LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) – Martha and Yesenia Castillo were enjoying life as a family of four with their two daughters. Their home was full of what they lovingly call “beautiful chaos,” and they were expecting their third child.
But halfway through the pregnancy, everything changed.
During a routine 20-week anatomy scan, doctors discovered their unborn daughter’s brain wasn’t developing properly. The diagnosis carried a high risk that the baby might not survive.
“I told her whatever you decide that’s what we’re going to do and we both agreed to give her a fighting chance and have her born life side,” Yesenia said. “If we got one second with her, we’ll be happy with that.”
Doctors prepared the Castillos for a difficult journey ahead. At 36 weeks, their daughter Katniss arrived small and fragile but already showing signs of her fighting spirit.
On her first day of life, surgeons placed a shunt to relieve pressure in her brain. The weeks that followed brought blood transfusions and specialized care to help her breathe and eat.
Martha says faith carried them through the uncertainty.
“I would be angry of course, why, I knew God gave her to us for a reason and we were meant to be her parents,” Martha said. “God doesn’t make mistakes with children.”
Two years later, Katniss is thriving. She attends daycare, continues therapy, and shows off her personality every day. The Castillos credit their community for helping make this possible.
“If it wasn’t like a community here in Lubbock there would be no way,” Martha said. “What would we do eventually she may need a G tube, which is fine but right now she doesn’t because she’s thriving. Thanks to local moms they donate breast milk, it’s such a hard job pumping and doing all that. We’re so thankful.”
Dr. Melissa Piepkorn, a neonatologist at Pediatrix Neonatology of Texas and University Medical Center, has watched Katniss’s progress with amazement.
“To see a child like Katniss like I said that’s over 2 years old now and she’s happy and thriving and her family adores her, and she beat all odds,” Dr. Piepkorn said. “I think her story just refreshes you that our work is important.”
The Castillo family doesn’t focus on an uncertain future. They celebrate each day, marking milestones, half birthdays, and every moment they weren’t promised.
Katniss’s big sister has perhaps the best perspective on her little sister’s journey.
“Every time someone asks me ‘what’s wrong with Katniss’ I’m like nothing she’s perfect the way she is,” she said.
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