Emily Simpson shared some “hard” updates about her son Luke’s health, including his most recent medical diagnosis, at The Real Housewives of Orange County‘s Season 20 reunion.
How to Watch
The Real Housewives of Orange County airs Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET on Bravo. Episodes stream next day on Peacock.
After host Andy Cohen asked Emily how her three children with Shane Simpson were doing during Part 2 of the RHOC reunion, she became visibly emotional when she got to 11-year-old Luke. “It’s so hard to talk about Luke,” Emily admitted.
“I would say that Shane and I are doing better at parenting Luke ’cause we understand a lot more about his diagnosis,” she added. “But he has Tourette’s now, so that’s been hard. That’s a lot.”
What is Tourette Syndrome?
“Tourette Syndrome is a neurodevelopmental disorder that affects children, adolescents and adults,” according to the Tourette Association of America. “The condition is characterized by sudden, involuntary movements and/or sounds called tics. Tics can range from mild/inconsequential to moderate and severe, and are disabling in some cases.”
Emily Simpson opens up about her son Luke’s Tourette Syndrome diagnosis
Prior to her son’s recent Tourette Syndrome diagnosis, Emily had shared that Luke’s other medical conditions included PANDAS (Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal Infections), ARFID (Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder), OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder), ADHD (attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder), and dyslexia.
When Andy questioned if Tourette Syndrome is a “natural byproduct” of Luke’s other diagnoses, Emily confirmed that to be the case. “Yeah, if you look at PANDAS and the symptoms … it’s OCD and anxiety and tics,” she said.
Heather Dubrow, meanwhile, asked if Luke’s tics were “vocal or physical,” and Emily answered that they were “vocal,” before explaining that he “can kind of control it when he’s at school” by stimming. “He doesn’t do it verbally at school because it’s embarrassing for him,” she added.
RELATED: Where Emily Simpson and Shane Simpson Stand Today Amid Marital “Ups and Downs”
Emily Simpson opens up about the emotional impact of her son Luke’s health conditions
Noting that Tourette Syndrome is “very hard to manage,” Emily tearfully admitted that she was “exhausted,” as Luke’s caretaker.
“I manage him from the moment he gets up to the moment he goes to bed,” she said. “Everything I had envisioned in my mind about what a family looks like and what we would do as a family, I’ve had to just completely throw that out and just reimagine it. And that makes me sad a lot.”
Emily continued, “I feel like I’ve had to mourn, like, what I thought it was gonna be like, like what having kids was like. And I pictured family vacations and going on road trips and doing all these things. And I can’t do any of them. And I’ve had to leave a trip early because he wouldn’t eat anything. And I got so scared. It’s just, it’s been very hard. But, you know, this new doctor gives me hope that we’re gonna get some answers and have a path forward.”
Before moving on, Emily wanted to clarify one thing, however. “Can I just end it by saying Luke is a fantastic child?” she asked. “He is so smart.”
Lisa Rinna reached out to Emily Simpson about son Luke’s PANDAS diagnosis
Once Emily had finished sharing her experience with Luke, her RHOC castmates chimed in with words of support. Tamra Judge, for one, noted that she was recently with The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alum Lisa Rinna, who told her that she’d “been trying to reach out to Emily about this because one of her daughters was going through PANDAS.” (Lisa revealed in 2019 that her daughter Delilah was diagnosed with PANDAS and the “condition was extreme”.)
When Tamra asked if Emily was ever able to connect with Lisa, she replied, “We did. We chatted a little bit. I mean, I would love to be able to sit down with her and have a face-to-face or something at some point.”
RELATED: Shane Simpson Tells RHOC Producer About “Frustrating” Home Life: “Emily Is Unaware…”
Now that the reunion has wrapped, don’t miss exclusive updates on where the RHOC cast stands after Season 20.
