Featured Image Credit: heypjk/instagram
Topics: US News
Phoebe Tonks
Influencer Paul J. Kim has sadly announced the death of his five-year-old son Micah in a heartbreaking post on social media.
The Catholic content creator, who regularly shares faith-related updates online, confirmed the tragic news on New Year’s Day, when he revealed that Micah had passed away on December 31.
In an emotional video shared on Instagram, Kim told his followers: “After fighting 11 long hard days, [Micah] went home to the house of our father.”
"We are so proud of him. I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart as his dad, on behalf of my family, for all the ways you guys prayed and lifted us up during this time. This incredibly difficult, impossible time for our family. It's been the hardest thing I've ever been through in my life and it continues to be."
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"As much as this time I just want to have privacy and have time to mourn with my family I felt like I owed all of you an update, just out of gratitude. Micah is already in Heaven at work, seriously, so many testimonies, so many ways in which God is using the light in my five-year-old to truly save souls and change the world," Kim added.
Micah was first admitted to hospital on December 21 after suffering from a severe case of influenza.
Sadly, his condition deteriorate,d and the youngster contracted sepsis, a form of immune response in which the body attacks itself.
Despite the best efforts of medics, Micah sadly didn’t improve, and after being admitted to intensive care, reportedly had no ‘brain activity present’.
He passed away on New Year’s Eve.
Kim also shared that coming home without his son was one of the most ‘heart-wrenching awkward experiences,’ of his life.
"Coming back to a home where Micah is not running around, laughing and screaming as he usually is," he said.
Micah was just one of 3,100 Americans who have died after contracting the flu this flu season, with around 7.5million others also infected with the virus.
Infants and young children in particular have been among those hit hardest by the mutated strain of ‘super-flu’, which has been causing far more severe infections than normal.
The dominant strain right now is Influenza A — specifically a fast-spreading, mutated H3N2 strain called ‘subclade K.’
It is thought to be responsible for the large number of hospital admissions that have arisen globally since the variant emerged in the Summer, with countries including the UK, Australia, and Japan reporting overwhelming numbers of infections requiring advanced medical assistance.
If you have experienced a bereavement and would like to speak with someone in confidence, contact The Compassionate Friends on (877) 969-0010.