SALT LAKE CITY — Brian White and his family are from Idaho but have been long-time Vegas Golden Knights fans. They recently found out they’d be getting a new addition.
“Jenna and I found out this last fall that we were pregnant again,” White said. "We found out that our baby had an ARID1B genetic mutation, which often leads to a Coffin-Siris Syndrome diagnosis.”
It can often target the function of major organs and create severe feeding difficulties.
“We ended up getting to a place where they said they think she's got brain damage, and she's not going to have quality of life,” White said.
They were recommended treatment at Primary Children’s Hospital in Salt Lake. Baby Kaida was born on March 31 at the University of Utah Hospital and has been in the NICU ever since.
“She was not able to wean off oxygen successfully for quite a while, and so we thought our biggest nightmare, sorry, was happening,” White said while getting choked up. "I just kept telling my wife, like, 'It'll work out, right? Like, we'll figure it out.' And I just kept telling her, 'We're going to let Kaida show us who she is.'”
And Kaida showed everyone who she is: a fighter.
“Through a series of — I don't know how to say it, other than miracles, she stopped having tremors. We were able to wean off oxygen,” White said. "She's proving everybody wrong.”
White and his family have been away from home for about a month, spending hours in the NICU and staying at the Ronald McDonald House.
“The Ronald McDonald House knew that we were Vegas fans and knew that it was the playoffs. We actually had never been to a game, and so they were kind enough to get us tickets through a grandparents fund,” White said.
Despite them being in a sea of Mammoth fans, they felt included, which White said speaks to how supportive the hockey community is in Utah.
“I had a lot of people who reached out, and they were like, 'Listen, hockey family is family. Like, of course, we root for different teams, right? But we're all family,'” White said. “It took a really trying time, and it just gave us a reprieve that was really needed.”
In a few weeks, they’ll be able to take Kaida home to Idaho.
“The past couple months have been really hard because there is a lot of unknowns, and it's really hard to wrap your head around the fact that you just, there is no yes or no answer, or maybe even, but it's really cool,” said big sister Charlie Bradshaw.
However, Utah will always have a special place in their heart.
“The biggest piece of me is at the NICU, and so right now, the Ronald McDonald House feels more like home to me because we're here with her,” White said.
And if anyone has spare tickets for Monday night's game, White said you know where to find him.
“If somebody needs a kidney you know I’ll sell one,” White joked. "We would love to go to the game tomorrow. It was such a great experience.”
A GoFundMe for the family can be found HERE.
