Honoring the brave little one

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — Chris and Jordan Kruse welcomed their third child in May of last year.

The Lennox couple thought they were bringing home a healthy newborn from the hospital.

“And we were home less than 24 hours and we started seeing signs of concern. He stopped nursing, things like that. He started making uncomfortable grunting noises,” Pruitt’s Mom Jordan Kruse said.

Just days later, Pruitt was diagnosed with OTC Deficiency, a genetic disorder.

“It results in high ammonia levels because the body’s inability to process the proteins,” Pruitt’s Dad Chris Kruse said.

The news came as a surprise to the family.

“Once we were able to go home it meant we had to do constant medications around the clock. He was on 24 hour feeds, and we went to the Castle weekly if not more to get weight checks and him ammonia level checked too,” Jordan Kruse said.

But November marked the end of Pruitt’s fight against the illness.

The baby boy lived to be 6 months old.

“It’s been really hard,” Jordan Kruse said.

“He was a kid. He’s part of our family,” Jordan Kruse said.

The Kruses haven’t had to navigate this journey alone.

They’ve had a community behind them along the way.

“We live in a small town, and we received so much support through this process, multiple fundraisers, meals galore, anytime we needed something, someone was at our doorstep ready to help,” Jordan Kruse said.

Now, the Kruses are doing something to give back to other families while honoring Pruitt.

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“We were overwhelmed by the amount of support that we received, so it only seems right that we attempt to give it back in some capacity,” Jordan Kruse said.

The couple recently started a nonprofit called The Brave Little One Foundation.

The nonprofit has a few different missions, including Pruitt’s Closet.

Jordan will be modifying clothes for little kids who use feeding tubes, something she needed for Pruitt.

“We have two older sons, so we had clothes on hand, and we found that a lot of these clothes weren’t really working because we need to have access,” Jordan Kruse said.

The nonprofit is already working with a few families and collecting clothing donations so they can be modified.

“Anything from newborn to 5T. Primarily sleepers are really nice, jumpers, rompers, dresses,” Jordan Kruse said.

The nonprofit’s other initiatives include a scholarship program and raising awareness about OTC.

“This disease is cruel, and it’s hard, and not very many people know about it. I had no idea it existed until it faced me,” Jordan Kruse said.

But now the Kruses and their brave little one are helping other families.

“We’ll never forget his name, but you kind of want people to know that he didn’t pass away for nothing,” Jordan Kruse said.

“My main goal is just to keep his name alive. I know a lot of people are nervous to talk about Pruitt because it can be uncomfortable, but I want his name to be alive and talked about, and I don’t want him to be forgotten. I want people to know him and what he went through, and I want to help families who are going through this, feel like they’re not alone,” Jordan Kruse said.