Charlie Knuth, boy with rare skin condition, dies at age of 17

(WLUK) -- Charlie Knuth, a Fox Valley teenager who has been through many health battles, has died at the age of 17.

Knuth's mother, Trisha, posted to her Facebook page Friday night, saying in part:

Tonight at 5:19 pm... Charlie's ferocious heart beat for the very last time. For the very first time, we left the hospital without him. He peacefully and painlessly died in our arms. We are shattered and suffering. [...] Even though his life was filled with pain, he wanted to live, be a dad, have a girlfriend. We will NEVER feel relieved that Charlie died. We would make him our son over and over and over again.

Family friends say Knuth was hospitalized with pneumonia and septic shock earlier this week. It progressed to the point at which he was flown to Children's Wisconsin in Wauwatosa, where he was put on a breathing tub in the intensive care unit.

Knuth was born with a rare condition called epidermolysis bullosa, which caused his skin to blister both on the inside and outside of his body.

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FOX 11 has chronicled the family's challenges and efforts to find a cure over the years.