Jimmy Kimmel's 7-year-old son is recovering from open heart surgery, again.
“This weekend, our son Billy had his third (of three, we hope) open heart surgery. “We entered this experience with a lot of optimism and almost as much fear and we came out with a new valve inside a happy and healthy child,” the late-night host posted. on Instagram Monday along with a photo of the boy smiling in his hospital bed, wearing a gown covered in cartoon tigers.
The post inspired an outpouring of support from celebrities, who took to Kimmel's social media to share their well wishes.
“Sending love to his entire family and a thank you to everyone at CHLA for all they do,” commented Ellen DeGeneres.
“We love you so much Billy! “You are a little warrior,” Olivia Munn added.
“God bless your little Billy,” wrote John Stamos. “You are lucky to have parents like you and also the care of the good people at CHLA.”
Other star fans included Jennifer Aniston, Carson Daly, Andy Cohen, Michelle Pfeiffer, Jenna Dewan and Justin Theroux.
Kimmel expressed his gratitude for the continued support of Hollywood, the public and his family.
“Thank you to those loving strangers who took the time to pray for our baby and send him positive energy, thank you to our family and friends for supporting us to an almost ridiculous degree, thank you to my wife Molly for being stronger than is reasonable for we. Any mom-to-be and Billy, you are the toughest (and funniest) 7 year old we know,” she wrote.
Billy was born with a condition called tetralogy of Fallot with pulmonary atresia, a serious heart defect that occurs in about one in every 2,500 babies. The condition affects the ability of blood to flow through the heart and deliver oxygen to the body and requires immediate medical intervention.
Kimmel’s revelation about his son’s condition in a tearful monologue on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” went viral in 2017, when the host recounted the “longest three hours” of his life while his 3-day-old son underwent open heart surgery, and thanked all the health care workers who treated his son for your name.
Kimmel had previously supported Children's Hospital Los Angeles, where Billy received treatment, but the experience turned the late-night host into a fierce advocate for affordable healthcare.
“No parent should have to decide if they can afford to save their child's life,” Kimmel said in his monologue. “It just shouldn't happen. Not here.”
Kimmel continued to express his support for CHLA and affordable healthcare in his recent post.
“We hope you never need CHLA, but if you do, know that they help families regardless of their ability to pay, thanks in large part to the Affordable Care Act (another tribute to the late Senator John McCain), generous donations from companies like Disney, which I am proud to work for and especially generous people like you,” he wrote.
“There are many parents and children who are not lucky enough to return home after five days. “Nothing matters more than taking care of each other.”
