John,
Before I tell you my son's story, I just want you to know: Billy is fine. It's important for me to say this ahead of time because we didn't always know that's how things were going to shake out. This is the story of my son's birth, diagnosis and journey to recovery.
I want to tell you about Billy not just because I'm his dad and I think he's pretty great, but because Children's Hospital Los Angeles is why he's OK today, and the 2023 tax deadline is tomorrow. Credit Unions for Kids has agreed to triple all gifts up to $400,000, so if you've been thinking of donating, right now is the time when you can make the biggest impact with your first $10 donation to CHLA.
In 2017, my wife Molly gave birth to our son, Billy, and everything seemed normal for about three hours. But then a nurse noticed a problem with his heart, and he was moved into the neonatal intensive care unit. Billy was diagnosed with a rare and life-threatening heart condition.
That was a Friday. On Monday, when he was just 3 days old, he had open-heart surgery at Children's Hospital Los Angeles.
CHLA, it turns out, was the best possible place for Billy to be. He was operated on by a world-class pediatric heart surgeon and cared for by doctors and nurses and staff who are some of the best, most caring people I've ever met. Every kid deserves this kind of care. Please join me today with your first donation so CHLA can reach its fundraising goal for 2023 before tomorrow at midnight. Right now your $10 donation will be TRIPLE-matched, so you can maximize your impact for sick and injured kids like Billy.
Billy would go on to have a second open-heart operation before he was even 6 months old—now he's 6 YEARS old! He's a goofball, full of energy, and the best little pal I could ever ask for. That's all thanks to the incredible doctors and nurses at Children's Hospital Los Angeles, whom I really can't thank enough. We give to CHLA because they work so hard to give every kid, including our son Billy, the gift of life.
That's my pitch! If you can, I hope you'll make a year-end gift to support CHLA's incredible work. After all, if you give before the deadline (midnight tomorrow), your gift will be triple-matched.
Thanks for making it count.
Sincerely,
|
|
Jimmy Kimmel
Late-Night TV Host
Dad and Proud Supporter of Children's Hospital Los Angeles
|
|