The cardiac surgeon who operated on Jimmy Kimmel's son, Billy, for the third time said it is "the greatest joy" he has to see the youngster doing well after his surgery.
In a new interview with ABC News, Dr. Vaughn Starnes of Children's Hospital Los Angeles spoke out about the 7-year-old's latest open-heart procedure to treat his "very severe form" of tetralogy of Fallot. The heart condition is described as a combination of four congenital heart defects that affects blood flow. In Billy's case, Dr. Starnes said the kid had "no connection between the right ventricle" and confirmed to ABC that this case was a life-or-death surgery to ensure Billy's survival.
As for how his famous parents were managing, Dr. Starnes said the late-night host was "a mess" while mom, Jimmy Kimmel Live executive producer and writer Molly McNearney, was "a rock."
Jimmy has not hid his emotions about his son's health condition since Billy was born back in April 2017. That following month, Jimmy emotionally began his show by sharing the scary sequence of events that unfolded mere hours after Billy's birth, explaining that a nurse had noticed he had a heart murmur and appeared a bit purple. The medical team ultimately found that Billy had been born with the condition, including a blocked pulmonary valve and a hole in the wall between the left and right side of his heart. Three days later, Dr. Starnes performed Billy's first open-heart surgery and fixed one of the defects.
Seven months later, Billy underwent his second surgery. At the time, it was expected that he would have to undergo a final third operation when was around 6 years old. On May 27, Jimmy confirmed the time had come over Memorial Day weekend.
"This weekend, our boy Billy had his third (of three, we hope) open heart surgery," the comedian shared in an Instagram post. "We went into this experience with a lot of optimism and nearly as much fear and came out with a new valve inside a happy, healthy kid."
As he often does, Jimmy also expressed his gratitude to all of his son's caretakers and for all of the support their family has received. "There are so many parents and children who aren’t fortunate enough to go home after five days," he concluded his message. "Please share your love, hearts and prayers with them and if it moves you, support @ChildrensLA(link in bio) or a great children’s hospital near you (@CMNHospitals). Nothing matters more than taking care of each other."
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