Good evening. It was a beautiful day today. We had a little bit of a rain shower today~~~David loved it!! Beautiful day for the last day of June! Can you believe the year is half over? Wow.
David was actually walking part of today without his crutches!! Amazing child!! He limps a little bit; but he said it is because when his knee is straight it 'pulls' on the staples. What do I know. Because he also says that bending the knee pulls on the staples. Basically, he wants to get rid of the staples!! Can't say that I blame him. I can't even imagine what that must feel like! But he looks great walking without those blasted crutches! I can't wait to retire all the 'aids' he uses (crutches, walker, wheelchair) FOREVER!! That will be a great day. I don't know when that will happen......but I am sure it will someday.
Please pray that David does well in PT tomorrow. Linda is going to stop going so 'easy' on him starting tomorrow. But then he won't have PT again until Monday~~they are closed on Friday in honor of July 4th. So we will have to make sure he does some home exercises in that time. He is doing so well; we are so proud of him.
Thank you for checking in on the Koury Family. Thank you for your prayers, love, and emotional support. Please continue to remember Sammie in your prayers.....it could be any day now. Please pray for her family. Thank you. Have a good night. God bless you. We love you.
Kristi and the Koury Klan
Several childhood cancers continue to have a very poor prognosis, including: brain stem tumors, metastatic sarcomas (that is what David has), relapsed acute lymphoblastic leukemia, and relapsed non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Monday, June 29, 2009
Monday, June 29, 2009
Good evening. I hope you are all doing well this evening.
David did pretty good in PT today. He tries so hard to do what he needs to do. He got the bike to go all the way around. Before he was just 'rocking' the pedals; he couldn't make the pedals go all the way around. So he did good on the bike. Linda got his knee to almost 110 degrees!!! He is really making progress. He has a little bit of a difficult time getting straight, tho. He says it is very painful to his hamstrings. Those muscles just don't like being stretched! Oh well. It will happen. I just hate seeing David hurt while it is happening. *sigh*
Thank you for visiting and checking in on the Koury Family. Have a good night. God bless you all. We love you.
Kristi and the Koury Klan
Treatments often involve lengthy hospital stays &/or outpatient treatments which can extend over a period of months to multiple years. Children may often need to be isolated from other people/activities (even certain foods, at times) due to their heightened risk of infection. Families experience multiple severe stressors from the financial, emotional, physical, psychological, social & spiritual strains from it all. Parents may lose or have to give up jobs; insurance issues may add to the stress; siblings experience their own multitude of issues from it all.
David did pretty good in PT today. He tries so hard to do what he needs to do. He got the bike to go all the way around. Before he was just 'rocking' the pedals; he couldn't make the pedals go all the way around. So he did good on the bike. Linda got his knee to almost 110 degrees!!! He is really making progress. He has a little bit of a difficult time getting straight, tho. He says it is very painful to his hamstrings. Those muscles just don't like being stretched! Oh well. It will happen. I just hate seeing David hurt while it is happening. *sigh*
Thank you for visiting and checking in on the Koury Family. Have a good night. God bless you all. We love you.
Kristi and the Koury Klan
Treatments often involve lengthy hospital stays &/or outpatient treatments which can extend over a period of months to multiple years. Children may often need to be isolated from other people/activities (even certain foods, at times) due to their heightened risk of infection. Families experience multiple severe stressors from the financial, emotional, physical, psychological, social & spiritual strains from it all. Parents may lose or have to give up jobs; insurance issues may add to the stress; siblings experience their own multitude of issues from it all.
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Good evening.
Sorry I haven't updated in a couple of days; we have been busy, as usual.
David did very well in PT on Friday. Linda got his knee to bend to 105*! That is great! He was at 123* before surgery, so 105* after is really good. He worked really hard, and he is getting better. He is only on one crutch now. Yay!
