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A young boy who was diagnosed with a rare autoimmune condition after recovering from a cold has been designing t-shirts to raise money for the children's hospital that saved his life.
Kasten Grol, a budding entrepreneur from Sevenoaks, has spent the lockdown creating the clothing brand 'Leap Into Life' as a way of spreading positivity and thanking staff at Evelina London Children’s Hospital.
The nine-year-old spent six weeks at the hospital three years ago after a rare autoimmune condition left him unable to walk, eat and speak.
He was recovering from a cold in March 2018 when he had a seizure at his home in Crockham Hill where he lives with his mum, Francisca, 41, dad Stirling, 45, and younger brother Johan, eight.
Mrs Grol said: “I’d never seen a seizure before but when he started going blue, we realised he was going into respiratory arrest and had to start giving him CPR. It was absolutely terrifying.”
With the help of the 999 operator, the mother-of-two was able to get Kasten stable but on the way to Tunbridge Wells Hospital in Pembury, he went into full respiratory arrest.
He was put onto a ventilator and transferred to Evelina London for specialist care.
In the first four days, Kasten had 50 further seizures and eventually lost the ability to do anything for himself.
Mrs Grol said: “Kasten was like a completely different little boy. He began to lose his speech and slowly lost the ability to do anything, until finally he couldn’t even swallow.
"He would just lie there, staring off into the distance.”
Soon after he was diagnosed with the rare condition autoimmune encephalitis.
It can follow a minor infection such as a cold and is the result of the immune system mistakenly producing antibodies which attack the brain, causing inflammation and leading to a loss of cognitive and motor functions.
Kasten underwent different treatments, including plasmapheresis, where the liquid part of the blood, or plasma, is separated from the blood cells, cleaned and then returned to the body.
Following this treatment, he slowly began to recover.
Mrs Grol said: “We started to fear the worst, but after the treatment he began to walk and talk and has been slowly recovering since.
"It has been a long and sometimes difficult journey but he is doing so much better and is now back at school and doing really well.
“There are no words to describe how grateful we are to the team at Evelina London who still care for him today. They saved his life.
“The fact they were able to diagnose his condition and treat him within a matter of days has reduced the likelihood of him relapsing later in life.”
As the country went into another lockdown earlier this year, Kasten started thinking about ways to help raise money for the hospital.
The Solefield pupil said: “I’d seen lots of adults raising money but I thought it was time for kids to do it too.
"I saw a TV show about a boy who started his own business and that’s when I had the idea of doing the same and how Leap Into Life started.”
The t-shirt brand spreads a positive message while giving 50% of the profits to Evelina London.
As well as designing the Leap Into Life website, Kasten also came up with the logo himself, which has the image of a person jumping, along with a yin and yang symbol.
Kasten said: “The logo means “luck” to me. It is me leaping back into my life after the doctors and nurses and everyone at Evelina London saved my life.
"They save so many other people and they mean so much to me.”
After selling out of his first batch of t-shirts, Kasten has already made more but for the up-and-coming fashion designer, t-shirts are just the start.
“I already have other plans for Leap Into Life,” said the entrepreneur. “I’d like to make a hat or maybe a wristband.”
Dr Ming Lim, paediatric neurology consultant at Evelina London, said: “It’s fantastic to see how well Kasten is recovering and we’re so thankful he’s decided to raise money for Evelina London.
"Leap Into Life is an extremely apt name for Kasten’s t-shirt brand. He is an energetic and determined boy who hasn’t let his illness hold him back.
“I’ve no doubt that Kasten is doing as well as he is thanks to his loving family, who have encouraged and supported him.
“We wish Kasten the best of luck and can’t wait to see what he designs next.”
