Jimmy Kimmel Reveals Newborn Son’s Heart Surgery in Tearful Monologue — Watch
On Monday night’s episode of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!,” the late night host opened up about his newborn son’s open heart surgery. Kimmel and his wife Molly McNearney welcomed their second child together, William John Kimmel on April 21, but just three days later the baby had to undergo life-threatening surgery at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.
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“We call him Billy, [it] was an easy delivery, six pushes he was out, he appeared a normal healthy baby,” Kimmel began his emotional opening monologue. The host then went on to explain that just three hours after Billy was born, a nurse noticed something was wrong with the baby.
“My wife was in bed relaxing, a very attentive nurse at Cedars-Sinai heard a murmur in his heart and noticed he was a bit purple, which is not common,” Kimmel explained. “[Nurses] determined he wasn’t getting enough oxygen in his blood, either in his heart or lungs…It’s a terrifying thing, you know my wife is back in the recovery room, she has no idea what’s going on.”
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A heart surgeon explained to the couple that Billy was born with a heart disease and that there was “hole in the wall of the left and right side of his heart.” The baby underwent open heart surgery last Monday, and fortunately the operation was successful. Kimmel explained that little Billy will have to have another surgery in 3-6 months, and then will need a third “non-evasive surgery” when he’s older.
“Poor kid, not only did he get a bad heart, he got my face,” Kimmel lightheartedly joked.
The couple has an older daughter, 2-year-old Jane. Watch the emotional video below.
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