Knighten Says "Aloha" To Paradise

Despite Knighten's rough start to life, he still dreamt of sun, sand and palm trees.

“He is funny and brave and determined,” his mom Kristen says. “As one of his oncologists told me when he was eight years old, Knighten is tenacious.”

Knighten has always been an outgoing, loving little boy. From the beginning of his life, he has been incredibly brave. When his parents noticed the black and blue marks on Knighten’s leg in the early days of his life, they were hopeful that they were just bruised due to his mom’s difficult labor. After many tests and a lot waiting, their biggest nightmare was confirmed.

“Things began to unfold,” Kristen continues. “His blood levels were off, and his leg was appearing more discolored as the days went by. We scheduled an MRI when he was only three and a half months old. We sat and waited for hours. My husband and I were finally called into that room where you can tell right away that you aren't getting good news. Dr. Woo came close to sit down and drop the bomb that would change our lives - it’s a tumor, it’s a mass, it appears to be infiltrative, it appears aggressive.”

Knighten was diagnosed with a rare vascular tumor called kaposiform hemangioendothelioma, a tumor that could not be cured and was not operable. Knighten would have to live with this cancer for the rest of his life.

While in treatment at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Knighten’s nurse referred him for a life-changing wish. “In the midst of his chemotherapy, there was a shining bright light of a nurse whom I will never forget,” Kirsten says. “She filled out the paperwork and she shared in our excitement and tears through a year of chemotherapy and then celebrated with us when we were informed that Knighten’s wish would be granted.”

Knighten’s fondest wish was to take his family on a stress-free vacation to Oahu, Hawaii. “In the midst of the darkest days of our lives, his wish to go to Hawaii became a shining bright light,” Kirsten continues. “He smiled every single minute of that trip and got to experience once in a lifetime things - waterslides, shave ice, swimming with dolphins, snorkeling with gorgeous wildlife off the side of a catamaran. And so much joy and peace.”