Kylie's Kids: Arlyn & His Baby Sister
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – Moving the entire family can be a huge deal, especially when it's unexpected.
This is exactly what happened with Kylie's Kid Arlyn.
When Arlyn's liver failed this summer his family packed up and moved to Minneapolis. But, a new liver wasn't the only addition at the hospital – the family of four became a family of five.
If you're on the 5th floor at University of Minnesota Masonic Children's Hospital, watch out for Arlyn! When the 7-year-old roams the halls with his nerf gun, no one is safe.
"If they give me a nerf gun I can be really dangerous with it," Arlyn said.
Arlyn's been at Masonic for months, so nurses are pretty used to the routine. For his family, they're still getting used to it.
"It feels like a bad dream and I just want to wake up," Aleksia, Arlyn's older sister, said.
It started when Arlyn came home from a guy's weekend in August.
"Came home on Sunday, and Arlyn's skin and eyes were completely yellow," Erica, Arlyn's mom, said.
Within 24 hours, Arlyn was flown from Fargo to Minneapolis.
"Perfectly healthy boy, never had a problem," Erica said.
For no apparent reason, Arlyn was in liver failure.
"In over half the cases they don't find a reason," Erica said.
Arlyn went on the transplant list, but he wasn't the only one that needed to be in the hospital that day.
"The day that he went on the transplant list is actually the day that I had her C-section," Erica said in reference to Arlyn's baby sister.
While Arlyn was waiting for a new liver, his mom was downstairs having his baby sister.
"They just have this really special connection," Erica said. "From the very first time that he held her, she just snuggled her head right up next to him and didn't cry."
"She cries for everyone else but not me," Arlyn said.
Two days after getting a baby sister, Arlyn got his new liver. But the now-family-of-five hasn't been able to go home just yet.
"He has gone through a lot of setbacks since we've been here," Erica said.
So, Arlyn finds the fun in the hospital. Like nerf guns and his favorite: music therapy.
"Every time he comes out and he is smiling and joking," Erica said. "He keeps the laughter in the family."
To help Arlyn's family with the medical expenses visit the family's YouCaring page.
