Bret Baier.
Roy Rochlin/Getty ImagesFox News host Bret Baier rejoices in his blessing as his 16-year-old son Paul recovers from open-heart surgery.
Paul underwent the procedure on Thursday, April 25, days after going to the doctor for what appeared to be a common cold. Because of his history of heart problems — he was born with five congenital heart defects — his doctors recommended he get a chest X-ray and an MRI to rule out anything more serious.
“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 formed from his heart,” Bret said People on Wednesday, May 1st. “And they didn’t know if it was going to burst, but if it did burst, it could have been fatal within minutes.”
Bret shared that he was the one who broke the news to his son.
“At first he thought I was joking, then he got it and said, ‘Okay, let’s do what we have to do,'” he said. “He’s always been a warrior, but this was a big challenge.”
Bret, who shares Paul and 13-year-old son Daniel with his wife Amy BaierHe said it was “very emotional” sending Paul to the operating room.
“When he rolled away on the stretcher, it was pretty hard,” he remembers. “Then we had a waiting game for about ten hours, which was unbearable.”
Paul’s aneurysm was successfully removed and doctors believe open heart surgery will be the last the teenager needs. Paul, who has undergone several surgeries over the years, noted that his recovery is “going pretty smoothly” and stressed the importance of being “grateful every second of every day for everything you have.”
His mother, Amy, noted that Paul’s positive attitude inspired the entire Baier clan.
“There’s a saying in the Baier family: ‘Gratitude is the attitude,'” she said. “We learned that from Paul. Because it’s a lot easier when you focus on all the things you’re grateful for instead of what’s difficult.”
Bret embodied this philosophy by highlighting how far Paul has come since his first procedure in a recent Instagram post. On Monday, April 29, he took to the social media platform to share side-by-side photos of Paul as a newborn and Paul as a teenager smiling with his parents in the hospital.
“Left – Paul the day he walked home from @childrensnational after his first open heart surgery 16 years and 10 months ago. Right – Paul goes home today after his fifth open heart surgery at Children’s,” Bret captioned the post. “Thanks to the amazing doctors and nurses at the hospital – Paul’s prognosis is great. Thank you everyone for the prayers 🙏 and support #grateful.”