’90 Day Fiancé” star Nikki Exotica has been hospitalized after undergoing emergency quadruple bypass surgery.
Nikki’s mom, Myrna, gave an update on her daughter in an Instagram video Tuesday. In the alarming video, Nikki, 50, slept on a hospital bed with both of her arms bandaged up. Myrna said the surgery lasted seven hours, and that a team of 25 people worked on the reality star.
Originally, Nikki — whose real name is Nicole Sanders — was supposed to undergo a triple bypass surgery, but she ended up needing to have quadruple bypass surgery.
An emotional Myrna shared that Nikki had to be put on a breathing machine after surgery, and told fans that she started a GoFundMe to help cover Nikki’s living expenses.
“She’s gonna be out for a while and she needs help,” Myrna said, fighting back tears.
In her GoFundMe, Myrna shared that her daughter had been experiencing chest pain, heartburn, shortness of breath, and difficulty while walking and exercising, and went to multiple doctors to find out what was wrong.
Though she was given a clean bill of health, Nikki — who’s a singer — nearly collapsed onstage while performing.
Myrna said Nikki then suffered a mild heart attack a few days ago and was hospitalized.
“Doctors performed an angiogram and discovered that her arteries were severely calcified and blocked,” she wrote. “Unfortunately, they were unable to perform an angioplasty or place stents because the blockages were too extensive.”
She added, “Thank God Nicole has good health insurance to cover this procedure, so we are not asking for help with her medical bills! We are raising funds to help cover Nicole’s rent, monthly bills, living expenses, and recovery needs while she is unable to work and get back on her feet.”
Just two weeks before her surgery, Nikki appeared on the “Undressed with Pol’ and Patrik” podcast and talked about surviving previous near-death experiences tied to her cosmetic surgeries.
“It changes you to see what’s really important in life,” she said. “When you almost die, everything becomes real.”
Nikki also said she believed some online trolls were “waiting” for her to die.
“I think there were people waiting for me to croak,” she said.
Nikki appeared on “90 Day Fiancé” season 10, which followed her traveling to Moldova to be with her now ex-fiancé, Igor. The two met on a website in 2006.
During the season, Igor brutally admitted to Nikki that he was not physically attracted to her, and that he struggled with her being a trans woman. After filming, he broke up with her in a text message in February 2024.
Still, Nikki said she still had feelings for Igor on her recent podcast appearance, noting, “I don’t want to be with anybody else. He was my true love. And I’m still heartbroken over it.”
