Please support Malakai's medical recovery

A couple weeks ago, Malakai complained to his dad, Marcus, of some pains in his abdomen. As a 14-year-old gymnast, he's a tough young man so calling Marcus at work to tell him he was in pain meant something was wrong. So he did what a good dad does - he sought medical attention.

After an initial diagnosis of "just go home and wait it out" on Feb. 13 followed by an excruciatingly painful evening, Marcus took Malakai to St. Peter's hospital in Olympia. And thank God he did. They discovered Malakai, who at this point couldn't walk, had an infection in his body that was spreading and making the pain unbearable. And it was getting dangerous. He was nearly septic.

They moved Malakai to Mary Bridge in Tacoma where the pain continued for days. Breathing became so challenging that he needed to be on oxygen. But because he needed breathing support, he was not eligible for anesthesia so all procedures required him to endure pain so intense he was nearly blacking out.

On Feb. 19, once the antibiotics were settling in, Malakai was finally able to move out of the ICU after three nights. As we write this on Feb. 23, Malakai is still in the hospital battling continued infection and pain, and is unable to walk on his own. He's had five CT scans. Two ultrasounds. Six IVs. A pic line. And a drain in his abdominal wall. But he's improving. He's getting stronger. And Marcus got some sleep last night.

Marcus is a single dad with sole coverage of Malakai (with no additional parental support), and he's been at his son's side every step of the way. He's working through these emotions on his own - the near-fatal infection was very close to going septic, and Malakai could have died. There's still a long road ahead. Friends, family, maybe even some strangers I've never met, this is where the village comes in. If you are able, our family would be forever grateful for any support to help with Malakai's ongoing recovery.

And from the bottom of our hearts - we are so thankful for the ongoing attention from the medical staff at Mary Bridge.