10-year-old boy on life support after suddenly falling severely ill, family says

EVANSVILLE, Ind. (WFIE/Gray News) - A 10-year-old boy in Indiana is on life support after suddenly falling severely ill.

Hayden Kissen and his family have had a tough month after being in and out of the hospital multiple times.

After attending the baseball game, he started vomiting uncontrollably.

“He’s screaming, we’re not talking about ‘Ow, ow,’ we’re talking wails of pain,” said Hayden’s dad, Joshua. “We’ve never seen that from him; that’s not who he is.”

Doctors diagnosed Hayden with Henoch-Schonlein purpura, a rare condition that affects the small blood vessels of the skin, joints, intestines, and kidneys.

In Hayden’s case, it caused severe intestinal complications.

The condition has caused him to be transported to four hospitals, undergo three emergency surgeries, and take two helicopter transports, WFIE reported.

“Your child’s on life support. How do you come to grips with the fact that a machine is keeping your child alive at this point? I mean, it terrifies you,” said Joshua.

Angela Kissen said any time Hayden gets scared, he reaches his hands out and asks for prayers. She said dozens of businesses have reached out to help the family.

Honey Moon Coffee Vice President Paige Venturi said it was Hayden’s classmate who raised the idea that they do a giveback to help out.

Even through all the chaos, Angela and Joshua said they’ve walked away with a lesson in human kindness. The Kissen family said strangers as far as Idaho and Alaska have reached out to help the family.

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