Emily, Finley and Hunter Knight had a group of volunteers from the Cornerstone Building Brands plant in Ritchie County (which includes Simonton Windows and Doors) come to their Lake Washington Road home Friday to put together an outdoor playset for 3-year-old Finley provided by the Roc Solid Foundation for kids undergoing cancer treatment. Finley is preparing to finish her chemo treatments at the end of October. She had a Wilms Tumor removed. (Photo by Brett Dunlap)

WASHINGTON, W.Va. — A young girl will be enjoying some time outside as she nears the end of her cancer treatment as a group of volunteers erected an outdoor playset Friday at her family’s Lake Washington Road home.

A group of around 15 volunteers from the Cornerstone Building Brands plant in Ritchie County (which includes Simonton Windows and Doors) came out to the home of Hunter, Emily and Finley Knight on Friday and spent a few hours putting together and setting up a Backyard Discovery Grayson Peak Cloud Peak swing set for 3-year old Finley who has been undergoing cancer treatments in Morgantown since June.

The project was done in partnership with the nonprofit Roc Solid Foundation which supplies play sets to kids undergoing cancer treatments, said Danny Miller, production manager for Cornerstone Building Brands’ Ritchie County plant.

“Roc Solid reached out to Cornerstone to see if we would be interested in a partnership,” he said. “We said yes, we absolutely wanted to be part of this build.”

The volunteers put together the playset which included a slide, a swing, a rope ladder and other features all on a piece of ground a family friend was able to clear off on a hillside by the Knights’ home and Finley’s father and another friend was able to level off.

A group of around 15 volunteers from the Cornerstone Building Brands plant in Ritchie County (which includes Simonton Windows and Doors) came out to the home of Hunter, Emily and Finley Knight on Friday and spent a few hours putting together and setting up a Backyard Discovery Grayson Peak Cloud Peak swing set for 3-year old Finley who has been undergoing cancer treatments in Morgantown since June. (Photo by Brett Dunlap)

Back on Father’s Day (June 15) Finley was diagnosed with a Wilms Tumor after feeling a lump in her belly. Her parents took her to the WVU Medicine Camden Clark Pediatric Rapid Care at Southgate. They did an x-ray and saw the mass that was attached to her kidney.

Her parents were told to immediately go to WVU Medicine Children’s Hospital in Morgantown. They initially spent over a week in Morgantown as Finley had surgery for six-and-a-half-hours that removed the tumor, two lymph nodes, part of her diaphragm and a kidney the tumor was attached to, her father said.

“It is the best place for kids,” Hunter said of WVU Medicine Children’s Hospital.

“The surgery went great as the hospital was updating us every hour,” Emily added.

Shortly after having the surgery, Finley began chemo and has been going every week until recently when she started going every other week.

A group of volunteers from the Cornerstone Building Brands plant in Ritchie County (which includes Simonton Windows and Doors) came out Friday to the Lake Washington Road home of Hunter, Emily and Finley Knight to set up an outdoor playset provided by the Roc Solid Foundation to Finley who is undergoing cancer treatment in Morgantown. (Photo by Brett Dunlap)

“Her scans have been clear since then,” Hunter said. “All of her blood work has been amazing. She has had no complications. She is a superhero.”

They were returning home from a treatment when they were contacted by the hospital and told the Roc Solid Foundation wanted to provide Finley with a playset.

“It has been absolutely amazing,” Hunter said. “This means everything for Finley.

“She is going to be out here playing constantly. It is awesome.”

He was thankful to all the volunteers who came out, to Cornerstone and Simonton Windows and Doors for doing this for his family.

Volunteer Jeff Wilson signed his name on an outdoor playset that a group of volunteers from the Cornerstone Building Brands plant in Ritchie County (which includes Simonton Windows and Doors) put together Friday for a young girl who lives on Lake Washington Road who is undergoing cancer treatments. All the volunteers signed the playset that was provided by the Roc Solid Foundation to benefit young cancer patients. (Photo by Brett Dunlap)

Finley only has a couple more treatments to go and then she will have “no more pokies,” her father said to Finley as he held her and she repeated it back to him.

Initially, the family felt like their whole world ended and they felt physically broken due to what Finley was facing. However, the support of the hospital, family, friends and others have helped them get through this.

The family has been focused on Finley as well as Emily who is expecting the couple’s second child in December.

“We are doing a lot better now,” Emily said, adding however it is still hard to get to sleep the night before Finley’s chemo treatments. Hunter and Emily have leaned on each other to get through this.

However, with the end of her chemo treatments in sight, the Knights are excited for her sake and to be able to return to a sense of normalcy. Finley is looking forward to ringing a bell at the hospital in Morgantown that signals the end of her treatments.

Finley Knight, 3, looks over a number of gifts she received from volunteers Friday from the Cornerstone Building Brands plant in Ritchie County (which includes Simonton Windows and Doors) who came to her Lake Washington Road home to put together the outdoor playset provided by the Roc Solid Foundation for kids undergoing cancer treatment. (Photo by Brett Dunlap)

Hunter is thankful for all the support they have received and is thankful for the playset and those who came out Friday to put it together.

“Thank you to everyone,” he said. “With all the bad stuff going on in the world, there are still some amazing people out there. The community has helped a ton.”

The volunteers were also happy to be able to provide this support to the family.

“Our people are all volunteering their time to come out here,” Miller said. “It feels good to be able to give back and be able to help.

“That is what it is all about. It is about Finley, it isn’t about us.”

Finley Knight, 3, tries out the slide on a new outdoor playset that was provided by the Roc Solid Foundation and put together by volunteers from the Cornerstone Building Brands plant in Ritchie County (which includes Simonton Windows and Doors). Knight has been undergoing cancer treatment since June when she had a Wilms Tumor removed and has been doing chemo therapy since. (Photo by Brett Dunlap)

It means something for everyone out there to be able to give back to the communities they live and work in, he said.

“It is an honor for me and all of the team that is here today doing this,” Miller said.

Finley was constantly wandering the site and asking her father if she could get on the playset yet.

“Today is the first day I met Finley,” Miller said. “When we arrived, she came out and everyone greeted her. She is full of energy and she is excited.”

The playset represents a sense of normalcy and fun for the child at a time when they may not be able to play on other playground equipment because of their condition during treatment, Miller said.

“She can’t wait to get on the playset,” he said.

Once the volunteers were done, they all signed the playset. They also got Finley some toys and other gifts, including diapers, wipes and more that they set on the playset. Her parents brought her out blindfolded and revealed the playset to her.

She took it all in, looked at everything and began moving the gifts around so she could go down the slide.

“Our only care in life is that she is happy,” Hunter said. “This will make her very happy.”

Brett Dunlap can be reached at bdunlap@newsandsentinel.com.

Volunteer Christopher Kemper signed his name on an outdoor playset that a group of volunteers from the Cornerstone Building Brands plant in Ritchie County (which includes Simonton Windows and Doors) put together Friday for a young girl who lives on Lake Washington Road who is undergoing cancer treatments. All the volunteers signed the playset that was provided by the Roc Solid Foundation to benefit young cancer patients. (Photo by Brett Dunlap)