Jimmy Kimmel lauded his “brave” son after the seven-year-old had open heart surgery for the third time.
The 56-year-old late-night talk show host informed fans on social media that his son, Billy, who was born with a rare congenital heart issue, had undergone cardiac surgery. He also expressed gratitude to his family and the hospital staff who provided Billy with treatment.
Related posts
“This weekend, our boy Billy had his third (of three, we hope) open heart surgery,” Kimmel said on Instagram. “We went into this experience with a lot of optimism and nearly as much fear, and we came out with a new valve inside a happy, healthy kid.”
The comedian encouraged readers to consider donating to the Los Angeles Children’s Hospital, where Billy has received treatment since his first open heart surgery at the age of three days, and praised the fans who took the time to “pray” for Billy during his surgery.
“Thanks to those loving strangers who took time to pray for and send positive energy to our baby; thanks to our family and friends for rallying around us to an almost-ridiculous extent; thank you to my wife Molly for being stronger than is reasonable for any mom to be; and Billy, you are the toughest (and funniest) 7-year-old we know.”
“Walking around this hospital, meeting parents at their most vulnerable, children in pain, and the miracle workers who do everything in their considerable power to save them is a humbling experience.”
Kimmel expressed his thankfulness for his son’s health, adding, “There are so many parents and children who aren’t fortunate enough to be able to go home after five days.”
Kimmel frequently updates his audience on Billy’s status. Kimmel delivered an emotional monologue on Jimmy Kimmel Live! in 2017, detailing the health crisis that he and his wife, Molly McNearney, encountered just days after Billy was born.
He explained to the audience that Billy appeared to be a normal, healthy baby at first, but three hours later, a nurse noted a heart murmur and that he was turning purple.
A doctor found that Billy was not getting enough oxygen into his bloodstream after transferring him to the newborn intensive care unit.
“They did an X-ray, and his lungs were fine, which meant his heart wasn’t,” Kimmel explained in his monologue. “It’s a terrifying thing—my wife is back in the recovery room; she has no idea what’s going on, and I’m standing in the middle of a lot of very worried-looking people, kind of like right now,” he joked with the crowd.
The doctors performed an echocardiography, or heart ultrasound, and discovered that Billy was born with a rare congenital heart abnormality known as Tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) with pulmonary atresia, which was characterized by a hole in the wall dividing the two sides of his heart.
Kimmel clarified: “Basically, the pulmonary valve was completely blocked, and he has a hole in the wall between the left and right sides of his heart.”
EMS then transported Billy to Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, where, at the age of three days, he underwent open heart surgery.
