SOMETHING THAT HAPPENED TO OUR

FAMILY LAST WEEK.

I'M SORRY.

YOU KNOW, I TRY NOT TO GET

EMOTIONAL, BUT IT WAS A SCARY

STORY.

AND BEFORE I GO INTO IT, I WANT

YOU TO KNOW IT HAS A HAPPY

ENDING.

OKAY?

SO WHEN I'M TELLING THIS, DON'T

GET TOO UPSET.

LEAVE THAT TO ME.

BUT A LITTLE OVER A WEEK AGO ON

FRIDAY, APRIL 21st, MY WIFE,

MOLLY, GAVE BIRTH TO A BOY.

A BABY BOY.

HIS NAME IS WILLIAM JOHN KIMMEL.

[ CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ]

THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

WE CALL HIM BILLY.

IT WAS AN EASY DELIVERY.

SIX PUSHES, HE WAS OUT.

AND HE APPEARED TO BE A NORMAL

HEALTHY BABY.

UNTIL ABOUT THREE HOURS AFTER HE

WAS BORN.

WE WERE OUT OF THE DELIVERY

ROOM.

WE MOVED TO THE RECOVERY ROOM.

OUR WHOLE FAMILY WAS THERE.

AND WE INTRODUCED HIM TO HIS

2 1/2-YEAR-OLD SISTER.

SHE WAS CUTE WITH HIM.

WE WERE HAPPY.

EVERYTHING WAS GOOD.

MY WIFE WAS IN BED RELAXING.

AND WHEN A VERY ATTENTIVE NURSE

AT CEDARS-SINAI HOSPITAL.

HER NAME IS NANUZH.

WAS CHECKING HIM OUT AND HEARD A

MURMUR IN HIS HEART, WHICH IS

COMMON WITH NEWBORN BABIES, BUT

SHE ALSO NOTICED HE WAS A BIT

PURPLE, WHICH IS NOT COMMON.

SO SHE ASKED ME TO COME WITH

HER.

AND MY WIFE AND I ASSUMED IT

WOULD BE NOTHING.

OUR DAUGHTER HAD A HEART MURMUR

TOO.

WE DIDN'T NOTICE THAT HE WASN'T

THE COLOR HE WAS SUPPOSED TO BE.

SO I ACCOMPANIED BILLY AND THE

NURSE, WENT DOWN THE HALL TO

ANOTHER PART OF THE HOSPITAL.

THE NEONATAL ICU WHERE ANOTHER

EXCELLENT NURSE NAMED ANN

CHECKED HIM OUT AND CALLED THE

DOCTOR.

AND NOW ALL OF A SUDDEN IT FELT

SERIOUS.

AND THE ROOM STARTED TO FILL UP.

MORE DOCTORS AND NURSES AND

EQUIPMENT STARTED COMING IN.

AND THEY DETERMINED HE WASN'T

GETTING ENOUGH OXYGEN INTO HIS

BLOOD, WHICH AS FAR AS I

UNDERSTAND -- OR UNDERSTOOD AT

THE TIME WAS MOST LIKELY ONE OF

TWO THINGS, EITHER HIS HEART OR

HIS LUNGS.

AND YOU HOPE IT'S THE LUNGS

BECAUSE SOMETIMES THEY HAVE

FLUID IN THEM AFTER DELIVERY AND

IT'S POTENTIALLY A MINOR THING.

BUT THEY DID AN X-RAY AND HIS

LUNGS WERE FINE, WHICH MEANT HIS

HEART WASN'T.

SO NOW MORE DOCTORS AND NURSES

AND HE QUIT -- IT'S A TERRIFYING

THING.

YOU KNOW, MY WIFE IS BACK IN THE

RECOVERY ROOM.

SHE HAS NO IDEA WHAT'S GOING ON.

AND I'M STANDING IN THE MIDDLE

OF A LOT OF VERY WORRIED-LOOKING

PEOPLE KIND OF LIKE RIGHT NOW.

[ LAUGHTER ]

WHO ARE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT

WHAT THE PROBLEM IS.

IT'S FRIDAY NIGHT.

AND SO THEY CALL A PEDIATRIC

CARDIOLOGIST, DR. EBEN ZAHN, WHO

WHEN THEY CALLED HIM WAS PICKING

HIS MOTHER UP FROM THE AIRPORT.

LUCKILY, HER PLANE WAS NOT

DELAYED BECAUSE HE GOT TO THE

HOSPITAL VERY QUICKLY.

