Former Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Brandi Glanville recently shocked fans by sharing a raw, unfiltered selfie of her face, revealing significant swelling and discoloration. The candid post on December 7 sparked an outpouring of concern from her followers, with many expressing worry about her wellbeing.
In the photo posted to X (formerly Twitter), Brandi showcased her swollen and uneven face, a stark depiction of the health struggles she’s been facing for the past year and a half. Accompanying the image, she wrote, “What happened? I wish I knew. I’ve spent nearly every dime I have trying to figure it out and have been in and out of the hospital.”
Brandi explained that while some doctors suspect a parasite might be the cause of her facial swelling, others believe it could be stress-induced edema. She lightheartedly added, “I personally say it’s Bravo,” referencing the network behind her reality TV fame.
The star first opened up about her health issues earlier in 2023 during an interview with Entertainment Tonight. She revealed that her symptoms included severe facial swelling, difficulty speaking, and a loss of taste. After consultations with multiple medical professionals, she was diagnosed with stress-induced angioedema, a condition that causes sudden swelling and resembles anaphylactic shock.
Brandi’s ongoing health problems, compounded by legal battles and personal stress, have taken a toll on her mental and physical state. “This is the cause of my misery and depression,” she shared. “I won’t even show you the photo of it sinking in. You would die from stress.”
Her openness has left fans both concerned and confused about the root cause of her health challenges. Many of her followers attribute her struggles to the immense stress she’s endured, particularly related to her ongoing legal disputes and her turbulent relationship with Bravo.
Despite the challenges, Brandi’s transparency has inspired support and well-wishes from fans eager to see her recover and regain her health.
Tragic events bring orphan colt, mare together
An orphan colt whose mother died shortly after giving birth has a new mom – a mare that had tragically lost her foal – thanks to the generosity of strangers and Washington State University veterinarians playing matchmaker.
Pairing an orphan foal and a nursing mare is a challenging task and one that commonly ends with failure. In this case, the connection was instantaneous.
“The mare had only been without a foal for about 24 hours,” Dr. Lisbeth Matthews, an equine medicine and surgery intern, said. “We walked her into the Veterinary Teaching Hospital and past him. He made a noise, and she went, ‘oh, there’s my foal,’ and started making noises back at him.”
It was a surprise to everyone how quickly the mare, named Shelly but affectionally called Mama by her owners, Roy and Faye Lions, accepted the colt. Equine veterinarian Jenifer Gold, who was helping to care for the foal and to supervise its introduction to the mare, said nursing mares frequently reject orphan foals, and when they don’t, the pairing process often takes days.
“She walked in and started nickering at him like it was her own baby – it was unbelievable,” Gold said. “I’ve been doing this for 20 years, and I have never seen it happen that way.”
The foal, which has been named Laredo, was admitted to the teaching hospital by his owner, Spokane resident Rachel Williams, just days after he was born when he started showing troubling digestive issues. Shortly after the colt arrived in Pullman, Faye Lions placed a call to WSU to see if the equine team was aware of any orphan colts needing a nursing mare.
“Our foal was dead, and nothing was going to bring it back, so we were hoping we could help someone else,” Faye Lions said. “It just so happened there was a foal there.”
A day later, the colt and Shelly were introduced.
“For them to be so willing to basically hand over their animal to a complete stranger after experiencing their own tragedy was pretty phenomenal,” Williams said. “I feel like in this scenario it was the worst of the worst for everybody, but there was a little bit of silver lining to the story.”
Williams is also grateful for the care and treatment she and her foal received at WSU.
“I just can’t even find words to say how great the veterinarians at WSU were,” she said. “They went above and beyond. I am just happy I ended up at WSU. I am so glad we were able to match those two up – it is kind of a miracle.”
Shelly will live with Williams until the colt is ready to be weaned, likely in six months, before she will return to her home in Kamiah, Idaho.
“It will be tough to say goodbye because you just naturally start to bond with animals, and she has kind of been my lifesaver,” Williams said. “It will be bittersweet for sure, but I am sure her owners will be happy to have her back.”
During the spring, the equine team at WSU typically sees at least a handful of orphan foals. Equine medicine specialist Dr. Macarena Sanz said orphan foals can be fed a powdered milk formula designed for horses, but those raised by humans typically develop behavioral issues that can become problematic as the animal matures.
“They turn out to be socially weird, have no understanding of personal space, and they are more difficult to train,” WSU equine veterinarian Macarena Sanz said. “The fact that this orphan foal has a mare is really going to make a difference.”
Sanz strongly encourages owners to immediately call their veterinarian if a foal is orphaned, as early care is critical to the animal’s survival.
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