Jaime King's son underwent "major heart surgery" when he was five-months-old.

Jaime King

Jaime King

The former 'Hart of Dixie' actress has revealed for the first time that her 13-month-old son Leo was diagnosed with a congenital heart defect leading to a "traumatic" time last year during which she and husband Kyle Newman feared their little one might die.

She wrote on Instagram: "Dear all- at 20 weeks our son was diagnosed with Transposition of the Great Arteries AKA TGA. He had a major heart surgery, that was terrifying, and traumatic for us as parents, for our family. Only a few of our best friends knew. I felt that I had to protect him in fear of the unknown, fear he would not make it. We felt isolated & confused. (sic)"

Jaime - who also has two-year-old son James with Kyle - revealed Leo's godmother and her best friend Taylor Swift has since made a donation to Cedars-Sinai Hospital on the youngster's behalf, which has prompted her to speak up about his condition.

Sharing a picture of a thank you note from the medical facility, she wrote the message: "@taylorswift does so many selfless acts that go unnoticed because she does them silently, from such a great place of unconditional giving. As the Godmother of Leo Thames for his birthday she gave an incredible donation to the people that saved his life Dr. Allistar Phillips and his brilliant team. It made us realize that silence cannot connect other parents & people going through these issues. TS knew that by giving back in this way would be the greatest gift one could give to us, to Leo Thames and to all of those with congenital heart issues. She came to the ICU to comfort us, to hold and bond with him with such grace & strength. Our gift back is to share our story that anyone that is going through this is not alone, we understand & want to stand up to bring awareness in the greatest way possible. Leo Thames is the strongest, healthiest boy because of this team. He will live a full and whole life & never have to look back. Thank you Taylor & to EVERYONE listed on this letter we love you. With gratitude and humbleness Jaime and Kyle (sic)"

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