‘Everybody is cheering for her’: Golden Knights, Mammoth fans united in baby’s fight

Golden Knights fans Brian and Jenna White went to Salt Lake City expecting a battle.

Not on the ice or in the stands, but for their daughter’s life.

Referred to a children’s hospital in Salt Lake City, the White family left their home in Boise, Idaho, for the birth of their daughter Kaida, who was facing severe medical complications from a rare ARID1B genetic mutation, which often leads to Coffin-Siris Syndrome diagnosis.

Kaida’s brain ventricles were significantly enlarged, creating pressure that doctors believe could cause severe cognitive challenges. There were concerns that Kaida would not have quality of life due to the brain damage she could incur during birth.

Medical experts were not optimistic, as Brian and Jenna didn’t get ahead of themselves. They stopped telling friends about the baby registry. They canceled the baby shower and did not build 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.”

A month that Jenna likened to “darkness and daylight,” the White family has witnessed an extraordinary turnaround from Kaida, who has captivated the support of a hockey community embroiled in the heat of the playoffs.

Mammoth support

On March 31, Kaida was delivered by C-section, but not breathing. She was immediately placed in the neonatal intensive care unit, where she battled tremors and numerous health risks.

For several weeks, Brian and Jenna were back and forth from the NICU and the local Ronald McDonald House, where they’ve stayed for the past month.

Kaida had heart, kidney and lung complications along with feeding difficulties. But, she persisted. After a couple weeks, the tremors stopped. She was weaned off oxygen and could breathe on her own.

Doctors have been baffled trying to find an explanation, calling Kaida a “superhero,” the couple said.

And as her condition stabilized, the Ronald McDonald House found it was time to give Kaida’s parents a night off, releasing funds to send the couple and their daughter, Charlie, 14, to Game 3 of the Knights-Mammoth series on April 24 — the family’s first Knights game.

FOX 13 in Salt Lake City published a story about the gesture that became the talk of the town. Brian said he had roughly a dozen followers on X before the story, a number that has since climbed to over 200, predominantly Mammoth fans.

Anthony and Melanie Castillo are among Mammoth fans who have extended themselves to help the Whites, reaching out to purchase tickets to send them to Game 4. The Castillos, who have children with special needs and faced many hard questions as parents, hoped they could help the Whites forget about the worries that were present throughout the early weeks in the NICU.

“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 two families met before the game. Anthony gifted a Mammoth jersey to the family as a keepsake of the warm welcome at the Delta Center. The Whites were recognized throughout the concourse as Mammoth fans showed their support for Kaida in her fight. Heartfelt messages, purchases through the baby registry and DoorDash credits have come through in support of the family. They have also received over $12,000 in donations on GoFundMe to help with their lengthy medical stay.

“It feels like we’re not going through it alone anymore,” Jenna said. “Everybody is cheering for her, rooting her on and proud of her progress. It’s exciting and it feels like people are in it with us.”

Fitting of a Knight

For all the goodwill the Whites have received over the past few weeks, Anthony said that it’s good karma returned.

After the Knights’ Game 4 overtime victory at the Delta Center on April 27, the White family ran into another Knights fan they met at Game 3 after Brian defused an altercation with an aggressive Mammoth fan after the Knights’ loss.

A Henderson native, Ben Bolin attends and plays hockey at Utah Valley University. He didn’t have a ride home after the last train back to campus in Orem, Utah, had already left the station before the game in its extra session finished. The White family drove 45 minutes each way after the game to take Bolin home before checking on Kaida.

“I kind of teared up a little bit,” Bolin said. “(Brian) stood up for me and went out of his way to do something incredible for me.

“He’s not from Vegas, but he represents exactly what the Golden Knights mean to Las Vegas,” Bolin added.

The good karma is already coming back around.

The Castillos invited the Whites to sit with them for Game 6 on Friday, as the Whites’ days in Salt Lake City are winding down.

Kaida has one more surgery on Monday before Brian and Jenna can take her home after a month in a place they never expected would be a second home.

Brian has maintained that Kaida is “forged in gold,” making her several custom Knights sweaters. But, there will be a place for the Mammoth jersey in her nursery.

If you would like to contribute to the White family’s GoFundMe, click here.