Thinking of Kai Wolf Point Student Dealing With Rare Condition

Not many people can usually keep up with the energy that Kailayla Villaluz displays, but the incoming Wolf Point High School junior is now facing a rare medical challenge.

The personable Villaluz is involved in a wide range of school activities including wrestling, tennis, flag football, volleyball and school plays. This past spring, she was a regional winner in the Keep Montana Green Art Contest.

“She’s a dedicated, hard-working student,” Wolf Point High School Principal Kim Hanks said of the honor roll student. “She’s always striving to do her best. She has the biggest smile on her face every day.”

The student’s medical concerns started during her wrestling season in November when she began experiencing symptoms such as shortness of breath, tightness of her chest and numbing of her legs.

After taking Kai to the clinic, parents Dhareen and Nicole Villaluz said they were referred to a pediatric cardiologist in Billings on June 23.

An echocardiogram showed that she had a murmur and blockage in the left side of a lung. Because her heart wasn’t pumping enough blood, her lung pressure was really high and prevented enough blood from getting out of her heart. She was life-flighted from Billings to the Primary Children’s Hospital in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Kai underwent three procedures: right heart catheterization, acute vasoreactivity testing and a balloon atrial septostomy.

Her parents explain that Kai was diagnosed with severe pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), Group 1, which is a very rare condition. The life-threatening condition affects the arteries in the lungs and the right side of the heart. PAH has an estimated incidence of only two to four cases per million children.

The parents note the condition leads to increased pressure in the pulmonary arteries. That makes it challenging for the heart to pump blood into the lungs, a burden that can eventually lead to heart failure if left untreated.

Kai had a remodulin pump installed, which is a subcutaneous device that continuously delivers a life-sustaining medication to help open her pulmonary arteries and reduce strain on her heart.

She is now on a combination of five medications, each playing a vital role in helping her breathe more easily and improve her overall quality of life. She has received care in the cardiac care unit.

Her medications are lifelong and extremely costly. A GoFundMe account to benefit her has been set up at https://gofund.me/adc719ba.