Shaunie O'Neal shares holiday photo with all her kids after son Shareef underwent heart surgery

Shaunie O’Neal melted hearts all over social media by sharing a holiday family portrait with all of her kids, including her son Shareef, who underwent heart surgery just two weeks ago.

The O’Neal family looked terrific as they celebrated Christmas together at the Beverly Hills Hotel, and the matriarch of the family, Shaunie O’Neal, made sure to capture a beautiful portrait with her grown-up children to share with her followers.

In the festive shot, Shaunie is sitting on the stairs next to her daughter Amirah and another family member, while her sons, Myles, Shareef and Shaqir, and daughter Me’arah stand on the background with matching smiles on their faces.

“Happy Holidays,” Shaunie captioned the pic.

Fans filled the reality star’s comment section with their best Christmas wishes and commented on how good it is to see Shareef back on his feet after his heart surgery a few days ago.

“@ladycris58: Merry Christmas. It's wonderful to see this picture with your baby doing better. God bless you all.”

“@brattito: Happy Holidays to you and the fam bam @shaunieoneal5 glad to see big man up and looking great.”

“@tai_deshelle: God bless your family Shaunie!!!! Merry Christmas...good to see Shareef is progressing @shaunieoneal5 @shareefoneal ... it's by Gods grace ALL things through CHRIST JESUS.”

SHAREEF'S HEART CONDITION

Back in September 18-year-old Shareef, the eldest son of Shaunie and ex-husband Shaquille O'Neal, announced through an interview with TMZ that he would be taking a break from college basketball to go under surgery after the team’s doctor found a medical issue affecting his heart during a routine check-up.

Shareef didn’t specify the condition but stated that it was severe enough to go under surgery. “Thank God the UCLA medical staff caught it early,” he said.

The young man handled the issue with grace, also posting a statement on Instagram where he said how grateful he was for his family, his teammates and UCLA for all their support. And added:

“This is just a small bump on the road, and I gotta push through it .. I am very down about not being able to do sport I love .. I really wanted this year I felt like I was at my best, but this is just a minor setback.. my health is most important over everything .. like I said .. I WILL BE BACK.. thank you.”

THE SURGERY

Shareef went on the operating room on December 13, and his mother Shaunie made sure to ask fans for their prayers while her “little baby” was going through surgery. “If only I could take his place today. 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,” the “Basketball Wives” star lamented.

Fortunately, everything went well on the surgery, and Shareef woke up in good spirits afterward. He made sure to send a message to his fans on Instagram that was posted by his sister, stating

“I made it, Thank you for all the love and support! I’m on the road to recovery, and I’ll be back soon...better than ever.”

Shareef will have to wait months in recovery and then rehab to be able to play again. He hopes to be back on the basketball court next year, as doctors assured him the condition was not career changing and he will be able to do what he loves the most once he’s fully recovered.