Community Corner

Mini Darth Vader Has Successful Heart Surgery

Max Page, the child actor and San Clemente native first famous for dressing as Darth Vader in a Volkswagen Super Bowl commercial, underwent surgery this week.

He is known to millions by three words: Mini Darth Vader.

Max Page, the 7-year-old actor best known for donning a peewee-sized Darth Vader costume in a 2011 Super Bowl ad for Volkswagen, underwent successful surgery last week 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 Thursday and is co-director of The Heart Institute at CHLA.

Find out what's happening in Rancho Santa Margaritawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"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.''

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.

Find out what's happening in Rancho Santa Margaritawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

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. "We love the outpouring of support that everyone has shown, and the kindness from strangers, family and friends.''

  • Related:
  • Sign up to receive the daily Patch newsletter, or follow RSM Patch on Facebook and Twitter.
  • If you're a business owner or manager, claim the free listing for your business here.

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 the day before the surgery.

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.

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.

—City News Service


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here