Amanza Smith Kept Some Information About Her Health Scare From Her Kids

Amanza Smith wanted to protect her kids from the harsh reality that was happening to her while she was hospitalized for a blood infection that spread to her spine this summer.

The mom of two decided to keep some things from her kids as to not scare them while she was struggling to recover during her month-long hospital stay.

The "Selling Sunset" star, 46, was diagnosed with osteomyelitis, a rare and potentially life-threatening bone infection in early June. Smith was put on IV antibiotics before having surgery. A second surgery soon became necessary, but was a riskier procedure than the first. She ended up spending 31 days in Cedars-Sinai Medical Center before being released to further heal at home.

As a single mom to daughter Noah, 13, and son Breaker, 12, she worried about her children while she was in the hospital. Their father, former NFL player Ralph Brown, went missing in 2019 and hasn't been heard from since, so being the only parent added a level of concern for her.

"I had tubes coming out of me, oxygen and an IV, one in my arm, one in my hand, and a catheter," she told PEOPLE. "I was like, 'They can't see me like this, because it's going to scare them.'"

During the time she was hospitalized, she could only FaceTime with them. She said that before she went to the hospital, they saw her in a lot of pain, so she didn't want them to see her the way she was in the hospital.

"At moments, they thought maybe I was lying to them," she said. "I was omitting things because I didn't want them to think something worse was going on."

The reality star was finally able to reunite with her kids on July 3, and of course, it was an emotional reunion.

"When I saw my son for the first time, he fell into my arms and started weeping. He said, 'Mama, I was so scared you weren't going to come home.' I had never seen him cry like that," she shared.

"I realized he was holding it all in - and they don't have their dad. That fear of a parent leaving and not coming back is in there because that's what happened with their dad. I would've picked him up if I could have, to let him know I wasn't going anywhere."

Smith's children don't often make an appearance on her social media, but shortly after returning home, she shared a post on Instagram about spending the day with her daughter, Noah.

"Today with my baby girl! The second pic is all I was allowed to take of her! ???thank you Noah Layne for being the coolest sweetest daughter on the planet! I love you so much!" the carousel of photos was captioned.

As for continued healing, Smith is able to now heal at home with her kids. Her road to recovery includes another six months of antibiotics and physical therapy. And good news, she's expected to regain full mobility.

Her health crisis has given her a new perspective on life.

"I don't know if 'reality check' is the word, but it makes you want to change things in your life to make sure that you are alive forever for your kids," she said.

"I want to eat healthier. There's the person that I am, and there's the person that I want to be. I will never take my mobility for granted again. When I can walk and jog again and do Pilates or ballet, I hope I stick to them, because I plan on living to be 107."