The father of a 5-year-old who died after battling a fatal case of the flu honored the child by posting photos of his funeral on his social media account.
International Christian influencer and speaker Paul Kim announced on Instagram that Micah passed away on Dec. 31, 2025 after having been ill for eleven days.
The funeral took place on Jan. 20.
The boy’s deadly ordeal with the flu began on Dec. 21 when he was rushed to the hospital by ambulance. The next day, Kim informed his 1.1 million Instagram viewers that Micah’s scans showed no brain activity. His subsequent surgery on Dec. 23 due to bleeding inside his chest led to an anointing and confirmation sacrament. By Dec. 30, Kim posted a photo of his son on life support in the hospital. The next day, Micah was dead.
Kim posted tenderly on Instagram that Micah is not dead.
“He is alive in Christ,” Kim wrote. “What was supposed to feel like a funeral liturgy felt more like an ordination Mass. While our sorrow is so real, the joy of offering our son to the service of the Lord in Heaven for his new mission makes our cup overflow.”
Micah was one of six children of Kim and his wife. During the funeral Mass, Kim said that Micah’s Godmother completed the first reading while his Godfather presided over the Mass.
“We had the blessing of being able to use one of the most beautiful parishes in the area,” Kim added. “On behalf of my family, THANK YOU to everyone who has shown us the love of God through your kindness, support, and prayers. It has been tremendously healing for us. We are forever changed. We will keep you in our prayers for the rest of our lives.”
Kim ended his post with a quote from St. John Paul I, “We do not pretend that life is all beauty. We are aware of darkness and sın, of poverty and pain. But we know Jesus has conquered sın and passed through his own pain to the glory of the Resurrection. We are an Easter People and Alleluia is our song!”