We took his bandage off his knee today. He has 9 staples this time. Six months ago he had 7 staples. I think these are just closer together than last time. I don't know if the incision is any longer. The knee is rather swollen, but not too bad. I wasn't sure what to expect, so it looks better than I thought it would. It is also kinda purple. It worried David that it is purple, but we told him it is just bruised from the trauma it went through. We told him not to worry about it. He is not in any pain, yay! We are so happy for that!! He hasn't had any pain meds since Friday. Of course, if his knee gets bumped it hurts, but that is to be expected. So we are just very careful of his knee. Overall, he is doing pretty good.
Please pray for him tomorrow, he has PT again. Thank you for all your prayers, love, and support. Thank you for checking in on the Koury Family. Have a good night. God bless you. We love you. {{HUGS}}
Kristi and the Koury Klan
Cancer treatment can cause serious side effects that may last a lifetime.
Sorry I haven't updated in a couple of days; we have been busy, as usual.
David did very well in PT on Friday. Linda got his knee to bend to 105*! That is great! He was at 123* before surgery, so 105* after is really good. He worked really hard, and he is getting better. He is only on one crutch now. Yay!
We took his bandage off his knee today. He has 9 staples this time. Six months ago he had 7 staples. I think these are just closer together than last time. I don't know if the incision is any longer. The knee is rather swollen, but not too bad. I wasn't sure what to expect, so it looks better than I thought it would. It is also kinda purple. It worried David that it is purple, but we told him it is just bruised from the trauma it went through. We told him not to worry about it. He is not in any pain, yay! We are so happy for that!! He hasn't had any pain meds since Friday. Of course, if his knee gets bumped it hurts, but that is to be expected. So we are just very careful of his knee. Overall, he is doing pretty good.
Please pray for him tomorrow, he has PT again. Thank you for all your prayers, love, and support. Thank you for checking in on the Koury Family. Have a good night. God bless you. We love you. {{HUGS}}
Kristi and the Koury Klan
Cancer treatment can cause serious side effects that may last a lifetime.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Thursday, June 25, 2009
First things first~~~Happy Birthday Mom!!! 6 months until Christmas!
God determines who walks into my life ...
It's up to me to decide who I'll let walk away, who I'll let stay, and who I'll refuse to let go.
Someone once said, "You may soon forget those with whom you have laughed, but you will never forget those with whom you have wept."
When we are experiencing sorrow, one of the greatest comforts is knowing that someone else has gone through a similar trial and has literally felt the sadness we feel. In such dark times of life, we tend to cling to those friends who have been where we are. Jesus is one such friend. He experienced the death of a very close friend, watched as some of His disciples openly betrayed Him, and kept silent as He was unjustly beaten and hung on a cross. Needless to say, He was "a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief," and can therefore relate to us on a very personal level when we are dealing with pain and grief (Isaiah 53:3).
If you are in a time of sadness and sorrow and feel that no one understands you, remember that Jesus understands because He has experienced pain too. You can trust that He has been wherever you are and will walk with you through your darkest hour.
When we honestly ask ourselves which person in our lives means the most to us, we often find that it is those who . . . have chosen . . . to share our pain and touch our wounds with a gentle and tender hand.
Henri Nouwen
Think about this for a minute...
If I happened to show up on your doorstep crying,
Would you care?
If I called you and asked you to pick me up because something happened, Would you come?
If I had one day left to live my life, would you be part of that last day?
If I needed a shoulder to cry on, would you give me yours?
Do you know what the relationship is between your two eyes?
They blink together, they move together, they cry together, they see together and they sleep together
BUT THEY NEVER SEE EACH OTHER... that's what friendship is.
Your aspiration is your motivation, your motivation is
your belief, your belief is your peace, and your peace
is your target, your target is heaven, and life is Hell without FRIENDS.
Thank you all for being my friends. Some of you I only know through this site, but you are still my friends. Some of you are my 'family.' My osteo family. We are members of a family none of us want to be members of........but we are anyway. Thank you for being there for me (us).
David is doing well, so far, without pain meds. We will give him some percoset tomorrow before PT. We want to make sure he will be able to do PT without pain. But he has been able to go all day without pain meds today. We are really glad about that. So is David! He absolutely hates taking medicine. It is bad enough getting him to take all the other medicine he has to take without adding another one! So we are grateful he is pain-free without having to take another pill.
