Jimmy Kimmel and his family had something extra special to celebrate this weekend — his son Billy's second birthday.
The little one turned 2 on Easter Sunday, and his dad took to social media to not only wish his boy a happy birthday, but to also give thanks to the doctors and nurses who helped save Billy's life.
Alongside an adorable picture of Billy holding a carrot (very holiday appropriate!), the “Jimmy Kimmel Live” host celebrated his son with the caption, “Happy 2nd birthday to our little #Easter buddy Billy.”
He continued with words of gratitude for the hospital staff that cared for Billy, who was born with a congenital heart condition called tetralogy of Fallot with pulmonary atresia and underwent two surgeries — one at 3 days old and one at 7 months.
“We are grateful always to the nurses and doctors at @CedarsSinai & @ChildrensLA who saved his life and all of you who prayed & sent positive thoughts our way,” Kimmel wrote.
Billy’s mom (and Kimmel’s wife), Molly McNearney, also gave thanks for the medical staff.
In a sweet photo of Billy dressed up in a cute seersucker jacket, McNearney wrote, “Happy 2nd Birthday Billy. Thanks to all the nurses and doctors at @ChildrensLA who saved his life. Sending love and prayers to all the families in the hospital today and always.”
Kimmel has been open about the challenges the couple has faced with the uncertainty of Billy’s health.
“There were secrets we kept from each other that we revealed only after the second surgery,” he said in an interview for the April 2018 issue of O, The Oprah Magazine. “The biggest one was that, I think subconsciously, we didn’t want to get too close to the baby because we didn’t know what was going to happen.”
Kimmel had revealed to the public his son’s heart defect in an emotional monologue on his late-night show less than two weeks after Billy’s arrival. When Oprah Winfrey asked him if it was scary at first to get so personal while talking about his son, Kimmel said, “I don't know if it was scary, but it was uncomfortable, and it’s not something I looked forward to. I definitely felt a sense of relief when it was over.”
Over the weekend, Kimmel felt a sense of joy as Billy celebrated his special day. Hope you had a nice birthday, Billy!
