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CORRECTING and REPLACING CAPTIONS Heart Patient from Children's Hospital Los Angeles Is the Boy Behind Darth Vader Mask in Super Bowl Commercial

Pediatric cardiologist Michael Silka, MD, (left) of Children's Hospital Los Angeles greets his patient Max Page (bottom right) and his family, parents Buck and Jennifer Page and brother Ellison. The diminutive Max played Darth Vader in a Volkswagen commercial that has received national attention with 7 million hits on YouTube and will air during the NFL Super Bowl on Sunday. (Photo: Business Wire)

The release reads:

HEART PATIENT FROM CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL LOS ANGELES IS THE BOY BEHIND DARTH VADER MASK IN SUPER BOWL COMMERCIAL

At the tender age of 6, Max Page has already made a name for himself as an actor. The young man is a member of the cast of "The Young and the Restless," and has become an overnight YouTube sensation as the little "man behind the Darth Vader mask" in a Volkswagen ad that will air during the NFL's Super Bowl XLV. In 24 hours, the number of hits to the TV commercial went from 1.5 million on Thursday to more than 7 million on Friday.

YouTube link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R55e-uHQna0

It's hard to imagine that at 4-months of age, Max was diagnosed with Tetralogy of Fallot, a congenital heart defect in children. At that time, Buck and Jennifer Page brought their infant son to Children's Hospital Los Angeles, where he received a pacemaker.

Parents Jennifer and Buck Page, returned to the hospital on Friday with both Max and his brother, Ellison, to visit with Michael Silka, MD. Head of the hospital's Division of Cardiology and Max's pediatric cardiologist, Dr. Silka spoke very positively about his energetic young patient.

"Max's prognosis going forward is very good," Silka says. "He can essentially have normal activity and with careful care, a full life is a reasonable expectation."

As for Max's parents, they see this attention as an opportunity to reach out to parents whose children suffer from heart conditions.

"When we first received the diagnosis, we were lost," Buck explains. After going through the experience, they learned firsthand how traumatic it can be as a parent of a child with a serious ailment.

Mr. and Mrs. Page hope that in sharing their experience, they can help other parents of sick children understand they are not alone.

"Before our experience with Max, I would walk through the hospital and see sick children and be afraid to look at them," Buck says. "Now, I make a point to look them all in the eye and say, 'Hello.'"

About Children's Hospital Los Angeles: Children's Hospital Los Angeles is one of the nation's top children's hospitals and is acknowledged worldwide for its leadership in pediatric and adolescent health. The Saban Research Institute of Children's Hospital Los Angeles is among the largest and most productive pediatric research facilities in the United States. Children's Hospital is a premier teaching hospital and has been affiliated with the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California since 1932.

Editor's Note: Unfortunately, the Page Family and spokespersons from Children's Hospital Los Angeles will not be available for comment on this story on Saturday and Sunday.

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=6599964&lang=en

Public relations contact:
Children's Hospital Los Angeles
bgreene@chla.usc.edu