SAN DIEGO - A local father whose daughter was treated at Rady Children's Hospital for a rare strand of the flu says he is giving back to those who helped save her life.

Jason Parmiter says his daughter Kaitlyn is all about being happy and enjoying life as a typical teenager. That changed last February when she got a rare B strand of the flu.

At the time, the Parmiter family shared their story exclusively with 10News, inviting 10News cameras into Kaitlyn's ICU room at Rady Children's Hospital.

Parmiter said doctors gave Kaitlyn a 20 percent chance to live. She was in a coma dealing with the flu and diabetes.
He added that she "was near death… really, really close to death."

However, thanks to an intravenous drug that has not been approved by the FDA but is being tested at Rady's, Kaitlyn fought through it and things turned around.

Now, her father wants to give back to the medical staff that helped save her life. He is hosting a comedy night where all of the proceeds will go to Rady Children's Hospital.

"Even if we raise enough money to help one family save one other child's life, I felt like I did my part," he said.

As for Kaitlyn, life is slowly starting to get back to normal, though she is still learning how to deal with her diabetes.

Her father said, "If I could take it away from her, you know, I would be more than willing to take 100 shots a day so she didn't have to take one."

He added that each day he counts his blessings, knowing that his daughter is still alive.

The comedy night to benefit Rady Children’s Hospital will be held on Thursday, May 23 at the Mad House Comedy Club at Horton Plaza starting at 9:30 p.m. Tickets are $10.