Jimmy Kimmel (left) shared a photo of his son Billy in hospital on social media on May 27. Photos: AFP, Jimmy Kimmel/Instagram
American late night talk-show host Jimmy Kimmel has revealed that his seven-year-old son Billy underwent a third open-heart surgery over the weekend.
“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,” the 56-year-old television personality wrote on Instagram on May 27, posting a photo of the boy in hospital.
The host of Jimmy Kimmel Live! went on to thank the doctors, nurses and staff at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA), where his son was treated.
“Walking around this hospital, meeting parents at their most vulnerable, children in pain and the miracle workers who do everything in their considerable power to save them is a humbling experience,” he wrote.
Kimmel and his wife, American writer and television producer Molly McNearney, 46, have two children – Billy and daughter Jane, nine.
“Thank you to my wife Molly for being stronger than is reasonable for any mum to be and Billy, you are the toughest (and funniest) 7-year-old we know,” he wrote.
Kimmel, who hosted the Academy Awards in March, also has two children – daughter Katie, 32, and son Kevin, 30 – with his first wife Gina Maddy.
Kimmel first spoke about Billy’s congenital heart defect shortly after his birth in April 2017. He revealed in an emotional monologue on his late-night show the following month that Billy had successfully undergone an open-heart surgery three days after his birth. The second surgery took place in December 2017.
On April 21, Kimmel celebrated Billy’s seventh birthday with a close-up photo of his son on Instagram.
“This boy is seven years old because of you. Molly and I are overwhelmed by your generous donations to CHLA and kind messages,” he wrote. “Thank you for all the love. We wish you and your families good health and great friends.” – The Straits Times/Asia News Network
