Kim Zolciak’s life was turned upside down last month when she shockingly suffered a mini-stroke after performing on “Dancing with the Stars” and then learning that she had an underlying heart condition in the process. Although Zolciak initially decided to remain mum on what the heart condition is, she’s finally decided to reveal details about the condition.
In a new interview with “Good Morning America,” Zolciak revealed that she was born with a Patent Foramen Ovale (PFO), which is a hole in the heart.
“It was a blessing in disguise. The minor TIA revealed that I have a PFO, which is like a hole in your heart,” she told Michael Strahan on “Good Morning America.”
“I was born with it and it never closed,” Kim explained. “That’s what caused it basically.”
According to the Mayo Clinic, everyone is born with a foramen ovale, a small flap-like opening that is normally present in the wall between the right and left upper chambers of the heart (atria). That flap usually closes during infancy but when it doesn’t close the way it should after birth, it’s called a PFO.
What’s also shocking is that most people who have it don’t even know it. Thankfully, most people never need treatment for it. As we all know now, Zolciak did decide to get treatment for it.
Zolciak took time in the interview to chastise people like Wendy Williams, who questioned that the mini-stroke and heart condition were fake or an excuse to get off of “Dancing with the Stars.”
“I think it’s sick that somebody would ever think that and some of the people that have said that, it just shows me their mentality,” Zolciak said.
Thankfully, Zolciak is recovering well and is scheduled to perform on the season finale of “DWTS.”
