**Update: November 4** - Cal’s recovery journey continues, and we want to extend our heartfelt thanks to everyone for your support of Cal and his family over the past few weeks. While he has made progress moving from the PICU to an individual room, his recovery is ongoing. As described by his mom, Cheslee:

“A little update on Cal and his condition as we begin week three of our hospital stay. Cal’s little body is still working hard to recover from his initial episode. However, he has started two new medications to manage his Urea Cycle Disorder, and so far, these medications are effectively controlling his condition. In addition, Cal has a special prescription formula and will follow an extremely specialized diet along with a medication regimen for the rest of his life. As he grows and develops, we will continue to work with his team of doctors at Children’s Hospital in the cities to manage his genetic condition. For now, our focus is on healing his body and keeping his condition managed with medication.

Cole, Maxine, and I want to thank you all again for your prayers and unwavering support during this time. None of this has been or will be easy, but we are grateful to know we have such a wonderful community of people behind us. Please keep the thoughts and prayers coming for our little guy. ❤️”

When Cal Bradley Pfeiffer arrived on October 14, 2025, it was the perfect moment for the family of four. That joy quickly became a nightmare as Cal's health suddenly plummeted as described in the words of Cal’s mom, Cheslee:

"On 10/14/25, we welcomed our son, Cal Bradley Pfeiffer. Our first day as a family of four went just as it should, but things quickly changed. Our son's health began to decline rapidly, and he was moved to the NICU in the St. Cloud hospital. He spent two days there with no signs of improvement. After he continued to decline, a specialized blood panel revealed that Cal's ammonia levels were nearing 3000, a normal level being 80. Friday 10/17/25, Cal was air-lifted from St. Cloud hospital to Children’s of Minnesota. By the time he landed, his ammonia levels were close to 4000. They immediately started him on dialysis to lower the ammonia levels in his body. The dialysis was effective. After a very specialized gene test revealed Cal has Urea Cycle Disorder with ASL deficiency, he’s making improvements each day but will be at Children’s for the foreseeable future. We don’t know exactly what our future holds, and there’s a lot of unknown when it comes to Cal's condition and his day-to-day life, but we are so proud of our boy and how hard he’s working.

Cole, Maxine, and I thank you all for your continued support and prayers for our sweet boy. We couldn’t do this without our family, friends, and community.”

Cole, Cheslee, and the whole family are pouring all their energy into Cal's recovery. They simply can't do this alone.

Your donation is direct support for this brave young family—it helps cover the cost of emergency transport, the life-saving dialysis, and the extensive specialized care Cal will need for the foreseeable future.

Please donate today to help Cal keep fighting and to allow his parents to focus on what matters most: being at their son's side. If you can’t donate, please share Cal's story far and wide. Every act of kindness is a huge lift to this sweet boy and his family.