Sheryl Lee Ralph shared some heartbreaking news about her son that changed the course of his life. The Abbott Elementary star shared the tragic events in her AARP Magazine cover for the publication's August/September issue.

“When Etienne was in college, he had a car accident and suffered a concussion. It changed his whole brain,” she explained per PEOPLE. “Then he got mugged, and they shot him three times. He woke up in the hospital with two bullets in his leg and a wound in his forehead where a bullet had grazed him.”

She told the outlet that she “collapsed and dropped the phone” when she heard the news.

“I didn’t even listen to the rest. But they didn’t kill him, thank God,” the Emmy winner said. “Now he runs his own production company and nonprofit, WalkGoodLA, which is centered around healing, mental health and overall well-being.”

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Ralph has two children: Etienne, 31, and her daughter Ivy-Victoria 28. She shares her kids with ex husband Eric Maurice, whom she divorced in 2001. She is now married to Vincent Hughes.

In the cover story she gushed about how much she loves beng a mom.

“When I met their father, my first husband, I could see my children just as clearly as they are in life right now, and I said, ‘Oh, I know the assignment right here. We got married and had our son, Etienne, and our daughter, Coco. The marriage lasted almost 10 years.”

“If I had a regret in life, it would be that I didn’t have more children,” the ‘Moesha' alum admitted before adding, “but I have two beautiful children.”