Kansas City family pleads for more Covid treatment options
Seventy-year-old Kent Sar's family is next to him in the hospital from sunrise to sunset every day. They promise not to give up on him because he would do the same for them.
By Abby Dodge
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LEE’S SUMMIT, Missouri (KCTV) — A recent study by the CDC shows unvaccinated people are almost 12 times more likely to be hospitalized than vaccinated Americans. Some breakthrough cases have become deadly.
Seventy-year-old Kent Sar’s family is next to him in the hospital from sunrise to sunset every day. They promise not to give up on him because he would do the same for them.
“For me, he’s my hero, role model, everything I wanted to be when I was younger,” said Sar’s son Socheat Kan. “A great father and always loving, always there. He’s everything to us.”
Kan’s sister, Kenette Pen, said putting her dad’s impact into words is difficult.
“He’s my rock,” she said.
Pen and her brother said their father, who is vaccinated, has had quite the journey to get himself and his family to where they are today.
As a young man, Kent helped his family escape genocide in Cambodia. He went on to fight with American forces in Vietnam.
“And, they were pretty much next to get deported from the Thailand refugee camp where they probably would have gotten murdered,” Pen said.
The last few weeks have been filled with swapping stories of their large family’s patriarch. Pen said she wished she could continue to hear these stories straight from her father.
His children are asking for help with his current battle. They believe finding a team to put their dad on ECMO can help. It’s a machine that pumps blood outside of your body, allowing the heart and lungs to get a break.
“We just want to make sure he gets the best treatment, the best chance at living,” said Kan.
Kennette took a moment to gather her thoughts and then added, “I could never give up on my dad. He would never give up on me.”
Watching their father’s disease progress has pushed his family to find new solutions, and brought them closer together.
“It’s been horrific. Some days, you run out of tears. Some days, you don’t. I think what my dad has taught us all is you just have to keep going when the going gets tough and this is why we’re here,” Pen said. “It’s such a sad thing that, if we were to lose him, we would lose such a huge light.”
KCTV5 reached out the hospital. They did not want to comment on this case.
Kent’s children say they’ve discussed transferring him to a different hospital and switching care teams. This is their last effort to save their father.
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