Sunman girl overcoming the odds, receives Make-A-Wish gift

(SUNMAN, Ind.) – A Sunman girl has a big smile and a heart full of gold, despite facing some major medical challenges in her short life. 

Catherine and her twin sister, Mary, were born 17 weeks premature to parents Brian and Jill Knueven in December 2020. 

Mary was just 4-days-old when she passed away but her spirit lives on with the family. 

Catherine was born weighing just 1 pound and 7 ounces. She was immediately put on a ventilator, went through numerous surgeries, placed on an ECMO machine, and was receiving more than 20 medications at one point. 

“Doctors were telling us that she could suffer from brain damage, cerebral palsy, or maybe never walk if she survived those early days,” Brian recalled. 

Catherine would spend the first 10 months of her life in the NICU before she was able to go home for the first time on October 13, 2021. 

Catherine wasn't out of the woods even once she arrived at her family's Sunman home. 

She was still on a ventilator and there was so much medical equipment that the family had to convert their living room into a nursery. 

They even had a back-up generator for the house just incase they would lose electricity.

"If you disconnected her at all from the vent she would turn blue and purple right away," Jill recalled.

Every two hours, the parents would administer medicine and conduct other treatments. 

“The list of medicines she required was two pages long. It was around-the-clock where we were getting up every two hours in the middle of the night to do different treatments. That lasted for about two years,” Jill said.

Altogether, after 280 days in the NICU and multiple grim prognoses, Catherine is now a thriving 5-year-old miracle who is attending preschool! 

“She runs, plays, feeds herself, knows the alphabet, and does other things that typical 5-year-olds are doing,” her dad explained.

He also mentioned how appreciative the family is of the nurses who stopped by the house in the past, and still assist today.

“Doctors and nurses are really special people, they are great servants to their patients and what a wonderful gift they are to all of us,” Brian said. 

Special Delivery

About a year ago, Catherine was at a medical appointment when her pulmonologist came up with an idea to nominate her for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. 

It wasn’t long before Make-A-Wish reached out and the family began the process of identifying the perfect gift.

They decided on a playset and were eventually put in contact with Pete DeLois’ Recreations Outlet in Cincinnati. 

“Pete called and invited us to the showroom to pick out the things that Catherine likes. She likes slides, loves to swing and enjoys climbing so they made sure that was all going to be included,” Jill said. 

Brian added, “Pete was really good at customizing the playset to exactly what Catherine likes.”

A special delivery was made last week when the custom playset was delivered to the Kneuven home. 

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It includes a boat swing, rock wall, web swing, climbing rope and multiple slides. It was designed to not only be fun, but to also be therapeutic.

The playset has been getting plenty of use by Catherine as well as her two younger siblings.

The parents said they are honored that the pulmonologist nominated Catherine and are incredibly appreciative of everyone who made the Make-A-Wish playset a reality. 

“We are extremely grateful to have this in our backyard. Catherine has obviously come a long way from where she was and this playset is just going to help her grow and develop even more,” Jill said. 

Brian added, “She’s already loving it and trying new things that will help with building muscle and balance that she is currently lacking.” 

Faith Through The Journey

Brian and Jill have not only dealt with an extremely sick child, they have also experienced the loss of a child.

Catherine’s twin sister, Mary, was born at just 1 pound 2 ounces and became increasingly ill despite the best efforts of doctors and nurses. 

She passed away at 4-days-old on December 29, 2020. 

The family takes comfort in watching Catherine’s milestones and knowing Mary’s spirit is watching over her. 

When Brian and Jill hear about another family in our area dealing with a serious issue involving a child, they know exactly what that feels like. 

“I remember with Catherine the nurses would say that one day she’ll be big and this trach won’t be there forever. And I would just sit there and think how that day felt like it would never end," Brian recalled. 

While it didn't happen overnight, the trach was finally removed and Catherine continued to make progress. 

Brian encourages families going through difficulties to take it one day at a time. 

“You have to trust in the Lord and stay hopeful in his Will. Because good things do lie ahead for you,” he said. 

He added, “There are good things coming. It won’t be like that forever and you have to remember that your current situation is really just a moment in time. Bright days are ahead.”