NeNe Leakes gives update after son suffers stroke and heart failure

 NeNe Leakes has shared that her 23-year-old son is "struggling to speak" after suffering heart failure and a stroke two weeks ago.

The former "Real Housewives of Atlanta" cast member took to her Instagram stories on Monday to recount what happened to her son, Brentt.

"This is not the way I wanted it to come out," she said in her video post. "We wanted to be able to talk about it ourselves when Brentt was in a better place. So, here I am. I would rather the correct thing be out there than something that's not correct."

Leakes said that when something like this happens to someone so young, it is sometimes can be traced to drugs, alcohol, or infection related to HIV, but she said her son does not drink or do drugs and has been tested for HIV.

One theory, she said, is that he may have contracted Covid-19, which can lead to issues with the heart. Leakes said neither she nor her son knew him to have had the virus. Doctors, she said, have also theorized that he may have had congenital heart issue since birth that they had not been previously aware of.

Doctors are running additional tests, Leakes said, adding that the situation has been "very scary."

"I don't even want to go into details of what happened and how I found out and what condition he was in," she said. "Obviously a stroke is a very serious thing, and he's struggling with speaking."

She asked her followers to please keep him and their family in their prayers as there is cause for hope.

"He has shown some improvement," Leakes said. "We're really happy and blessed for that."