Bret Baier's 13-Year-Old Son Recently Went Through His Fourth Open-Heart Surgery

On December 3, it was reported that Fox News anchor Bret Baier's son had his fourth open-heart surgery. Paul, who's now 13 years old, was born with five congenital heart defects. The day after he was born, the doctor told Bret and his wife, Amy Baier, that if Paul didn't have emergency open-heart surgery straight away, he could die. The news anchor was stunned, and opened up about how all his dreams for his first-born son were dashed.

"It was highest of highs —first-born child. I had images of a Masters champion, Super Bowl quarterback and we were on Cloud 9, and then it was literally the lowest of lows," Bret said, per USA Today. His son's health journey even motivated Bret to write his memoir, Special Heart: A Journey of Faith, Hope, Courage and Love.

Bret Baier's son, Paul, seems to be recovering well after his fourth open-heart surgery. "Blood was flowing the wrong way, there were two holes in Paul’s walnut-sized heart, and he had three other congenital defects," Bret once explained on TODAY when talking about Paul's congenital heart defects that were discovered when he was a baby. Although it's no guarantee this will be Paul's last surgery, it should be his last for a while. Otherwise, Paul is a healthy teenage boy who lives a normal life. 

On December 10, Amy posted a photo of herself and Paul post-op, writing in the caption, "GRATEFUL! Grateful our heart hero Paul had a successful 4th open heart surgery by world-renown heart surgeon Dr. Yves D’Udekem. Grateful for the incredible surgeons, doctors, nurses, and staff at @childrensnational! They are real life super heroes!!! Nothing is more precious than healthy kids."

It seems like while Paul may not be able to be a Super Bowl champ, he can still enjoy sports and do normal teenage boy things. Although there are moments he doesn't feel. that way. Bret shared, "There have been times at 2 in the morning, where he’s turned to me in the hospital bed and said, 'Why do the other kids in my class not have to do this? I answer, because God has a plan for you, and you’re passing with flying colors." The December surgery will likely be Paul's last or at the very least be the last one until his 20s. It's unfortunate that this may be a life-long issue, but Paul has a huge support system.

Paul himself told Entertainment Tonight, “I keep an upbeat attitude because I just know there are some kids who have it worse than me. I just wanted to be thankful to all those nurses and doctors for saving my life." What a mature attitude for a 13-year-old! The Baier family, who are Catholic, really lean on their faith to get them through hard times like this.