OHMYGOSSIP — Noella Bergener thought her son’s autism diagnosis was a “death sentenc”2.
The ‘Real Housewives’ star, 36, – who is mother to James Jr, two, as well an older daughter Coco, from separate past relationships – admitted that her “lack of education” left her “in mourning” when her son was diagnosed with the developmental disorder which can impact social perception.
She said: “The word autism just feels like cancer in many ways when you’re a parent. It’s just such a big word and it can overwhelm you. My own personal struggle was my lack of education. I did think it was a death sentence. I was mourning the loss of the life that I thought that my barely two-year-old son was going to have.”
The reality television star then went on to note that it “can be painful to watch your child struggle” but lost time listening to others before getting him diagnosed.
She told PEOPLE: “I lost a couple months because I was factoring in everybody else’s opinions. And that’s on my list of regrets on my deathbed, that I wasted months just being convinced of something that I knew in my gut was true. It is very scary because, you know, you’re fighting for something that you don’t even want to believe yourself, which is a very strange headspace to be in. You can be feeling very alone but you have to trust your gut.”
The ‘Real Housewives of Orange County’ newcomer – who made her debut in Season 15 hopes that her appearance on the Bravo show will “help other families and really get the word out on how important early intervention [for autism] is.”
The star concluded by giving an update on James Jr since his diagnosis, labelling the whole journey as “beautiful.
She said: “He knows his numbers and letters and he’s so bright, and he’s signing and he has such great interest and such a great vocabulary, even though he’s nonverbal. In the last couple months, I’ve had to become fluent in him and it’s been a beautiful journey
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