Please donate to help this sweet boy, Kai

Hello, this fundraiser is being organized to help a close family member, Kai, and his parents, who are going through a very challenging and scary time. There are a lot of uncertainties and they have a long road ahead of them. Any support or donations you can give are very much appreciated. Here is their story:

On 7/28, we noticed our 9-month-old son Kai was not acting himself and took him to his pediatrician. He tested negative for COVID/Strep and was sent home with a diagnosis of adenovirus. That evening things began to drastically worsen; he began vomiting, was extremely lethargic, and breathing erratically. We took him to the ER where over many hours they ran multiple tests, but couldn’t figure out what was going on. We were nearly sent home. Kai’s condition began to deteriorate during this time and it was clear something was seriously wrong. We persisted and requested to see the on-call pediatrician who immediately recognized the symptoms to be critical. A finger stick revealed his blood sugar to be over 600. Kai was in severe Diabetic Ketoacidosis, otherwise known as DKA. They immediately made the decision to transport Kai by life line helicopter to Harrisburg Hospital Pediatric ICU given his critical condition. Upon arrival, he was already severely dehydrated due to the DKA process. The intensivist spent nearly an hour placing a femoral IV to get him the fluids and medications that ultimately saved his life.  For several days, they carefully treated him for DKA. Following many tests, we were told that Kai is a Type 1 Diabetic which is extremely rare for a 9-month-old. To make matters worse, we all 3 fell ill with COVID. On top of his recovering from DKA, Kai had to endure fever, sore throat and a persistent cough. 

Throughout his hospitalization, we were repeatedly told by endocrinologists and other physicians that Kai was the youngest diabetic patient they have ever treated. Unfortunately, because of that fact, there are limited options on how to administer insulin. The team of pediatric endocrinologists have been closely working with their colleagues at University of Pittsburgh regarding his care. He is currently on an insulin pump and continuous glucose monitor both intended for ages 2 and older. The insulin pump is the only way he can receive the micro doses of insulin that he needs, but comes with its own set of risks. Kai is the most sensitive of Diabetics given his age. While in the hospital, he also developed a blood clot from the femoral IV which requires 2 injections of blood thinners daily. After 12 days­­ in the hospital, we were discharged home. We are extremely grateful to all the staff that saved and helped take care of our son during this time. This Type 1 Diabetes diagnosis at his age requires around the clock 24/7 care to ensure blood sugar levels are safe and he stays out of danger.  

Donations for Kai will help go towards paying for supplies, medications, hospital and helicopter bills, travel for ongoing appointments, and additional help to cover the high costs of being a Type 1 Diabetic. We also ultimately hope to obtain a diabetes alert dog that can help warn if his sugars are too low as he will not be able to tell us that he feels low for quite some time. Our lives have all changed overnight and we are asking for help. We thank you for any consideration – even a few dollars means a lot to help offset these unforeseen costs.