Fox News Host Bret Baier's 16-Year-Old Son Undergoes Emergency Heart Surgery

Yasmine Coleman
·2 min read
30
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.

Bret Baier

Fox News anchor Bret Baier's son Paul has been dealing with medical problems since birth, and recently was forced to undergo his fifth open-heart surgery.

After catching what he believed to be a common cold, the 16-year-old's mom Amy, out of an abundance of caution, took him in to be seen by a medical professional.

Paul was born with five congenital heart defects, and has undergone more than a dozen surgeries over the course of his life. The teenager had his first open-heart procedure as a newborn, then three more at 10 months old, 6 years old and 13 years old.

Due to his medical history, the doctor recommended a chest X-ray, though the symptoms he displayed were said to be consistent with rhinovirus.

"The doctor, Dr. Stein, was very thorough and before we left, she said, 'Let's do a chest X-ray, just to be sure everything's okay,'" Amy explained.

Related: Arnold Schwarzenegger Gets Candid About Recent Heart Surgery in Health Update

After Paul's cardiologist suggested an MRI, it was discovered that an aneurysm had formed, and needed to be promptly addressed.

"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,'" the Special Report with Bret Baier host said. "And they didn't know whether it might burst, but if it did, it might have been fatal in a matter of minutes."

Paul underwent surgery the very next morning, ultimately having the aneurysm removed. Doctors are hopeful that it will be his last open-heart procedure.

Following the hospital stay, the young man opened up to People, telling the outlet, "I'm so grateful to have the community I have, and to have my life. A lot can change in a matter of five hours."

Bret also took to X (formerly Twitter) to share an update on his son's progress. "On the left -Paul the day he went home from @ChildrensNatl after his first open heart surgery 16 years 10 months ago," he captioned a side-by-side photo of the high schooler as a baby versus now.

"On the right -Paul going home today after his 5th open heart surgery at Children’s. Thanks to the amazing doctors and nurses at the hospital- Paul’s prognosis is great. Thank you all for the prayers & support - #grateful," he wrapped up the social media post.

Next: Michael Strahan's Daughter Undergoes Emergency Surgery Amid Cancer Battle