Kiante

“When I look back, I don’t think I get to grieve who my son was before. You just never know and that’s the crazy thing about life. I’ve learned not to take things for granted. Take the pictures and celebrate the milestones, there are so many beautiful moments.” Tara shares as she reflects on her journey.

On February 11, 2021, Kiante made an unforgettable entrance into the world. What started as a normal day turned into a rush of excitement when just hours after her routine checkup, Tara went into labor. Kiante was born in an ambulance, a healthy 6-pound, 6-ounce baby boy. As the youngest of five children, Kiante quickly grew into his big personality. Known for his bright smile and independent nature, he’s the kind of kid who marches to the beat of his own drum.

In February 2022, just after his first birthday, everything changed.

While with his grandparents, Kiante suddenly went into cardiac arrest. His grandpa immediately began CPR. When paramedics arrived, they took over and continued CPR throughout the ambulance ride to St. Louis Children’s Hospital. For 44 minutes, Kiante had no pulse. After additional rounds of CPR at the hospital, doctors miraculously regained a pulse.

In the PICU, his future became uncertain. Doctors warned his mom about what might lie ahead. That he may never wake, never regain function. But she refused to let those words define Kiante’s future.

“He is my son. Whatever happens, we’ll just love and care for him.”

After more than a month in the PICU, Kiante began breathing on his own. His mom admits she was naive in thinking they would go straight home, but instead they began a new chapter when Kiante was transferred to Ranken Jordan. And that, as Tara says, is where healing truly began.

From the moment they arrived, Kiante’s mom noticed how the team met them with compassion and a plan. “They immediately told me everything that would be happening.” She credits staff members for helping her understand complex medical challenges, like neurostorming, while always keeping the focus on possibility.

“When you are in a sudden situation where your life changes dramatically, no one understands the team of people it takes to care for a child with medical complexities,” Tara shares.

After his first stay, Kiante returned home, but his journey was far from over. Hospitalizations became routine. Month after month, he struggled with respiratory complications and gaining weight. His mom knew he needed more.

“It wasn’t up for debate. I needed help at that point.”

Kiante returned to Ranken Jordan in May 2024, where his care team once again went above and beyond with support, care, and hope. With guidance from his medical team, including difficult decisions like returning to Children’s Hospital to place a tracheostomy, Kiante began to stabilize.

“I was scared when they were placing the trach. It felt like my last chance and his last hope,” his mom said. “Kiante came out of surgery smiling, and that’s when I knew.”

Since then, progress has been evident.

Kiante is gaining weight. He has avoided further respiratory-related hospitalizations. And most importantly, he’s experiencing moments of childhood.

“He loves Ranken Jordan. He’s gone to the aquarium twice now. That would’ve never happened. He gets to be out on the unit with other kids. He just gets to be a kid.”

For Tara, their journey is one filled with hope.

“I almost lost my son, but he is still here. There is nothing I have to be upset about. I’m a mother at the end of the day, and that’s my entire world. Miracles do happen, and my son is one.”

She’s learning to celebrate the small wins and milestones that once may have been overlooked, and she looks forward to the day she brings Kiante home.