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Influencer Paul Kim is recalling the death of his late son, Micah, weeks after he contracted a severe case of the flu.
Paul, a Catholic content creator who makes videos about his faith, shared a series of images and videos from Micah’s funeral Mass in an Instagram post on Monday, January 19, giving an intimate look at the service, which Paul said was attended by friends and family from “all over the country.”
“My 5-year-old son Micah’s funeral Mass was the Catholic Church at its best. So many priests, family and friends from all over the country attended,” Paul wrote. “You have provided us with the most beautiful music and have cheered our sad hearts with gratitude and praise.”
He said the funeral was held in “one of the most beautiful parishes” in the area and that Micah’s godfather presided over the mass.
Paul Kim/Instagram
The image shows Paul and his wife Maggie standing with their surviving children near Micah’s coffin, along with photos of the service and friends and family gathered.
“On behalf of our family, we would like to thank everyone who has shown us God’s love through their kindness, support, and prayers,” Paul wrote. “It was such a huge healing for us. We are forever changed. We will keep you in our prayers forever.”
Paul concluded this post by quoting Pope John Paul II. “We don’t believe that all life is beautiful. We know darkness and sin, poverty and pain. But we do know that Jesus overcame sin and overcame His own suffering to the glory of the Resurrection.”
Micah passed away on December 31, 10 days after Paul shared with his more than 300,000 followers on Instagram that he had been rushed to the hospital after contracting the flu.
The next day, Paul reveals that Micah has been placed on life support and that scans have revealed that his brain activity is “non-existent.”
Paul shared the tragic news in a Jan. 1 post, saying in an emotional video, “After 11 long, hard days of fighting, (Micah) has returned home to our father.”
Paul Kim/Instagram
“We are so proud of him, and on behalf of our family, as his father, I would like to thank you from the bottom of my heart for how you all prayed and encouraged us during this time,” Kim said. “This is an incredibly difficult and impossible time for our family. This has been, and continues to be, the most difficult thing I have ever experienced in my life.”
On January 2, Paul’s wife Maggie addressed Micah’s death for the first time, writing, “There is a deep, aching hole in my heart.”
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“Our house is full of people, but it’s too quiet without you,” the grieving mother began in a post shared to Instagram. “I always think that when I look out, I’ll see you on the swing, smiling. Or maybe I’ll hear you slowly open the door and approach the bed, and hear a soft voice say, ‘Mommy?'”
Before her death, Mika’s health efforts captured the hearts of many on Instagram, including singer-songwriter Gwen Stefani, who commented on Kim’s update, “🙏 Praying for you.”
