! News tonight at 7 and 11 p.m. Plus, be sure to watch Don't Be Tardy on Bravo on Thursdays at 10/9 CST.
(E! and Bravo are both members of the NBCUniversal family.)