
Have a Heart- Support a Miracle: Kai Knell Fund
Early Wednesday morning, Kai's wife Mariah found him unresponsive and with no pulse. He had gone into cardiac arrest in his sleep. She started CPR and called 911 immediately. After paramedics arrived, they had to shock Kai's heart three times to get it beating. Shortly thereafter, they intubated him and took him by ambulance to the ER. Kai was immediately put into an induced coma to prevent any further damage to his body and brain. He was transferred to the ICU and they started cooling his body temperature to help with any brain trauma and damage due to lack of oxygen. When Kai was in the ICU, they were unsure if he would be able to wake up, and had no idea the extent of the damage. Kai's prognosis was very poor at this point. He was showing signs of severe brain damage while he was in a coma. About 16 hours went by, and they were still working on cooling Kai's body. He suddenly started making different types of movements and fluttering his eyes. He then started following commands such as squeezing the nurses hands. Kai then opened his eyes. Kai woke up through the cooling process and induced coma. They were completely shocked and had no answers as to why this was happening. Simply-stated...it was the hand of God. The amazing doctors and nurses took out his breathing tube and were able to stabilize him. Kai's story is nothing short of a miracle. Over the next few days Kai shocked everyone and continued to improve, defying all odds. He is physically recovering well after having a defibrillator device put in to help his heart. He is consistently improving but dealing with some short term memory issues. Kai is one of the most active and athletic people we know, and his newly found heart condition is going to be a huge lifestyle adjustment. His genetic heart condition that has been found is now a part of his life and he is learning to adjust every day. Kai is an amazing husband, dad, son, brother, and friend and the outpouring of support and well-wishes has honestly been overwhelming and heart-warming. When health permits, he looks forward to returning to teaching at Eastmont High School which he has done for the past twenty years. The family is starting this Go Fund Me to ask for any help in relieving some of the stress due to the significant amount of medical expenses that they will incur. Every donation matters.
Thank you all for your support,
Knells ‘Ohana