Paul J. Kim, a popular Catholic speaker and influencer, has revealed the tragic death of his five-year-old son Micah, who passed away on New Year's Eve following a harrowing health battle.
The heartbreaking news came in two emotional Instagram videos posted to Kim’s 346,000 followers on January 1, where the father of six opened up about the devastating journey his family has faced over the past two weeks.
Micah had been in the hospital for 11 days after being hit with a severe flu that led to seizures and sepsis. Despite being placed on life support, the little boy sadly didn’t make it.
Paul J. Kim says son Micah "went home to the house of our father"
“After fighting 11 long hard days, [Micah] went home to the house of our father,” Kim said through tears, describing the unimaginable grief his family is facing.
“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,” he added, visibly emotional in the video.
“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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Kim said he initially wanted privacy, but felt the need to share an update to honor his followers' prayers and support: “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,” he said, clinging to faith in the wake of loss.
“Our hearts are broken, but we trust in the Lord,” says grieving father
Kim, 44, continued: “Our hearts are broken, but we trust in the Lord. Please pray for my family and me as we learn how to live by faith and not by sight.”
In the lead-up to Micah’s passing, Kim had been keeping his followers updated with heartbreaking videos from the hospital. He first disclosed the medical crisis on December 21, sharing that Micah was being rushed to the hospital in an ambulance.
Kim had repeatedly asked for prayers and a miracle, even as doctors delivered devastating updates. By Christmas Day, there were some hopeful signs as Micah’s heart showed improvement - but brain swelling remained severe.
On December 27, Kim posted an update, saying: “They did an MRI scan of his brain and they are saying it is so severely damaged that there is no medical possibility, in their opinion, that he can recover.”
He continued: “So here is what we are up against right now. We are up against the reality that at this point God must intervene. Our hearts are absolutely broken but we are not done fighting until the Lord says otherwise.”
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Kim says he left “no stone unturned” trying to save his son
Kim explained how deeply committed he and his family were to exploring every option for Micah’s survival, saying: “For those two weeks we were fighting long and hard, we were consulting legal, health, ethical teams even outside the hospital.
“Just to make sure we weren't leaving any stone unturned. In many ways we were fighting for Micah to buy him as much time as possible, until he passed,” he said.
“As a father, that is my duty I was called to do that. Even if in God's ultimate will it wasn't meant for him to recover.”
The response to Micah’s story has been overwhelming. Singer Gwen Stefani commented “praying for you” on one of Kim’s posts, while a GoFundMe campaign to support the family has already raised over $385,000.