Fox News host Bret Baier’s 16-year-old son, Paul, is recovering from emergency open heart surgery after doctors discovered an aneurism growing.
Born with five congenital heart defects, Paul went to his doctors with symptoms similar to a common cold, but they suggested he get a chest X-ray and an MRI to rule out more serious issues.
“The MRI comes back, and they sit me down and say, ‘This is a really big deal. This is an aneurysm the size of a golf ball that has formed off of his heart,’” Baier, 53, told People Wednesday.
“And they didn’t know whether it might burst, but if it did, it might have been fatal in a matter of minutes.”
The “Special Report” host broke the news to his son, who approached the diagnosis like a “warrior.”
“He thought I was joking at first, then he absorbed it and said, ‘OK, let’s do what we need to do,’” Baier recalled, noting Paul had the surgery on April 25.
The broadcast journalist, who shares Paul and 13-year-old son Daniel with wife Amy Baier, admitted watching Paul be rolled into the operating room was “pretty tough.” The family then endured a “waiting game for about 10 hours, which was excruciating.”
Fortunately, Paul’s surgeons successfully removed his aneurism, and his physicians believe it could be the last heart surgery he will ever need.
“We have a saying in the Baier family that ‘gratitude is the attitude,’” Amy told the magazine. “We learned that from Paul. Because it’s much easier when you focus on all the things you’re grateful for, rather than what is difficult.”
Earlier this week, Bret shared side-by-side images of Paul as a newborn and on the day he was discharged from Children’s National Hospital after his recent surgery.
“On the left — Paul the day he went home from @childrensnational after his first open heart surgery 16 years 10 months ago. On the right — Paul going home today after his 5th open heart surgery at Children’s,” he captioned the Instagram post.
“Thanks to the amazing doctors and nurses at the hospital — Paul’s prognosis is great. Thank you all for the prayers & support #grateful.”
