OUR PRECIOUS KATIE IS AT PEACE IN HEAVEN

MEMORIES of a fun-loving little girl in pink are the ever-present thoughts of grief-stricken Rathfriland parents, Charlene and Gareth McKnight, who are learning to cope with a “new kind of normal” following the death of their four-year-old daughter from a rare type of cancer two weeks ago.
By The Newsroom
Published 21st Jun 2011, 10:24 BST

In a poignant interview with the Leader this week, the couple open their hearts about the devastating loss of their beloved Katie and take time to pay heartfelt tribute to the people who cared for her, the people who prayed for her and, most of all, the people who loved her.

They learned at Christmas that their adored eldest child had relapsed after being treated for Neuroblastoma - a rare type of childhood cancer with which around 100 children are diagnosed across the UK each year.

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“We knew the odds from the start and knew that no other child in Northern Ireland had beaten Neuroblastoma after relapse,” said Charlene, “but we still had hope. You don’t want to face the worst news until the doctor actually tells you the awful reality.

“When the doctors told us on Easter Tuesday that all treatment was stopping and Katie did not have long to live, we were devastated.”

But, despite the aching knowledge of what was to come, Charlene and Gareth made sure Katie, who had over 2,000 people following her progress on Facebook, enjoyed whatever time she had left.

She was thrilled to be a flowergirl at her uncle’s wedding and had “the best party ever” when the charity, Make a Wish Foundation, organised a Princess Party in her honour.

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Her last words were, ‘I want my mummy’, and as her devoted mother held her hand and rubbed her legs, the little girl whose coat still hangs in the cloak-room and whose drawings still adorn the fridge, passed peacefully away,

For a full interview with the McKnight family see this week’s Banbridge Leader and Dromore Leader.

Related topics:MemoriesRathfriland