THEY DID AN ECHOCARDIOGRAM,

WHICH IS A SONOGRAM OF THE

HEART, AND FOUND THAT BILLY WAS

BORN WITH A HEART DISEASE.

SOMETHING CALLED TETRALOGY OF

FALLOT WITH PULMONARY ATRESIA.

IT'S HARD TO EXPLAIN.

BASICALLY THE PULMONARY VALVE

WAS COMPLETELY BLOCKED, AND HE

HAS A HOLE IN THE WALL BETWEEN

THE LEFT AND RIGHT SIDES OF HIS

HEART.

AND THEN THEY BROUGHT MY WIFE IN

AND THEY WHEELED HER IN AND DR.

ZAHN TOLD HER WHAT WAS GOING ON

AND WHAT OUR OPTIONS WERE, AND

WE DECIDED TO TAKE HIM TO

CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL, WHERE

THERE'S A WORLD-RENOWNED CARDIAC

SURGEON WHO IS BY ALL ACCOUNTS A

GENIUS.

HIS NAME IS DR. VAUGHN STARNES.

WE PUT THE BABY IN AN AMBULANCE

TO CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL LOS

ANGELES.

AND ON MONDAY MORNING DR.

STARNES OPENED HIS CHEST AND

FIXED ONE OF THE TWO DEFECTS IN

HIS HEART.

HE WENT IN THERE WITH A SCALPEL

AND DID SOME KIND OF MAGIC THAT

I COULDN'T EVEN BEGIN TO

EXPLAIN.

HE OPENED THE VALVE, AND THE

OPERATION WAS A SUCCESS.

IT WAS THE LONGEST THREE HOURS

OF MY LIFE.

[ CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ]

THEY DIDN'T DO EVERYTHING.

HE'LL HAVE TO HAVE ANOTHER OPEN

HEART SURGERY IN THREE TO SIX

MONTHS TO CLOSE THOSE HOLES.

BUT THEY WANT TO WAIT UNTIL HE'S

BIGGER, AND EVEN HE'LL HAVE A

THIRD HOPEFULLY NON-INVASIVE

PROCEDURE SOMETIME MAYBE IN HIS

EARLY TEENS TO REPLACE THE VALVE

HE HAS NOW.

SO THIS POOR KID, THIS IS WHAT

HE LOOKED LIKE ON MONDAY.

BUT THIS IS WHAT HE LOOKED LIKE

YESTERDAY.

[ CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ]

WE BROUGHT HIM HOME.

POOR KID.

NOT ONLY DO YOU GET A BAD HEART,

HE GOT MY FACE.

[ LAUGHTER ]

SIX DAYS AFTER OPEN HEART

SURGERY WE GOT TO BRING HIM

HOME, WHICH IS AMAZING.

HE'S DOING GREAT.

HE'S EATING.

HE'S SLEEPING.

HE PEED ON HIS MOTHER TODAY

WHILE SHE WAS CHANGING HIS

DIAPER.

[ LAUGHTER ]

[ APPLAUSE ]

HE'S DOING ALL THE THINGS THAT

HE'S SUPPOSED TO DO.

AND OUR DAUGHTER -- HERE'S A

PICTURE OF MY WIFE AND ME AND

BILLY AND OUR DAUGHTER JANE.

AND YOU CAN SEE JANE'S PRETTY

EXCITED ABOUT HAVING ANOTHER KID

IN THE HOUSE.

[ LAUGHTER ]

YOU KNOW, IT'S FUNNY.

THEY TELL YOU WHEN YOU BRING THE

NEW BABY HOME BRING A GIFT FOR

THE OLDER SIBLING AND TELL HER

IT'S FROM THE BABY.

AS IF WE GAVE BIRTH TO THE

EASTER BUNNY OR SOMETHING.

[ LAUGHTER ]

IT MAKES NO SENSE.

BUT THAT'S WHAT THEY TELL YOU TO

DO.

SO WE BROUGHT JANE THESE

SHOPKINS.

DO YOU KNOW WHAT THESE ARE?

THEY'RE LIKE TINY LITTLE

CUPCAKES AND DONUTS WITH FACES

ON THEM.

AND WE SAID BILLY BOUGHT THESE

FOR YOU.

AND SHE BELIEVED IT.

SHE'S NOT TOO BRIGHT.

