SC's Mini Darth Vader Has Successful Heart Surgery

From City News Service:

Max Page, the 7-year-old actor best known for playing a "mini-Darth Vader'' in a 2011 Super Bowl ad for Volkswagen, underwent successful surgery today at Children's Hospital Los Angeles to have a pulmonary heart valve replaced.

"The surgery today went very well,'' according to Dr. Vaughn Starnes, who performed the operation and is co-director of The Heart Institute at CHLA.

We had to replace his pulmonary valve, and we did it without incident. We decided to use a porcine-manufactured valve and we used a small adult size for
Max.

"The surgery took two hours without complications, and he is recovering very well in cardiac ICU,'' he said.

Hospital spokesman Lorenzo Benet said Max was expected to remain hospitalized until early next week. The recovery time for the operation is
about six to eight weeks, he said.

Max's mother, Jennifer Page, said it was a nerve-wracking morning, but the surgery apparently went "extremely well.''

"But on the healing side, we need all the prayers and all the encouragement we can (get),'' she said. "The next 48 hours are so crucial in Max's recovery. We love the outpouring of support that everyone has shown, and the kindness from strangers, family and friends.''

Max, who also appears on "The Young and the Restless'' and "Prime Suspect,'' was upbeat when he and his family talked to reporters at the hospital Wednesday.

Asked by his mother what he was looking forward to after the surgery, he said, "Well, I'm looking forward to -- because I love baseball, my dad says I'm gonna be a first-round draft pick.''

Max was born with a congenital heart defect known as Tetralogy of Fallot. Doctors said the valve-replacement surgery was something that has long
been anticipated -- it was just a matter of time.

Starnes said efforts had been made to preserve Max's pulmonary valve, but it deteriorated over time.

"It has not grown very well so it's creating a problem for the heart to empty out into the pulmonary arteries,'' Starnes said Wednesday.

Jennifer Page, said her son was frightened at first but knew the operation was inevitable.

"He took time to cry, he took time to be scared and then he really jumped on board and was like, 'Let's just figure out what I can do and let's just do that,''' she said.

Max has been treated at the hospital since he was an infant. He is now an official "junior ambassador'' for the hospital, speaking to groups and helping raise money for pediatric research and treatments. He has also visited Washington, D.C., to help oppose cuts to Medicaid.

His family is encouraging people to make donations to the hospital's Children's Fund in Max's name through a special website, www.chla.org/max.

Related: