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 \u201cbeautiful chaos,\u201d and they were expecting their third child.<\/p>\n
But halfway through the pregnancy, everything changed.<\/p>\n
During a routine 20-week anatomy scan, doctors discovered their unborn daughter\u2019s brain wasn\u2019t developing properly. The diagnosis carried a high risk that the baby might not survive.<\/p>\n
\u201cI told her whatever you decide that\u2019s what we\u2019re going to do and we both agreed to give her a fighting chance and have her born life side,\u201d Yesenia said. \u201cIf we got one second with her, we\u2019ll be happy with that.\u201d<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Martha says faith carried them through the uncertainty.<\/p>\n
\u201cI would be angry of course, why, I knew God gave her to us for a reason and we were meant to be her parents,\u201d Martha said. \u201cGod doesn\u2019t make mistakes with children.\u201d<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf it wasn\u2019t like a community here in Lubbock there would be no way,\u201d Martha said. \u201cWhat would we do eventually she may need a G tube, which is fine but right now she doesn\u2019t because she\u2019s thriving. Thanks to local moms they donate breast milk, it\u2019s such a hard job pumping and doing all that. We\u2019re so thankful.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dr. Melissa Piepkorn, a neonatologist at Pediatrix Neonatology of Texas and University Medical Center, has watched Katniss\u2019s progress with amazement.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo see a child like Katniss like I said that\u2019s over 2 years old now and she\u2019s happy and thriving and her family adores her, and she beat all odds,\u201d Dr. Piepkorn said. \u201cI think her story just refreshes you that our work is important.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Castillo family doesn\u2019t focus on an uncertain future. They celebrate each day, marking milestones, half birthdays, and every moment they weren\u2019t promised.<\/p>\n
Katniss\u2019s big sister has perhaps the best perspective on her little sister\u2019s journey.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery time someone asks me \u2018what\u2019s wrong with Katniss\u2019 I\u2019m like nothing she\u2019s perfect the way she is,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
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