[ LAUGHTER ]

I MEAN, HE DOESN'T EVEN HAVE

MONEY.

NOT ONLY --

[ LAUGHTER ]

DOESN'T HE HAVE MONEY.

HE DOESN'T HAVE A PLACE TO PUT

MONEY.

HE HAS NO WALLET.

HOW WOULD HE BUY THESE FOR HER?

AS FAR AS SHE KNOWS, THE BABY IS

SIGNED UP FOR AMAZON PRIME.

[ LAUGHTER ]

BUT SHE LIKES HIM OKAY.

THIS IS ANOTHER PICTURE.

THIS IS THE BEST.

THERE'S ME IN A COMA.

[ LAUGHTER ]

AND I HAVE A LIST OF PEOPLE I

WANT TO THANK FOR MAKING THAT

HAPPEN.

AND I HOPE I HAVE MY LIST.

THESE ARE JUST SOME OF THE

PEOPLE WHO PLAYED A PART IN

THIS.

IT WAS AN ENORMOUS TEAM EFFORT.

REALLY WAS.

AT CEDARS-SINAI HOSPITAL FIRST

OF ALL I WANT TO THANK NA

NANUSH SHAKERNIA, THE NURSE WHO

WAS THE FIRST TO NOTICE THERE

WAS A PROBLEM.

[ APPLAUSE ]

IF IT WAS A GIRL, WE WOULD HAVE

NAMED HER NANUSH.

WE REALLY WOULD HAVE.

[ LAUGHTER ]

AND THE OTHER NURSES AT CEDARS.

DESIREE, LAURIE, ASHLEY,

THERESA, SUSAN, ALEXIS.

THE HEAD NURSE IN INTENSIVE CARE

ANN DE MAYO, WHO'S GREAT.

NURSE JOAN BACALL, WHO WAS AT

HIS SIDE THE WHOLE TIME.

DR. EBEN ZAHN.

AND ALSO HIS MOTHER, WHO

PROBABLY DIDN'T GET HER LUGGAGE

BECAUSE HE PICKED HER UP AT THE

AIRPORT.

DR. SCOTT COHEN, DR. STACY

ROSENBAUM, DR. TIM CASARES.

ALL FOR BEING SO GREAT.

AND THE TRULY AWE-INSPIRING TEAM

AT CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL LOS

ANGELES LED BY DR. VAUGHN

STARNES, WHO SAVES SO MANY

LIVES.

[ CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ]

THIS MAN HAS SAVED THOUSANDS OF

LIVES AND TURNED SO MUCH SORROW

INTO HAPPINESS.

I'LL NEVER BE ABLE TO THANK HIM

FOR -- SO I WON'T EVEN TRY.

[ LAUGHTER ]

AND ALL THE GREAT DOCTORS AT

CHLA.

DR. SYLVIA DEL CASTILLO.

DR. ERIN ABARBANEL.

BARBARA GROSS WHO RUNS THE HEART

INSTITUTE.

AND OUR UNBELIEVABLY KIND AND

CARING NURSES, ESPECIALLY KRISTA

CALLAN AND CARRIE DUBLIN.

BUT THEY WERE ALL SO EXCELLENT.

ELLESE, JOSIE, RHEA.

DR. DONALD SEABACK, OUR

RESPIRATORY THERAPIST WHO KEPT

BILLY BREATHING THE WHOLE TIME.

THIS IS SOME PLACE CHILDREN'S

HOSPITAL LOS ANGELES.

I HOPE YOU NEVER HAVE TO GO

THERE, BUT IF YOU DO YOU'LL SEE

SO MANY KIDS FROM SO MANY

FINANCIAL BACKGROUNDS BEING

CARED FOR SO WELL AND WITH SO

MUCH COMPASSION.

I'VE BEEN SUPPORTING CHILDREN'S

HOSPITAL FOR YEARS.

I HAD NO IDEA WE'D EVER WIND UP

THERE.

AND IF YOU'D LIKE TO SUPPORT THE

WORK THEY DO, THE INFORMATION IS

THERE AT THE BOTTOM OF YOUR

SCREEN.

PLEASE DO.

WE WERE ON THE COSTCO FLOOR,

WHICH I CONSIDER TO BE A GOOD

OMEN BECAUSE IT'S MY FAVORITE

STORE.

[ LAUGHTER ]

[ APPLAUSE ]

AND THAT'S -- COSTCO SPONSORS

THE SECOND FLOOR, WHICH IS