My name is Robbie. I'm a nobody that's trying hard to make life work. Just like many of you out there trying to make a living, I do the same. I hail from a family of immigrants, a family of hard work and perseverance. We've gone through the same challenges as you. We've struggled and overcome, as many of you have, many times over. We are simple, yet resilient. Our family bond, is great.

But right now, we're struggling through one of our toughest battles. And I feel so powerless.

On October 17th, 2025, my brother-in-law received a phone call from his son, Ian, that he wasn't feeling well. He went to the nurse's office at Bell Junior High, where Ian called his father to come pick him up. Symptoms weren't alarming; we're all used to kids getting sick, and nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

We were wrong. Sunday night, my sister and brother-in-law (Glory and Leo) took Ian to the ER. They thought he had the flu, as kids get, and that the pain in his knee was from the many sports he participated in. It turned out much worse. The ER thought Ian suffered from septic arthritis in his knee and myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart...

Tests were started, and a distribution of broad-spectrum antibiotics was delivered. Tests and scans were done to further diagnose. However, the pain and immobilization from his knee spread to the rest of his body. Ian was admitted to Rady's Children's Hospital Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at 4 am on Monday, October 20th, 2025.

We are fundraising to support Ian's medical expenses, ongoing treatment, and covering bills as we transition towards Ian's long-term care.

Ian's now ending his third week at Rady's PICU. He's gone through several diagnostics; echocardiograms, ultrasounds, and MRIs. Several procedures that include attempts at washing his knee to remove infection. He's got a deep vein thrombosis, a severe blood clot, in his left leg that's causing clots to collect in his lungs.

Ian's lungs have become stiff and Rady's putting him through assisted breathing and respiratory therapy. At first Ian would show severe distress, I can't imagine the pain he was feeling through the beginning of treatment - but it's gradually improved. We were hoping that extubation would happen this week, but it doesn't seem likely.