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Jenni "JWoww" Farley spent the first day of her children's new school year in a hospital room after being diagnosed with a kidney infection and appendicitis.
The Jersey Shore star, 41, opened up about the health scare on Instagram Thursday, sharing a photo of herself in a hospital gown with her children, Meilani and Greyson, as they prepared for school.
Farley said the past week had been particularly difficult as she worked toward recovering enough to return home to her family.
"This past week has probably been one of the hardest weeks of my life," she wrote, explaining that she had been dealing with a "horrible kidney infection and appendicitis."
Although the illness appeared sudden, Farley revealed she had actually been feeling unwell for several months. She said she had experienced weight loss, exhaustion and a persistent feeling that something was not right before her condition worsened the previous Friday.
"I want to say it came out of nowhere, but the truth is, I haven't felt like myself for months," she wrote.
Despite being hospitalized for nearly a week, Farley was determined to take part in her children's first day of school. With help from her husband, Zack Carpinello, the children were brought to the hospital early so the family could spend the milestone together.
Farley even did her daughter's hair from her hospital bed.
"Because no matter where I was, I was going to do my daughter's hair for her first day," she wrote.
The family did not get the traditional first-day-of-school photo outside their home. Instead, Meilani and Greyson posed with their mother at the hospital, surrounded by backpacks, hair supplies and hospital equipment.
"We didn't get the normal first-day morning," Farley said. "We got hospital bracelets, a hospital room, backpacks, hair supplies and a memory I don't think any of us will ever forget."
The experience also prompted Farley to reflect on families who may be sending their children to school while dealing with circumstances that are not visible to others, including illness, grief, divorce or financial difficulties.
She encouraged parents to remind their children to treat others with compassion, particularly those who may be struggling privately.
"You never know what someone is carrying behind closed doors," she wrote.
