Al Kim

Welcome to a GoFundMe page for Al Kim, organized by his siblings Arthur & Arlene. The three of us grew up together in Canoga Park, sharing a fierce bond after a tumultuous childhood. Al lives in Redondo Beach, Arlene in Las Vegas, and Arthur in Boston and we share a love of each other’s children, good food (especially Korean) and 80’s music.

The three of us during childhood

On February 7, 2022, Al suffered a subarachnoid hemorrhage. He was hospitalized at Providence Little Company of Mary in Torrance where Dr. Jian Guan, his primary neurosurgeon, led a team to save his life and preserve his brain function.

Dr. Jian Guan, Al's primary neurosurgeon at Providence who performed life-saving surgeries

Al spent 6 weeks in the ICU after a number of complications, including serious infection. After 2 more weeks in the hospital, Al spent 2 weeks at a skilled nursing facility in Pasadena, 8 days at Glendale Memorial for acute rehabilitation and finally came home in May. Either Arlene or Arthur was at his bedside throughout.

Clink on this link to see Al leaving for Glendale Memorial, and this link to listen to Al's occupational piano rehab.

We find it hard to express in words how much he means to us and how much we love him. A blog following the first few months of his journey may be found at this CaringBridge Page. Al’s passions for music and cooking and his roller coaster medical journey are highlighted in this recent article by Ryan McDonald of the EasyReader.

Al, who is actually cool, and his brother Arthur trying to be cool

Al is expected to make a full or close-to-full recovery, but due to the original brain injury (think: stroke) and being deconditioned from the extra-long ICU stay this is taking significant time. Al has come a long way since his life-saving procedures, but also has a long way to go. Our challenges in the next phase of recovery include a transition from home-based therapy to outpatient therapy (often referrals are far away), insurance that has been very difficult at times (Al has a managed version of Medi-Cal), and Al’s current inability to make income from the restaurant and music work he loves.

Al walking in Palos Verdes

Donations here will be used to:

Augment his rehabilitation with additional physical, occupational, and cognitive therapy

Aid with transportation to his therapy and medical appointments

Upgrade his health insurance for the next 3 years

Provide for Al’s past and other financial needs while he is not yet able to work full time

Other ways to contribute:

1) If you haven’t seen Al in a while, visits and home-cooked meals are welcome

2) Continued thoughts and prayers

Much thanks to so many for your past and ongoing support!

Note: since the fall, Al is no longer involved in the operation of Pa'Do