Lisa Barlow Gives Us an Update on Son Jack's "Very Scary" Hospitalization (EXCLUSIVE)

Serial entrepreneur Lisa Barlow doesn’t play about her business. And, as fans of The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City have watched, Lisa is a dedicated mom to her two sons with hubby John Barlow — Jack and Henry.

After forgoing college, Jack made one of his first adult decisions in his next chapter. He chose to go on a mission for several months, a decision Lisa struggled to accept.

In an exclusive interview with Distractify promoting her partnership with Clorox. Lisa discussed how Jack's lengthy mission trip affected her family. She also provided an update on Jack's health amid a scary hospitalization stay in Colombia, where his mission is located.

Lisa’s kids have grown up on camera since she joined the RHOSLC cast in Season 1. In Season 4 of the show, Lisa shared how tough it was seeing her kids, especially Jack, grow up in real-time. Born on Oct. 20, 2004, Lisa’s eldest son, Jack, is the first ones of her boys to leave the nest. However, in Season 4 of RHOSLC, Jack revealed that he’s not going to college, telling his mom, “Fudge college” on camera.

Rather than attending a university, Jack opted to spend two years on a Mormon mission trip in Colombia and left soon after he graduated from high school in May 2023. According to the United Church of Latter-Day Saints’s website, Mormon mission trips are a “period of volunteer service lasting anywhere from “six to 24 months.” Due to the time restraints, Lisa was understandably upset about the decision and recalled she and Jack “got into it” after he told her.

Lisa shared with us that she was "devastated" when Jack left her home for his trip. However, when her son was hospitalized for over three days for an undisclosed health scare in Colombia, she began feeling "very scared" and concerned for his safety.

"We were nervous," Lisa said. "And at first, they thought it was something that was very scary, and where he would have to come home. And we were all very grateful that it turned out to be something that wasn't as significant. And he was able to stay in Colombia. He's loving his experience."

Although Lisa initially took Jack’s news hard, the Vida Tequila owner admitted to her husband that she was “proud” of Jack for his choice to serve their religion, as she shared on RHOSLC. She told us that despite not seeing her son physically, she's loved seeing his posts on Instagram and Facebook as he grows into a young man.

"I love just watching his stories and his like adventures on Facebook. And it's just so fun seeing him turn into like such an independent, like, man, he's not a little boy anymore," Lisa said. "His Spanish is perfection. He's in love with the people of Colombia and the country. I definitely think he's going to be going back frequently after his mission."

And even though Lisa, John, and Henry are continuing to navigate Jack's absence, especially after his hospital stay, she said she's "grateful" her son is safe and healthy now and "doing what he wanted to do," which is "serving others." However, once his two-year mission is over, Jack has a business to run that also aligns with his love of service.

Before Jack left for his mission, he expressed taking a page out of his mom, Lisa’s book and taking on their family business, Fresh Wolf, full-time, a company the Barlows created in 2019. However, it’s always possible that Jack will change his mind once he returns from his mission.

Catch new episodes of The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City on Tuesdays at 9 p.m. EST on Bravo.