This bright light of a soul is Kian, my son, who's currently fighting a silent battle. He's 3 years old and the bravest, most resilient person I know. We've dealt with health issues his whole life, but always blamed it on the fact that he was in daycare.

From being in ICU for days with RSV when he was 6 months old, constant ear infections leading to ear tubes at 9 months old, urology surgery at over a year old, and multiple ongoing respiratory issues, to a terrible pneumonia that ended with us being admitted for over a week in the hospital.

I've been my son's advocate his whole life, yet I felt like no one was listening. All his pediatric check-ups were very quick and superficial; no one thought to do an x-ray, blood work, or CT scan. Until a single doctor with some humanity saw my concern and took it upon herself to order some blood tests and chest x-rays to rule out any illness. And thank God for her!

Kian's blood count was so dangerously low they ran the tests twice before giving me a call and telling me to rush back to the ER.

On the surface, he looks like the happiest, sweetest kid there is. But inside, his platelets were nearly non-existent, and the rest of his blood cells were also very low. His chest x-ray showed advanced pneumonia.

Once in the ER, he was quickly put on oxygen and given IV fluids and antibiotics, as well as steroids to help him breathe and control his fever.

Since 01/15/2026, he's been hospitalized. Daily blood draws, multiple blood and platelet transfusions, CT scans, a lung examination and fluid collection under anesthesia, and a bone marrow biopsy have been done to try to figure out where the root cause of the problem is, and how to properly treat him.

This is only the beginning of the journey. There's a team of specialists working diligently to help us find answers, but some test results take much longer than others. So far, all I know is that even if we get to leave the hospital, we'll have to continue coming back for constant follow-ups, blood draws, and check-ups. At least once a week, sometimes twice. Based on his results, the need for more blood transfusions is also highly likely.

Thankfully, despite all the unanswered questions and a huge amount of uncertainty, Kian still has a happy disposition, great attitude, and knows he's loved by so many people

I ask you to please help us navigate this journey as smoothly as possible, and prayers are always welcomed

Thank you