The 48-year-old former model is putting on a very brave face amid a number of additional setbacks. First, her boyfriend, pro golfer Tiger Woods, was arrested on March 27 for an alleged DUI and has been seeking treatment nearly 5,000 miles away at a facility in Switzerland. (Woods, 50, returned to the U.S. briefly in mid-May to support Vanessa before heading back to rehab in Europe).
Then on May 23, Vanessa’s ex husband Don Jr., also 48, wed socialite Bettina Anderson in the Bahamas, making the 39-year-old stepmom to the five children Vanessa shares with Don Jr. (the exes – who split after 12 years of marriage in 2018 – are also parents to Donald, 17, Tristan, 14, Spencer, 13, and Chloe, 11).
Adding to Vanessa’s worries, back in January, Kai, who is active on social media and hopes to become a professional golfer, appeared on WWE star Logan Paul’s podcast, opening up about security fears as the granddaughter of a sitting president, revealing she must be followed 24/7 by the Secret Service – yet another stressor for Vanessa as she contends with her terrifying health crisis.
“So much of her world is falling apart at once,” said a source. “Tiger is away and she’s worried about her kids’ safety. Then comes the cancer diagnosis, which is the straw that broke the camel’s back. There’s no question this is the toughest time of her life.”