Influencer Paul J. Kim has shared the tragic news of his five-year-old son Micah’s passing on social media.
The Catholic influencer, who frequently posts content related to faith, announced the heartbreaking news on New Year’s Day. He revealed that Micah had died on December 31.
In an emotional Instagram video, Kim informed 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,” he expressed.
“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 hospitalized on December 21 due to a severe flu infection.
Unfortunately, his health worsened, and he developed sepsis, a severe immune response where the body attacks itself.
Despite medical efforts, Micah did not show improvement. After being admitted to intensive care, it was reported that he had no ‘brain activity present.’
He passed away on New Year’s Eve.
Kim also shared the emotional struggle of returning home without his son, describing it as 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 one of 3,100 Americans to have succumbed to the flu this season, with approximately 7.5 million others contracting the virus.
Infants and young children, in particular, have been severely affected by this mutated strain of ‘super-flu,’ which has led to more severe infections than usual.
The current dominant strain is Influenza A — specifically a rapidly spreading, mutated H3N2 strain known as ‘subclade K.’
This strain is believed to be the cause of a significant increase in hospital admissions worldwide since its emergence in the Summer, with nations like the UK, Australia, and Japan reporting an overwhelming number of cases necessitating advanced medical care.
If you have experienced a bereavement and would like to speak with someone in confidence, contact The Compassionate Friends at (877) 969-0010.