![OK Logo](https://okmagazine.com/ok_logo_black_small.png)
‘Basketball Wives’ Star Shaunie O’Neal Shares Emotional Post As Son Undergoes Heart Surgery
![Shaunie O'Neal son surgery](https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/TJ4uYGGjl/480x251/2018/12/shaunie-header.jpg 480w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/TJ4uYGGjl/640x335/2018/12/shaunie-header.jpg 640w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/TJ4uYGGjl/768x402/2018/12/shaunie-header.jpg 768w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/TJ4uYGGjl/1024x536/2018/12/shaunie-header.jpg 1024w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/TJ4uYGGjl/1280x670/2018/12/shaunie-header.jpg 1280w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/TJ4uYGGjl/1440x753/2018/12/shaunie-header.jpg 1440w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/TJ4uYGGjl/1600x837/2018/12/shaunie-header.jpg 1600w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/TJ4uYGGjl/2160x1130/2018/12/shaunie-header.jpg 2160w)
Dec. 13 2018, Updated 6:57 p.m. ET
Basketball Wives star and executive producer Shaunie O’Neal shared a touching message on Instagram moments before her son Shareef underwent heart surgery.
![Shaunie leopard dress](https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/DM2DuaiXB/480x307/2018/12/GettyImages-187737757.jpg 480w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/DM2DuaiXB/640x409/2018/12/GettyImages-187737757.jpg 640w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/DM2DuaiXB/768x490/2018/12/GettyImages-187737757.jpg 768w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/DM2DuaiXB/1024x653/2018/12/GettyImages-187737757.jpg 1024w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/DM2DuaiXB/1280x817/2018/12/GettyImages-187737757.jpg 1280w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/DM2DuaiXB/1440x919/2018/12/GettyImages-187737757.jpg 1440w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/DM2DuaiXB/1600x1021/2018/12/GettyImages-187737757.jpg 1600w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/DM2DuaiXB/2160x1378/2018/12/GettyImages-187737757.jpg 2160w)
In the snap, the 18-year-old donned a blue hospital gown as he sat up in a gurney.
![Screen Shot 2018 12 13 at 3.38.02 PM](https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/BlQDX56-C/480x352/2018/12/Screen-Shot-2018-12-13-at-3.38.02-PM.jpg 480w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/BlQDX56-C/640x470/2018/12/Screen-Shot-2018-12-13-at-3.38.02-PM.jpg 640w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/BlQDX56-C/768x564/2018/12/Screen-Shot-2018-12-13-at-3.38.02-PM.jpg 768w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/BlQDX56-C/1024x751/2018/12/Screen-Shot-2018-12-13-at-3.38.02-PM.jpg 1024w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/BlQDX56-C/1280x939/2018/12/Screen-Shot-2018-12-13-at-3.38.02-PM.jpg 1280w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/BlQDX56-C/1440x1056/2018/12/Screen-Shot-2018-12-13-at-3.38.02-PM.jpg 1440w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/BlQDX56-C/1600x1174/2018/12/Screen-Shot-2018-12-13-at-3.38.02-PM.jpg 1600w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/BlQDX56-C/2160x1584/2018/12/Screen-Shot-2018-12-13-at-3.38.02-PM.jpg 2160w)
Shaunie admitted, “This morning was by far my toughest moment being a Mom.”
![Screen Shot 2018 12 13 at 3.37.40 PM](https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/qEyP9hnPA/480x359/2018/12/Screen-Shot-2018-12-13-at-3.37.40-PM.jpg 480w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/qEyP9hnPA/640x479/2018/12/Screen-Shot-2018-12-13-at-3.37.40-PM.jpg 640w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/qEyP9hnPA/768x574/2018/12/Screen-Shot-2018-12-13-at-3.37.40-PM.jpg 768w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/qEyP9hnPA/1024x766/2018/12/Screen-Shot-2018-12-13-at-3.37.40-PM.jpg 1024w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/qEyP9hnPA/1280x957/2018/12/Screen-Shot-2018-12-13-at-3.37.40-PM.jpg 1280w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/qEyP9hnPA/1440x1076/2018/12/Screen-Shot-2018-12-13-at-3.37.40-PM.jpg 1440w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/qEyP9hnPA/1600x1196/2018/12/Screen-Shot-2018-12-13-at-3.37.40-PM.jpg 1600w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/qEyP9hnPA/2160x1614/2018/12/Screen-Shot-2018-12-13-at-3.37.40-PM.jpg 2160w)
“If only I could take his place today,” she wrote. “Could I at least go with him in that operating room and hold his hand. Separating from him as he was wheeled off to surgery was heartbreaking. THATS MY BABY!”
