Samantha Knapp, 36, and her husband, Christopher Knapp, are navigating her cancer treatment while their newborn son, Nico, remains in a neonatal intensive care unit, according to family friend Filomena Vasapolli.
The family's ordeal began in mid-August, when Samantha underwent emergency brain surgery to remove a mass that doctors initially hoped was benign. However, she received a devastating diagnosis: grade 4 glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer.
Because Samantha urgently needed cancer treatment, doctors delivered Nico prematurely at just 27 weeks of pregnancy, according to Vasapolli. The newborn is still in the NICU, where he is working to grow stronger while his mother continues her own recovery.
Since undergoing surgery, Samantha has completed 30 rounds of radiation and continues taking chemotherapy pills. She is also working to regain her mobility and faces ongoing MRI scans as doctors monitor her condition.
Meanwhile, Christopher has stepped away from work to provide Samantha with around-the-clock care while supporting their newborn son.
To help the Knapp family with their medical costs, Vasapolli started a GoFundMe page to collect donations.
"With Samantha’s ongoing treatments and recovery, along with Nico’s continued stay in the NICU, the emotional and financial burdens on their family are immense," Vasapolli wrote on the page, adding, "No family should have to face so much at once, especially during what should be such a joyful chapter of their lives."
The couple has since received an immense wave of support, with the page collecting over $101,000 within a few days.
The family's situation has touched many in the Putnam County community, including those at Ridge Ranch on Quaker Road in Patterson, where Christopher has long been a familiar and dependable presence.
In a heartfelt Facebook post on Friday, Oct. 23, the ranch described Christopher as one of the people who helped build the property into what it is today.
"Every weekend he was here. Chopping trees, chipping trees, wrangling cows (even when the cows tried to wrangle him). Time didn’t matter, weather didn’t matter. He was here," the ranch wrote.
Christopher was such a close friend of the ranch's owners that they chose him to officiate their wedding, according to the post. Now, the ranch is asking the community to return that generosity.
"Chris has shown up for us. Now it’s our turn to show up for him, Samantha, and Nico," the ranch owners wrote on Facebook.
Putnam County Executive candidate Brett Yarris also shared the family's story on Sunday, Oct. 25, describing Christopher as someone who consistently stands up for others.
"Chris has spent so much of his life being there for others. I hope we can come together and show him and his family that same kindness when they need it most," Yarris wrote on social media.
Those interested in donating to the fundraiser page can do so by clicking here.
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