A young boy from Minnesota has died after complications from a severe illness caused swelling and damage to his brain.
Zaydan Sandbeck from Dilworth, close to Fargo, North Dakota, appeared to be suffering from the flu, but things took a drastic turn for the worse after spiking a fever of nearly 106 degrees triggering a seizure and causing brain damage.
His mother, Jessica, shared the heartbreaking news of his death on Wednesday in a touching post to social media.
‘My sweet boy. Zaydan mama loves you forever and I’m so sorry. You were my sidekick, your brother’s partner in crime. You were destined to do big things in this ugly world. I would give anything to have you back to me,’ devastated mother Jessica Marie wrote.
‘You will be saving other lives and will carry on through them. My world is shattered.RIP sweet Zaydan. Never forget how much I love you and how proud I am of you and every life you have touched in this short life of yours.’
Friend of the family, Brooke Kuss, explained how Zaydan’s organs had been donated to five other children in need of a transplant.
‘Unfortunately, God needed Zaydan in heaven far too soon. Zaydan will continue to be an inspiration to everyone who knew him and how big that sweet little boys heart was. Zaydan is set up for organ donation to help out someone in need of organ transplant,’ Kuss explained.
‘He gave 4 people a new lease on life and donated his lungs to research. Thank you everyone who has contributed via donation, prayers and meals to the family,’ she wrote.
Following the family’s loss, a local restaurant has stepped in to support Zaydan’s family by hosting a special Dine to Donate night in which the bar donated 15 percent of its profits directly to the family from all the venue’s food and soda sales.
‘It’s just a good way for people to come in and bond, and get behind a certain cause. We can hopefully lift their spirits a bit and get families and people together,’ Gene LaVoy, owner of the Hen House bar told Valley News Live.
‘It feels good knowing we’re giving back to the community and helping people out,’ he said.
A GoFundMe campaign has been set up raising almost $10,000 to help pay for Zaydan’s medical expenses.