![Shaunie in blue dress](https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/IuXDET-Aa/480x307/2018/12/GettyImages-584546254.jpg 480w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/IuXDET-Aa/640x409/2018/12/GettyImages-584546254.jpg 640w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/IuXDET-Aa/768x490/2018/12/GettyImages-584546254.jpg 768w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/IuXDET-Aa/1024x653/2018/12/GettyImages-584546254.jpg 1024w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/IuXDET-Aa/1280x817/2018/12/GettyImages-584546254.jpg 1280w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/IuXDET-Aa/1440x919/2018/12/GettyImages-584546254.jpg 1440w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/IuXDET-Aa/1600x1021/2018/12/GettyImages-584546254.jpg 1600w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/IuXDET-Aa/2160x1378/2018/12/GettyImages-584546254.jpg 2160w)
“I don’t care how old, how big, how grown my kids get I still want to protect them,” the mom of four added. “I had no control over any of this. But there is a God, I trust and believe He is in there with my baby right now and has complete control.”
![Screen Shot 2018 12 13 at 3.45.15 PM](https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/4RhyXYOJq/480x232/2018/12/Screen-Shot-2018-12-13-at-3.45.15-PM.jpg 480w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/4RhyXYOJq/640x309/2018/12/Screen-Shot-2018-12-13-at-3.45.15-PM.jpg 640w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/4RhyXYOJq/768x371/2018/12/Screen-Shot-2018-12-13-at-3.45.15-PM.jpg 768w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/4RhyXYOJq/1024x494/2018/12/Screen-Shot-2018-12-13-at-3.45.15-PM.jpg 1024w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/4RhyXYOJq/1280x617/2018/12/Screen-Shot-2018-12-13-at-3.45.15-PM.jpg 1280w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/4RhyXYOJq/1440x694/2018/12/Screen-Shot-2018-12-13-at-3.45.15-PM.jpg 1440w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/4RhyXYOJq/1600x772/2018/12/Screen-Shot-2018-12-13-at-3.45.15-PM.jpg 1600w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/4RhyXYOJq/2160x1041/2018/12/Screen-Shot-2018-12-13-at-3.45.15-PM.jpg 2160w)
Shareef, the son Shaunie shares with Shaquille O’Neal, is a freshman basketball player for UCLA.
![Screen Shot 2018 12 13 at 3.41.22 PM](https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/vLpVZeCpQ/480x354/2018/12/Screen-Shot-2018-12-13-at-3.41.22-PM.jpg 480w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/vLpVZeCpQ/640x472/2018/12/Screen-Shot-2018-12-13-at-3.41.22-PM.jpg 640w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/vLpVZeCpQ/768x566/2018/12/Screen-Shot-2018-12-13-at-3.41.22-PM.jpg 768w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/vLpVZeCpQ/1024x755/2018/12/Screen-Shot-2018-12-13-at-3.41.22-PM.jpg 1024w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/vLpVZeCpQ/1280x944/2018/12/Screen-Shot-2018-12-13-at-3.41.22-PM.jpg 1280w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/vLpVZeCpQ/1440x1062/2018/12/Screen-Shot-2018-12-13-at-3.41.22-PM.jpg 1440w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/vLpVZeCpQ/1600x1180/2018/12/Screen-Shot-2018-12-13-at-3.41.22-PM.jpg 1600w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/vLpVZeCpQ/2160x1592/2018/12/Screen-Shot-2018-12-13-at-3.41.22-PM.jpg 2160w)
Back in September he announced he would be taking a hiatus from the sport due to a heart condition that required the surgery.