After late-night host Jimmy Kimmel delivered a heartfelt monologue on his show about his newborn son's heart condition and health care, former President Barack Obama sent out a kind response via his Twitter account.
On Monday, Jimmy Kimmel set aside his usually goofy manner and delivered a tearful monologue on his show about his son’s recent birth, his heart defects and subsequent heart surgery.
Kimmel had recently been absent from his show, but what most viewers didn't know was that his wife, Molly McNearney, had given birth to their son, William, on Friday, April 21. Within hours of his birth, William was found to have severe heart defects and a couple of days later was rushed into emergency surgery.
During the monologue, Kimmel thanked the doctors and nurses at the hospital but choked up when talking about the children still fighting for their health, saying, “Please say a prayer or send positive thoughts to the families with children who are still in the hospital now because they need it.”
His monologue also took on a political tone as he talked about the continued need for accessible health insurance in the United States:
We were brought up to believe that we live in the greatest country in the world, but until a few years ago, millions and millions of us had no access to health insurance at all. Before 2014, if you were born with congenital heart disease like my son was, there was a good chance you'd never be able to get health insurance because you had a pre-existing condition. You were born with a pre-existing condition. And if your parents didn't have medical insurance, you might not live long enough to even get denied because of a pre-existing condition.
If your baby is going to die, and it doesn't have to, it shouldn't matter how much money you make. I think that's something that, whether you're a Republican or a Democrat or something else, we all agree on that, right?
On Tuesday, following the monologue, former President Obama replied to one of Kimmel’s tweets about his new son, writing, “Well said, Jimmy. That’s exactly why we fought so hard for the ACA, and why we need to protect it for kids like Billy. And congratulations!”
Credit: Scott Olson
Credit: Scott Olson
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