Kyle Muldoon, the father of the Clifton Heights toddler who received a life-saving genetic therapy at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, is helping the hospital build a new patient tower, writes Kayla Yup for The Philadelphia Inquirer.
KJ Muldoon, 17 months, was successfully treated for a genetic condition using a first-ever gene-editing therapy developed at CHOP and the University of Pennsylvania. It earned him international recognition as one of 10 people who changed science in 2025.
His father, Kyle, was a construction worker and had accepted a layoff at a previous job to care for his sick son.
He joined a CHOP project in December 2024 while his son was still hospitalized there, and is helping build a 26-story patient tower called Roberts Children’s Health. It is set to launch in 2028.
Muldoon explained to the person hiring for the $2.6 billion construction project that he would “essentially be living next door.”
Working on the project allowed him to stay close to KJ during his 307-day stay at CHOP.
The work has felt particularly meaningful to him.
“Every day when I get up, I know what I’m doing this for,” Muldoon said.
Read more about KJ’s disease and treatment, and find out more about the new patient tower in The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Editor’s Note: This post first appeared on DELCO Today in February 2026.
