In April, Jimmy Kimmel and his wife Molly (who is a co-head writer on Jimmy Kimmel Live!) gave birth to their son, Billy. Billy Kimmel was born with a congenital heart defect called tetralogy of Fallot with pulmonary atresia. In an emotional monologue that went viral, Kimmel explained that their newborn was diagnosed with the condition when he was just 3 hours old, after a neonatal nurse noticed Billy's skin turning purple. He needed emergency open-heart surgery, and while the surgery was successful, he will need another open-heart surgery in a few months and in his teens. Jimmy Kimmel teared up as he told his family's story and pleaded with the country to ensure that every child has access to the life-saving healthcare that saved his new son.
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Since then, Billy hasn't been far from our minds. Yesterday, Jimmy shared a social media update letting us know the Billy is now three months old and "doing great." Billy's giant happy smile confirms that he definitely feels better. Kimmel also encouraged his audience to "remind your Congresspeople that every kid deserves the care Billy got." With the dissolution of the healthcare bill in Congress this week, it seems that the Affordable Care Act is safe — for now. It's no secret that the Republicans still want to repeal the ACA, and will probably make more efforts to do so, leaving many kids like Billy with no access to the care they need. The Kimmel family has repeatedly praised the Children's Hospital Los Angeles for the sensitive and immediate care that Billy needed in order to save his life. We're happy to see little Billy is doing well, and hope that all children can get the healthcare they need as well.