Mini-Darth Vader from Super Bowl ad gets pacemaker generator at 10 years old, ET caught up with 10-year-old actor Max Page, who played a miniature Darth Vader in a Super Bowl commercial for Volkswagen, as he battles a congenital heart condition that he's had since birth.
"My mom and dad have always told me to focus on the things that you can do, instead of the things that you can't do," Max told ET at Children's Hospital Los Angeles.
His first surgery came when he was just 3 months old and Tuesday marked his 11th time going under the knife, this time for a new pacemaker generator.
According to NBC News, the pacemaker generator, which kicks in if it senses Max's heart rate drop below 70 beats per minute, is expected to last seven years.
Max's dad Buck described to ET what the experience has been like from his point of view.
"It's never easy," he said bluntly. "The first time I handed Max off at three-months-old in the hallway. I just did it again. This time he's on a gurney, laying down because he's 10-and-a-half, but it's the same spot. Jen and I call that the hallway moment. It's brutal and every parent that goes through it knows what that is."
Earlier this year, doctors noticed that blood was having a hard time getting to Max's lungs due to a narrowing pulmonary valve that was surgically implanted in 2012. This issue required a three-hour procedure in July to replace the valve.
Through it all, Max remains brave and upbeat.
"Max is a great kid," pediatric interventional cardiologist Dr. Frank Ing said. "He definitely has this positive outlook on life. He wants to do everything. He wants to be as normal as he can, and just be a normal 10-year-old child."
In addition to his iconic Super Bowl commercial, which has more than 62 million views on YouTube, Max also has a recurring role on "The Young and the Restless."
"My mom and dad have always told me to focus on the things that you can do, instead of the things that you can't do," Max told ET at Children's Hospital Los Angeles.
His first surgery came when he was just 3 months old and Tuesday marked his 11th time going under the knife, this time for a new pacemaker generator.
According to NBC News, the pacemaker generator, which kicks in if it senses Max's heart rate drop below 70 beats per minute, is expected to last seven years.
Max's dad Buck described to ET what the experience has been like from his point of view.
"It's never easy," he said bluntly. "The first time I handed Max off at three-months-old in the hallway. I just did it again. This time he's on a gurney, laying down because he's 10-and-a-half, but it's the same spot. Jen and I call that the hallway moment. It's brutal and every parent that goes through it knows what that is."
Earlier this year, doctors noticed that blood was having a hard time getting to Max's lungs due to a narrowing pulmonary valve that was surgically implanted in 2012. This issue required a three-hour procedure in July to replace the valve.
Through it all, Max remains brave and upbeat.
"Max is a great kid," pediatric interventional cardiologist Dr. Frank Ing said. "He definitely has this positive outlook on life. He wants to do everything. He wants to be as normal as he can, and just be a normal 10-year-old child."
In addition to his iconic Super Bowl commercial, which has more than 62 million views on YouTube, Max also has a recurring role on "The Young and the Restless."
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