It’s every parent’s worst nightmare: Your child is born with a life-threatening congenital heart condition. And it was a terrifying reality for late-night host Jimmy Kimmel back in 2017. His son Billy was born in what seemed like a very normal birth. But three hours into life, a nurse noticed a heart murmur and that the newborn was turning purple.
He was eventually diagnosed with tetralogy of Fallot with pulmonary atresia, a condition that required open-heart surgery but was repaired. Now, five years later, Kimmel is thanking the doctors and nurses again who saved not only his son’s life, but continue to work on behalf of children and families every day of the year.
“We are eternally grateful to the brilliant doctors and nurses at @childrensLA & @CedarsSinai for saving Billy’s life and to those of you whose donations, prayers and positive thoughts meant everything,” reads his Instagram post.
Back in 2017, Kimmel shared the story of Billy’s birth and surgery along with his newfound appreciation for children’s healthcare. “Before 2014, if you were born with congenital heart disease like my son was, there was a good chance you would never be able to get health insurance because you had a preexisting condition,” he said on a segment of his show. “You were born with a preexisting condition, and if your parents didn’t have medical insurance, you might not even live long enough to get denied because of a preexisting condition.”
He wrapped the video with the thought that no matter what your political views are, “we need to take care of each other… No parent should ever have to decide if they can afford to save their child’s life. It just shouldn’t happen.”
Happiest of birthdays to Billy!
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