Jimmy Kimmel Shares Update on Son Billy’s Health After Surgery
In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, published Monday, July 8, Jimmy Kimmel Live! The host, 56, shared about how Williams “Billy” John, his 7-year-old son, was doing after his third open-heart surgery in May.
Jimmy Kimmel told the outlet of his son Billy Who was born with a congenital heart disease in 2017 that Billy is doing great, he had an open heart surgery and due to the surgery he got a few scars but he is back to his optimum mental health, which is surprising.
“Physically, you know, we’ll have to be careful with him for a couple of months, but he’s doing great.”
Explaining his children’s resilience, he said: “They’re made of rubber, you know, everyone says children are very resilient and the doctors explained it to me, and I don’t know why it never occurred to me before, because it still “They are growing.”
As Kimmel shared on Instagram in May, “Our boy Billy had his third (of three, we hope) open heart surgery. “We went into this experience with a lot of optimism and almost as much fear and we came out with a new valve inside a happy, healthy child.”
In the lengthy post, Jimmy Kimmel praised doctors and nurses teams who worked with Billy during his hospital stay before describing what it’s like for him to be inside a children’s hospital. Jimmy Kimmel refers to it as a humbling experience, walking through the hospital meeting parents and children at their most vulnerable state and how miracle workers give everything in their power to save those children. Also read – Disney preparing the sequel to ‘The Devil Wears Prada’
What heart condition did Billy suffer from?
In May 2017, Kimmel revealed on ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ that Billy was born with a treatable heart disease and had to undergo surgery immediately after his birth.
Billy was diagnosed with tetralogy of Fallot. According to the Mayo Clinic, “Tetralogy of Fallot is a rare heart disease that is present from birth. … A baby born with this condition has four different heart problems.” “The condition causes an alteration in blood flow through the heart and to the rest of the body. Babies with tetralogy of Fallot often have blue or grey skin colour due to lack of oxygen supply,” says the Mayo Clinic.
Kimmel recalled: “The operation was a success. “ Kimmel further said that those were the longest 3 hours of his life but thankfully it was a success.
The second surgery was performed in December 2017 and this third surgery is now expected to be the last Billy will need.
Kimmel has two older children from his previous marriage to Gina Maddy: Katie, age thirty-two, and a son, Kevin, age thirty.