Donate in memory of Aaron Kang

**UPDATE**

Aaron passed away peacefully in the evening hours of November 4th, 2023. He was surrounded by his family at the bedside. His parents also elected to have a complete autopsy performed on Aaron through the UC David Medical Center in hopes of finding out more about what went wrong during the surgery and the cause of his death. Aaron's body will be returned to the family on November 13th, 2023 for funeral arrangements. We will update this story with additional details as they come to light. Thank you all for your donations, kind words, and loving support. The Kang family is grateful for all your help. God bless.

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In the early hours of November 3, 2022, a lovely baby boy was born into this world. He appeared perfectly healthy and normal. However, when Aaron was two months old, he was hospitalized in the ICU due to an RSV infection, and it was discovered then that he had a congenital heart aortic malformation.

His parents (Cris and Michelle) immediately contacted the hospital and a surgery was scheduled for October 24. On this day, Aaron's parents brought him to the hospital well in advance. When they met with the doctor before the surgery, the doctor explained that this was a very low risk and routine procedure, with a failure rate of less than 1%, though not impossible but extremely rare.

The surgery was successful, and Aaron's parents breathed a sigh of relief. However, no more than 2 hours post surgery, Aaron had a massive internal hemorrhage from the heart surgery site at the aorta. He lost all his blood almost instantly. The entire medical team at the PICU rushed to his aid, located the source of the bleeding, and managed to stop the bleeding. However, this lasted for more than an hour and the doctors had already gone through 4 boxes of blood transfusions, countless CPR chest compressions, and relentless oxygenation.

Although they were able to stabilize his vital signs, the lack of oxygen to Aaron's brain during the emergency led to irreversible brain damage, leaving him in a vegetative state. Aaron currently lies in the hospital, relying on machines to maintain his heartbeat and breathing. He was 11 days away from his first birthday. The doctors have told Cris and Michelle that Aaron will not recover. The only final wish from his parents is to be able to celebrate Aaron's first birthday before he passes. Even during this immensely difficult time, Cris and Michelle have elected to donate Aaron's organs after he passes so other children may be saved.

Aaron's sister, Grace, is still waiting for her brother to come home, not realizing that the morning of the surgery would turn out to be their final farewell. The tragic and sudden turn of events has shattered this beautiful family and broken their souls. Their lives are at painful standstill no one can possibly understand. Cris and Michelle are now unable to work, have no income, and face the daunting tasks of Aaron's funeral and cremation arrangements, as well as the medical bills that insurance will not cover completely. The donations will also be used for the hiring of an attorney to review Aaron's potential medical malpractice case.

Aaron may never be able to reunite with his loving family, but life must go on. In this challenging time, I hope that more people can come forward to support and help this unfortunate family.