Jimmy Kimmel's worries about his son's heart condition have been assuaged.
The late-night host invited Olympian Shaun White onto his show Monday because White was born with the same condition as his son, Billy Kimmel. White, who is obviously living a very healthy life despite the condition, assuaged Kimmel's fears but then made him nervous for something completely unexpected.
"Oh no! My son's going to be a snowboarder," Kimmel joked. "We call you and asked you to do the show because of that."
White opened up about his experience, which began shortly after he was born—the same as Kimmel's newborn.
"I was probably just born. Similar situation like I was slowly turning blue," White explained. "My parents knew something was up. The doctors came in found out that was the scenario—the heart condition—so I don't obviously remember much at that point. I was so young."
Seeing photos of baby Billy, however, made Shaun recollect some memories. "It brought back a lot seeing that same exact photo with the tubes and the whatnot," he continued. "I have a lot of socks from when I was that age because the only thing my mom could dress me in was socks because she couldn't touch me in my tube there."
In total, White underwent three operations. One involved repairing stitching that had torn. When Kimmel asked if he felt White's heart condition prevented him from being active, White quipped, "Obviously not." But he doesn't credit himself for his resilience; he gives all the love to his mom and dad.
"My parents are the ones who really made me who I am," White gushed. "They didn't put these limitations on me. It wasn't this hovering over me."
He added, "They let me find my own limitations, which is why I feel like I'm so athletic now."
Even though he had three surgeries, White said his scarring was minimal. "You can barely see it through all...the muscle," White joked. "I knew Jimmy was going to try to get my shirt off."
Jokes aside, Kimmel thanked White for his honesty. "You are an inspiration to a lot of families who go through this situation," Kimmel said. "It makes me believe that my son, too, is going to win Olympic medals for the United States of America."