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A San Francisco startup is rallying behind its worker after a brutal attack on his special-needs son

The 10-year-old remains in critical condition.

A child sits on a chair next to a hospital bed. He has caucasian skin and sandy-brown hair. He is smiling, but he is wrapped in hospital dressings: a large white collar on his throat, an Ace bandage over gauze on his right upper arm, a dark brown glove on
A child sits on a chair next to a hospital bed. He has caucasian skin and sandy-brown hair. He is smiling, but he is wrapped in hospital dressings: a large white collar on his throat, an Ace bandage over gauze on his right upper arm, a dark brown glove on
Kayden Culp is out of a medically-induced coma but has years of recovery ahead of him.
Courteys of the Culp family

Eero, a Wi-Fi startup, is looking for the community’s help after the special-needs child of one of its support workers was set on fire earlier this month.

Kayden Culp, the 10-year-old son of Eero customer-support worker Scott Culp, remains in critical condition after the Oct. 2 incident, which took place in Culp’s hometown in Texas. Three children, ages 9, 10 and 11, are believed to be behind the attack, according to a Fox News report.

“Sometimes you are really optimistic about people, and then you read stories like this and it is just kind of unbelievable,” CEO Nick Weaver told Recode.

Kayden’s condition has improved in recent days, with the youngster coming out of a medically induced coma.

“Things were touch and go for the last couple weeks,” Weaver said. “Things have turned the corner in a good direction.”

However, Kayden is not out of the woods, Weaver said, and faces a prolonged recovery.

Scott Culp said that Kayden was moved Monday to a recovery center last night in Galveston.

“He can eat and drink on his own and is constantly smiling,” Culp said in an email. “Thanks to everyone for all the prayers and love. He needed them and don’t know how he would have been without it. We are thankful for everything from everyone.”

Weaver posted about the incident on Twitter on Tuesday, linking to a GoFundMe page set up by one of Culp’s co-workers at Eero’s customer support office in Texas. (A separate YouCaring site for Kayden has also raised more than $261,000.)

Many Eero employees only learned of the attack Tuesday and quickly donated and raised thousands of dollars to support Culp’s family.

“You see this outpouring of support, and you are optimistic all over again,” Weaver said.

This article originally appeared on Recode.net.

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