Mini Darth Vader From Volkswagen Ad Faces Serious Heart Op

7-year old Max Page won hearts around the world when he appeared in the brilliant Volkswagen Passat advert for the 2011 Super Bowl. In what many said was one of the best adverts around, little Max Page went around his house, looking decidedly un-menacing in his oh so adorable Darth Vader costume, trying to ‘use the Force’ on various objects.

You really feel the young boy’s frustration as all his attempts are unsuccessful, that is of course until he gets to his father’s Volkswagen Passat and manages to get the lights to turn on! Ok, so his father used the key to switch the lights on, but don’t tell me you didn’t feel his elation when it worked, or that you haven’t been there trying to make ‘The Force’ work on stuff in your house!!

Unfortunately our little Vader, Page was born with a congenital heart defect and has to undergo open heart surgery to replace the pulmonary valve and fix a hole in his heart, according to reports from the agency Deutsch LA.

Proving to the world, that he does actually have ‘The Force’ Page has been raising money for children with heart defects and is even an ambassador for the Children’s Hospital in LA.
As the operation approaches, Page’s mother Jennifer wrote a heartfelt email to Deutsch explaining how the young boy is coping with the prospect of having such a major operation. She explained that they discussed the things that were worrying him the most as a family, doing their best to allay his fears. She said as well as being afraid of the pain he would experience, Page was also upset by all the things he wouldn’t be able to do while he spent the summer in recovery.

What he decided to do instead was to write a ‘CAN DO’ list of all the things he would still be able to do and enjoy and this gave him something positive to focus on.

The letter shows Page to be wise beyond his years and with an element of calm that most adults wish they could display if they were faced with a difficult situation such as this. He said: “Mom I don’t have a choice. I have to go through it. I don’t like it and it’s still scary—but I have to. So I think I might as well go through it with a good attitude.”
Page’s mother Jennifer concluded a letter with the line he wanted her to finish it with, he said: “Kids, if you use your FORCE and dream big, you can achieve anything. We may be small—but we’re mighty!”

This kid is more like a Jedi Knight than the dastardly Darth Vader. Good luck Max, we’re thinking of you!

And here’s the ad, just in case you forgot how cute Max Page was: