The head surgeon who operated on Jimmy Kimmel’s son Billy talks about the seven-year-old’s “very serious form” of heart disease.
Billy underwent his third open heart surgery last month, and Dr. Vaughn A. Starnes performed them all at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.
Courtesy Kimmel, 56, the heart surgeon gave an update on Billy’s recovery, saying it was “the greatest joy” to see him doing well in a new interview with Good Morning America.
Dr Starnes added that Jimmy was “a mess” before his son’s operation and “very emotional”, while his wife, Molly McNearney, 46, was a “rock”.
Billy suffers from a condition called tetralogy of Fallot, a congenital heart defect in which a combination of four abnormalities affects the way blood flows through the heart.
Lead surgeon who operated on Jimmy Kimmel’s son Billy, 56, speaks out on seven-year-old’s ‘very serious form’ of heart disease; Jimmy seen with Billy in 2022
Billy underwent his third open heart surgery last month, and Dr. Vaughn A. Starnes performed them all at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.
Dr. Starnes added that Billy “suffered from a very severe form” of the disease, sharing that “he had no right ventricular connection.”
Dr. Starnes shared that Kimmel and his wife didn’t know about their son’s heart defect until shortly after his birth, and that “it surprised them.”
Speaking about Jimmy and Molly, the surgeon said: “They thought Billy was going to be perfectly normal and he was until two or three hours after giving birth.”
“That’s when the nurse noticed the child was a little blue and sounded the alarm.”
Dr. Starnes added that the experience “has to be the scariest and most terrifying thing a parent can go through.”
Speaking about how Jimmy and his family were doing before the surgery, which took place over Memorial Day weekend, Dr. Starnes shared: “Jimmy was very emotional. And Molly was visibly emotional, but more so. control of his emotions.
Dr Starnes said the operation was an immediate success.
After seeing a clip Kimmel posted last week of Billy at home, post-surgery, Starnes shared that he was “a little” surprised at how active Billy was.
“I knew after I put a valve in there it would get better. I didn’t expect him to improve so quickly,” he said.
Last Monday, Kimmel announced that his youngest son underwent successful open-heart surgery over Memorial Day weekend.
Dr Starnes said Jimmy was “a mess” before his son’s operation and “very emotional”, while his wife, Molly McNearney, 46, was a “rock”; The couple seen with Billy and their daughter Jane, nine, in 2018
Billy suffers from a condition called tetralogy of Fallot, a congenital heart defect in which a combination of four abnormalities affects the way blood flows through the heart.
The comedian posted a sweet photo of Billy smiling sweetly while lying in a hospital bed as he shared the health news.
“This weekend our boy Billy underwent his third (hopefully three) open heart surgery,” Kimmel wrote in his lengthy caption.
“We approached this experience with a lot of optimism and almost as much fear and came away with a new valve inside a happy, healthy child,” he continued.
Kimmel first revealed in 2017 that his then-baby son had his first heart surgery, prompting him to advocate for health care and insurance reform.
Kimmel praised the doctors at Billy’s, led by brilliant surgeon Vaughn Starnes, cardiologist Tim Casarez and the excellent and hard-working doctors, nurses and nurse practitioners at CHLA, including but not including Suffice it to say, Misty, Ann, Sylvia, Dana, Caleigh, Nick, Bekah, Julie, Kenny, Caroline, Lisa, Stephanie, Ellize, Ivy, Pam and Carrie demonstrated immeasurable kindness and expertise.
The late-night host called it a “humbling experience” to meet other “vulnerable” children and their parents, as well as the “miracle workers” who are doing their best to “save” the young patients.
Kimmel made sure to praise his wife Molly “for being stronger than is reasonable for any mom,” and praised young Billy as “the toughest (and funniest) 7-year-old ) that we knew”.
“There are so many parents and children who don’t have the chance to return home after five days,” he added. “Please share your love, heart and prayers with them…”
Dr. Starnes shared that Kimmel and his wife didn’t know about their son’s heart defect until shortly after his birth, and that “it surprised them.”
Kimmel announced last Monday that his youngest son successfully underwent his third open heart surgery over Memorial Day weekend.
The comedian tipped his hat to the late Sen. John McCain, who was the leading vote to defeat a bill that would have gutted the Affordable Care Act during the Trump administration.
He also stressed that the health law “largely” allowed CHLA to accept young patients, regardless of their financial capacity.
Kimmel has spoken about his young son’s heart condition in the past, including in an emotional speech in 2017, shortly after Billy’s birth.
Just three days after Billy’s birth, Kimmel announced on his show that the little boy would need open heart surgery for his congenital heart condition.
Revealing his son’s condition, Kimmel explained, “Basically, the pulmonary valve was completely blocked and he has a hole in the wall between the left and right sides of his heart.”
During his impassioned speech, he added: “If your baby has to die, and it doesn’t have to, it shouldn’t matter how much you earn. »
But he also spoke about Billy on a lighter note.
‘Poor kid. Not only did he have a bad heart, he had my face,” he joked.
In May 2017, after Billy’s first open heart surgery, Kimmel explained on his show how Billy’s heart condition was discovered shortly after his birth.
“He seemed like a normal, healthy baby,” he began. “My wife was in bed relaxing, a very attentive nurse at Cedars-Sinai heard a murmur in her heart and noticed it was a little purple, which is not common.”
“(Doctors) determined that he was not getting enough oxygen in his blood, either in his heart or in his lungs.” They did an x-ray and his lungs were fine, which meant his heart was not. It’s a terrifying thing,” he continued. “They found out Billy was born with a heart condition.”
Just three days after Billy’s birth, Kimmel announced on his show that the little boy would need open heart surgery for his congenital heart condition; Billy pictured aged seven months in December 2017, after his second operation
Kimmel’s subsequent updates have been positive, and in December 2017, he brought seven-month-old Billy on the show and announced that he had undergone his second open heart surgery.
By the way, Billy is doing great. He still has surgery – it’s unbelievable – he had surgery a week ago. It is said that he will probably be on track to win at least a bronze medal at the 2036 Olympics,” he announced.
Kimmel has been married to Molly, who has served as executive producer and co-writer of his show Jimmy Kimmel Live!, since 2013.
In addition to Billy, they share daughter Jane, aged nine, and Kimmel has two adult children – Katie, 32, and Kevin, 30 – from his first marriage to Gina Maddy from 1988 to 2003.
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