In a post on X, Fox News Channel’s Bret Baier gave an update on his son’s long-running battle with potentially deadly congenital heart defects, a health battle that has lasted for years and led to his 17-year-old son undergoing yet another surgery for it around a year ago, in April of 2024. Baier’s update came as his son, Paul, launched a new podcast to discuss his health journey.
As background, Paul was born with five congenital heart defects and has had to undergo over a dozen surgeries to survive the deadly condition. His first surgery came when he was a newborn, then three more open heart surgeries followed when he was just ten months old. Further surgeries followed when he was six years old and thirteen, and the latest was in April of 2024, when he was 16. The young man is now 17, and appears to be doing well, or at least as well as one can do in such circumstances.
Paul is now launching a podcast called “One Step at a Time” in which he aims to discuss issues like his time battling with his condition and recovering from the surgeries that have kept him alive, and have on other guests who have fought similar battles to discuss overcoming life challenges and thriving despite bad luck.
Such is what Baier announced in a post on Friday, August 1, saying, “Check out my son Paul’s podcast that he started based on his time recovering from heart surgeries – “One Step at a Time” -asking interesting people about their lives & challenges -getting the advice they’d give We’re really proud of him.”
Baier included a clip in his tweet, and it was of his son introducing the podcast. In the intro, Paul said, “Hello. I’m Paul Baier, and this is ‘One Step at a Time,’ a podcast where we talk to interesting people about their careers, journeys, the challenges they’ve faced. ”
Continuing, he explained how his health condition led to him creating the show, saying, “Why ‘One Step at a Time’? Well, I’ve had five open heart surgeries and 10 Andrew classes in the hospital. Doctors and nurses have always taught me just keep walking. It’s vital for recovery. It pumps blood in your muscles and builds strength across your body. That’s my something, my challenge. We’re going to talk about their something and their challenge, and advice they give to others. So please join me for One Step at a Time.”Watch Paul here:
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Horrifically, some commenters took the opportunity to attack Baier and his family as privileged elites, insinuating that Paul shouldn’t have received such life-giving care. One such commenter said, “The children of the well to do get the best health care in America. If he was a child of a Walmart employee, he would be gone.”
Firing back in a post of his own, Baier noted that the commenter was, in addition to being rude, incorrect, saying, “Actually no -every surgery, we were in the waiting room with many families w/ no insurance – or very little income and @ChildrensNatl provided the exact same care- thanks to the generosity of donors & supporters. But thank you.”
Fortunately, most other commenters on Baier’s post announcing his son’s bold new venture were much kinder and more positive. One such commenter wrote, “Thanks for sharing @BretBaier We have a little friend waiting on his heart transplant, he has had 3 heart surgeries and he is only 5. We pray every day for CJ.”
Baier has taken to X to share updates about Paul’s condition before. For example, back in April of 2024, he posted, “Tonight, @AmyBaier1 and I want to thank the staff @ChildrensNatl for once again saving our son Paul’s life. You may have noticed I have been absent from #SpecialReport for the last few days– our 16 year old son had to undergo his 5th open heart surgery yesterday. This one was unexpected and considered an emergency. He is doing remarkably well and we are so incredibly grateful to the doctors and nurses at Children’s National. Thank you for your prayers- I will be back on Monday.”
Featured image credit: By Andrew H. Walker/Getty Images for Yahoo News – https://www.flickr.com/photos/99527366@N00/13927273867/, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=137623225