Catholic influencer Paul Kim’s 5-year-old son dies from severe flu: ‘Horrific case of the virus’

Catholic influencer Paul Kim said his 5-year-old son, Micah, has died from a severe case of the flu.

Published on: Jan 05, 2026 6:17 AM IST

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Catholic influencer Paul Kim said his 5-year-old son, Micah, has died from a severe case of the flu. Kim, who posts videos about his Catholic faith, revealed in an Instagram video dated January 1 that Micah had died in the hospital on December 31.

Catholic influencer Paul Kim has opened up about the death of his 5-year-old son.

Kim said that his son, Micah, had been hospitalised due to a severe case of influenza, which later led to him developing sepsis. He died on New Year’s Eve after “fighting 11 long, hard days.”

“We're 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, this incredibly difficult, impossible time for our family,” the Catholic influencer said tearfully in his Instagram video.

“It's been the hardest thing I've ever been through in my life and it continues to be.”

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A post shared by PAUL J KIM (@heypjk)

5-year-old dies from severe flu

Kim had first posted about his son’s illness on December 21, when he informed his followers that the five-year-old was being rushed to the hospital.

On December 22, he revealed that Micah had been placed on life support.

A day before his son’s death, on December 30, the influencer said that Micah had a severe case of the flu which had caused him develop sepsis and experience seizures.

“The doctors are saying it’s one of the most horrific cases of this virus that they have ever seen in their life. It’s very rare, what happened to my son,” Kim said. “Rest assured, he needs a miracle.”

What is the flu?

Flu, or influenza, is a contagious viral infection that mainly affects the nose, throat and lungs. It is caused by influenza viruses (most commonly influenza A and B) and tends to spread easily, especially during colder months.

Symptoms of influenza can include high fever, chills, cough or sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, fatigue, headaches and more.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sanya Jain
Sanya Jain is an Assistant Editor with Hindustan Times Digital. She has nearly a decade of experience in covering offbeat stories that speak to the everyday experience - from viral videos to human interest copies that spark conversation. Her interests stretch across business, pop culture, social media trends, entertainment and global affairs. Before joining Hindustan Times, Sanya spent two years with Moneycontrol and five years with NDTV. She holds an undergraduate degree in English literature from St Stephen’s College, Delhi, and a master’s in journalism from the Xavier Institute of Communications, Mumbai. Sanya has a sharp eye for spotting emerging trends and looking for newsworthy angles to elevate viral posts into meaningful narratives. She was the first one, for example, to cover Narayana Murthy’s remark on 70-hour work weeks that sparked a national conversation. She is equally at ease writing about business leaders as about the common man, about issues of national importance and memes that amuse social media. Sanya enjoys speaking with content creators, newsmakers and entrepreneurs to transform everyday moments into engaging, slice-of-life stories that resonate with readers. When she is not working, Sanya can be found curled up with a good book. Born and raised in Lucknow, she has spent the last several years in Delhi. She is deeply interested in animal welfare and now spends a lot of her time running after her destructive orange cat.Read More

News/Trending/Us/Catholic Influencer Paul Kim’s 5-year-old Son Dies From Severe Flu: ‘Horrific Case Of The Virus’