Jimmy Kimmel is one of the most popular late-night talk show hosts in America. Since 2003, Kimmel has hosted his talk show and has since become a household name.
In 2017, Kimmel shared some news in the monologue of his show. What was expected to be a birth announcement for Jimmy Kimmel’s son Billy turned out to be an emotional account of the family’s struggles following Billy’s birth.
Kimmel described the heartbreaking news he received upon Billy’s birth from the doctors. After conducting a series of tests, the doctors informed Kimmel that his son was born with Tetralogy of Fallot with pulmonary atresia. He required immediate life-saving surgery.
The couple transported Billy to Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, where they met with Dr. Vaughn A. Starnes M.D., a renowned surgeon who was scheduled to operate on Billy. Billy underwent open-heart surgery with Dr. Starnes, and the infant was soon able to return home.
Jimmy Kimmel is still grateful to Dr. Vaughn A. Starnes and the brilliant staff at Children’s Hospital LA and Cedars Sinai five years after this episode aired.
According to Kimmel’s monologue in 2017, Billy’s life is no longer normal. Hopefully, Billy will only require one more procedure in his teenage years, which will be non-invasive.
Recently, he celebrated his son Billy’s fifth birthday and posted a photo thanking the extraordinary medical professionals who made Billy’s healthy life possible.
He captioned the image of Billy grinning at a plain three-candle cake. “Happy 5th birthday to our little nut,” Kimmel wrote, before mentioning the life-saving care the child received shortly after birth. “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. Please support families who need medical care. Link in bio.”
Kimmel has repeatedly expressed his appreciation and support for the medical staff at Cedars Sinai and Children’s Hospital Los Angeles over the years. And it makes sense, as the staff at these institutions are responsible for his 5-year-old son’s health.