Additional Coverage:
- Catholic influencer’s 5-year-old son dies after 11-day flu battle followed by thousands (foxnews.com)
Community Mourns with Catholic Influencer Paul J. Kim After Tragic Loss of Son Micah to Aggressive Flu Strain
[City, State] – The local community and a vast online following are sharing in the grief of Catholic influencer Paul J. Kim, whose 5-year-old son, Micah, tragically passed away on New Year’s Eve after an 11-day battle with a severe case of the flu. Kim, who shares faith-based content with over 300,000 followers on Instagram, openly shared updates on his son’s deteriorating condition, making his family’s heartbreaking journey a public one.
In an emotional video posted Thursday, Kim expressed profound gratitude for the outpouring of prayers and support his family received, while also requesting privacy during this difficult time of mourning. “We are so proud of him,” Kim stated in the video.
“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. It’s been the hardest thing I’ve ever been through in my life, and it continues to be.”
Micah’s illness first came to public attention on December 21st, when Kim shared that his son was being rushed to the hospital following a medical emergency. Subsequent updates revealed that doctors described Micah’s illness as an unusually severe strain of the flu.
The situation escalated, leading to Micah being placed on life support, with Kim urging his followers for prayers. The flu infection later turned septic, triggering seizures, which doctors described as a rare and critical development.
By December 30th, Kim reported that Micah’s condition had worsened significantly, with his son in a coma as medical professionals and family worked to provide him with as much time as possible. Throughout the ordeal, Kim affectionately referred to his son as a “fighter” and “my hero.”
In a poignant written Instagram post, Kim quoted Job 1:21, stating, “The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord,” and conveyed that Micah had entered “the never-ending glory, love, and peace of God.” He emphasized his family’s reliance on their faith despite their broken hearts and requested continued prayers as they learn “how to live by faith and not by sight.”
This tragic loss comes amidst a concerning flu season. Recent data from the CDC reports 288 pediatric deaths in the 2024-25 season, a record high for a non-pandemic year.
A significant majority of these cases were among unvaccinated children, with 70% having underlying conditions such as asthma. Furthermore, a new and highly aggressive “super flu” strain, a mutation of influenza A H3N2 called subclade K, is currently sweeping the nation.
On average, approximately 20,000 children under the age of 5 are hospitalized annually due to the flu, with infants under 6 months facing the highest mortality risk. These statistics underscore the critical importance of annual influenza vaccination, according to the CDC.