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Tom Schwartz's Brother Unpacks His "Traumatizing" Near-Death Health Scare
Tom Schwartz's brother, Bert, opens up about how he's doing today after he was given "less than 3 months to live."
Toward the beginning of Vanderpump Rules Season 11, Tom Schwartz revealed that one of his triplet brothers, Robert "Bert" Schwartz, was dealing with some serious health issues. Now, both Tom and Bert are opening up about how those issues nearly caused Bert's death, as well as sharing a positive update on his health as it stands today.
What happened to Tom Schwartz's brother, Bert?
On a recent episode of Tom Sandoval's podcast, Tom Schwartz shared that eight months prior, his brother Bert was suffering from cirrhosis, acute liver failure, and severe jaundice. At the time, he was given "less than three months to live" and "stamped hospice."
Thankfully, Bert was also added to the organ transplant list — and after not one, not two, but three attempts with three different livers, the third one took.
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How is Bert Schwartz doing today?
Tom's brother Bert shared that April 1st marked eight months since his (successful!) liver transplant surgery. Today, he's "doing well" and "very grateful."
What's more, in light of what Tom shared on Vanderpump Rules about Bert's alcoholism — which was sparked by a traumatic incident he went through — Bert added that he's now sober. "I don't drink or do any drugs or anything," he said. "I'm very healthy, I exercise, and I've just noticed the change in the wiring in my brain, too. I reflect on life a lot differently and see things a different way. It's very interesting and it's very enjoyable."
Continuing to reflect on his alcoholism, Bert noted, "I'll say a lot of people, including my older brother here, have have seen me at my worst. But now, they see me at my best. So, that's the turnaround. I'm very grateful and [it's] rewarding, so I'm just high on life."
Tom Schwartz reflects on Bert's journey
Tom is equally grateful for his brother's good health. "I love you and I'm so f-cking happy that you're just sitting here next to me right now," he said to Bert, adding that while he "never lost hope or conviction," that his brother would recover, it did "waver" because of how adamant the doctors were that Bert wasn't going to make it.
"It's f-cking traumatizing," Tom continued, later turning to Bert to tell him, "I've been savoring every moment I have with you, just knowing how close you were to not making it, brother, and I know you're full of gratitude and you're committed to staying healthy and sober."
What's next for Tom Schwartz's brother, Bert?
Though Bert is still in the process of healing, Tom revealed that his brother has "a dream of moving to Los Angeles to work in production."
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