After a 10-hour procedure, the teen athlete son of Bret Beier had a golf ball-sized aneurysm removed.
It was incredibly devastating when Fox News anchor Bret Baier described the emotional journey leading up to his teenage son’s emergency open heart surgery. After what began as a common cold turned into a potentially fatal diagnosis.
Last year, his 16-year-old son Paul Baier, a standout player on the varsity tennis and golf teams, had his fifth open heart surgery after doctors in Washington, D.C., found a golf ball-sized aneurysm that was on the verge of rupturing.
In an exclusive interview with People, Paul said, “I’m so grateful to have my life.” In just five hours, a lot can change.
A Common Cold That Made All the Difference
At first, the family, who lived in Palm Beach and Washington, assumed Paul had a simple rhinovirus, or a simple cold. However, a chest X-ray revealed something odd, thanks to his mother Amy’s intuition, who insisted on additional testing because Paul had a history of heart issues.
Amy remembered, “The X-ray revealed something close to the lungs.” “Just to be safe, we sent it to his cardiologist.”
Paul’s life was probably saved by that prudence.
Within a day, from MRI to major surgery
Bret and Paul were shocked to learn that the mass was a dangerous aneurysm connected to Paul’s heart while they were back in Washington for what they thought would be a routine check-up.
Bret, who was clearly shaken, recalled the incident and stated, “If it burst, it could have been fatal in minutes.”
In spite of the horrifying news, Paul maintained his composure. He said to his father, “All right, let’s do what we have to do.”
The father and son went to the golf course the night before the surgery and had a bittersweet moment together when Paul beat his father on the last hole with a birdie. He was wheeled into a torturous 10-hour operation the following morning.
“The attitude is gratitude.”
The procedure went well, and the doctors thought it would be Paul’s final one.
Later, Bret shared a moving picture of Paul grinning at Children’s National Hospital alongside a picture of the infant taken a few days after his first heart surgery.
Paul is now at home and recovering, and before he is allowed to pick up a tennis racket or golf club again, he must rest and recover for six weeks, concentrating on eating well and taking daily walks.
On the left -Paul the day he went home from @ChildrensNatl after his first open heart surgery 16 years 10 months ago. On the right -Paul going home today after his 5th open heart surgery at Children’s. Thanks to the amazing doctors and nurses at the hospital- Paul’s prognosis is… pic.twitter.com/MVJFA0cG8W
— Bret Baier (@BretBaier) April 29, 2024
Paul’s family lives by the advice that “it’s important to be thankful for everything you have, every second of every day.”
“In the Baier family, we say that ‘gratitude is the attitude,'” Amy continued. That’s what Paul told us.
How does Paul feel now, a year after the procedure?
Paul has had more than a dozen surgeries since being born with five congenital heart defects, but his fortitude and attitude are already motivating people outside of Fox News circles.
The Baier family has received praise from online fans for sharing their story, referring to Paul as a “real-life warrior” and serving as a reminder to always get a second opinion, even if the symptoms don’t seem serious.
Since his emergency open-heart surgery in 2024, Fox News anchor Bret Baier’s son Paul Baier has not received any new public updates as of May 2025. Paul, who was 16 at the time, had his fifth open heart surgery to remove a potentially fatal aneurysm. He is expected to recover well.
Paul’s family has found inspiration in his fortitude and optimistic attitude. Amy Baier, his mother, stressed the value of being watchful when it comes to health issues, pointing out that Paul’s aneurysm was discovered even though there were no cardiac symptoms.
