Brian and Jenna White arrived in Salt Lake City last month prepared for a fight — not in the stands, but for their daughter’s survival. Their newborn, Kaida, was born March 31 with a rare ARID1B genetic mutation and severe brain ventricle enlargement, leaving doctors pessimistic about her quality of life. The couple from Boise, Idaho, had canceled their baby shower and stopped building the nursery, unsure if they would bring Kaida home.
“It felt like our little bubble,” Jenna said. “Like this was our world and we were just drowning in it, and we didn’t know what to do.”
Kaida was delivered by C-section and not breathing, immediately placed in the NICU where she battled tremors and complications involving her heart, kidneys, lungs and feeding. But after weeks, the tremors stopped, she was weaned off oxygen, and doctors began calling her a “superhero.”
As Kaida stabilized, the Ronald McDonald House gave the Whites a night off, sending them to Game 3 of the Golden Knights-Utah Mammoth playoff series on April 24. A story by FOX 13 in Salt Lake City about the gesture went viral, drawing support from Mammoth fans who had been rivals on the ice.
Anthony and Melanie Castillo, Mammoth fans with special-needs children, purchased tickets for the Whites to attend Game 4. “Our hope was to help put down that burden, just for a second, so they can be ready to pick it back up stronger, knowing they have a support system here in Utah,” Melanie said. The Castillos gifted the family a Mammoth jersey as a keepsake.
The Whites have received over $12,000 in GoFundMe donations, DoorDash credits, and baby registry purchases. Jenna said, “It feels like we’re not going through it alone anymore. Everybody is cheering for her, rooting her on and proud of her progress.”
The family also paid forward the kindness. After Game 4, they drove 45 minutes to take Ben Bolin, a Henderson native and Utah Valley University hockey player, back to campus after he missed the last train. “I kind of teared up a little bit,” Bolin said. “He’s not from Vegas, but he represents exactly what the Golden Knights mean to Las Vegas.”
The Castillos have invited the Whites to sit with them for Game 6 on Friday. Kaida has one more surgery before the family can return home. Brian, who has made Kaida custom Knights sweaters, said she is “forged in gold,” but the Mammoth jersey will have a place in her nursery.
