Dr. Pestna-Knight

There are people in life who step in at just the right time and forever change your world. For us, that person is Dr. PestnaKnight. She isn’t just Aryia’s Epileptologist—she’s her protector, her fighter, and her family. She’s “Grandma P,” and every bit of that title has been earned with love, compassion, and a bond that’s impossible to put into words. From the very beginning, Dr. Knight has been Aryia’s saving grace. She has fought beside us, tirelessly, to bring Aryia’s epilepsy under control when nothing else seemed to work. She has stood in the fire with us—never backing down, never letting go. Where others saw complexity, she saw hope. Where others felt uncertainty, she brought action. Her fight has always been our fight, and her heart has always been with Aryia. One of the hardest decisions we’ve ever faced was choosing to move forward with Aryia’s corpus callosotomy. It was a moment that shook me to my core. I remember sitting with Dr. Knight that Tuesday afternoon—her eyes full of empathy, her voice steady but soft. She cried with me. She didn’t try to hide her emotion or distance herself from our pain. She let herself feel it, because she lives this journey with us. That vulnerability, that shared heartbreak, reminded me that we weren’t alone—we had someone who loved Aryia just as fiercely. And she never stops showing up. Whether we’re home or in the hospital, Dr. Knight checks in—not just because it’s her job, but because it’s her heart. When Aryia coded at another hospital, she found out and was devastated. I’ll never forget the look on her face when we talked about it, or the way we still revisit that moment together. It left a mark on her, just like it did on us. That’s the kind of doctor she is—one who carries the weight of her patients’ stories and loves them through it all. Everyone knows who Grandma P is. The staff knows. The families know. Aryia knows—oh, how she lights up when she hears her name. That nickname isn’t just a cute title. It’s a reflection of the love, trust, and comfort that Dr. Knight has given us over and over again. She is more than medical expertise. She is presence. She is peace. She is home in a world that often feels uncertain. Dr. Knight, you have given us more than care. You’ve given us courage. You’ve given Aryiathe chance to thrive. And you’ve given our family someone to lean on when we needed it most. There will never be enough wordsto thank you for what you’ve done and continue to do.You are a light in our lives. You are a warrior in Aryia’s corner. And you are, without question, family.