Please pray for David tomorrow that he does well in PT. He is so brave and courageous, even in pain. I wish you could all meet David and see how brave he is. He is such a wonderful child. Thank you for your prayers.
Thank you for visiting and checking in on us. Thank you for your prayers, love, and support. Have a good night tonight. God bless you all. We love you. {{HUGS}}
Kristi and the Koury Klan
When you go into court, you are putting yourself in the hands of twelve people who weren't smart enough to get out of jury duty.
(I wanted a funny at the end of the journal today!)
God determines who walks into my life ...
It's up to me to decide who I'll let walk away, who I'll let stay, and who I'll refuse to let go.
Someone once said, "You may soon forget those with whom you have laughed, but you will never forget those with whom you have wept."
When we are experiencing sorrow, one of the greatest comforts is knowing that someone else has gone through a similar trial and has literally felt the sadness we feel. In such dark times of life, we tend to cling to those friends who have been where we are. Jesus is one such friend. He experienced the death of a very close friend, watched as some of His disciples openly betrayed Him, and kept silent as He was unjustly beaten and hung on a cross. Needless to say, He was "a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief," and can therefore relate to us on a very personal level when we are dealing with pain and grief (Isaiah 53:3).
If you are in a time of sadness and sorrow and feel that no one understands you, remember that Jesus understands because He has experienced pain too. You can trust that He has been wherever you are and will walk with you through your darkest hour.
When we honestly ask ourselves which person in our lives means the most to us, we often find that it is those who . . . have chosen . . . to share our pain and touch our wounds with a gentle and tender hand.
Henri Nouwen
Think about this for a minute...
If I happened to show up on your doorstep crying,
Would you care?
If I called you and asked you to pick me up because something happened, Would you come?
If I had one day left to live my life, would you be part of that last day?
If I needed a shoulder to cry on, would you give me yours?
Do you know what the relationship is between your two eyes?
They blink together, they move together, they cry together, they see together and they sleep together
BUT THEY NEVER SEE EACH OTHER... that's what friendship is.
Your aspiration is your motivation, your motivation is
your belief, your belief is your peace, and your peace
is your target, your target is heaven, and life is Hell without FRIENDS.
Thank you all for being my friends. Some of you I only know through this site, but you are still my friends. Some of you are my 'family.' My osteo family. We are members of a family none of us want to be members of........but we are anyway. Thank you for being there for me (us).
David is doing well, so far, without pain meds. We will give him some percoset tomorrow before PT. We want to make sure he will be able to do PT without pain. But he has been able to go all day without pain meds today. We are really glad about that. So is David! He absolutely hates taking medicine. It is bad enough getting him to take all the other medicine he has to take without adding another one! So we are grateful he is pain-free without having to take another pill.
Please pray for David tomorrow that he does well in PT. He is so brave and courageous, even in pain. I wish you could all meet David and see how brave he is. He is such a wonderful child. Thank you for your prayers.
Thank you for visiting and checking in on us. Thank you for your prayers, love, and support. Have a good night tonight. God bless you all. We love you. {{HUGS}}
Kristi and the Koury Klan
When you go into court, you are putting yourself in the hands of twelve people who weren't smart enough to get out of jury duty.
(I wanted a funny at the end of the journal today!)
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Good morning. It is beautiful here this morning. Nice and cool and breezy.
Please pray for David today. We are going to have the pain meds be 'as needed' today and see how things go. We don't want the pain to get out of control, but he hates taking medicine, so we want to wean him off of it. Please pray that the pain just doesn't get unmanageable. Thanks.
Also, I forgot to mention that the doctor said there might be a bit more swelling this time around. He said that he opened David's knee and scraped scar tissue away. Then when he put the 'screwdriver' in to crank the screw to lengthen the rod there was too much scar tissue in the way. So he got out the 'munchers' (his words) and munched away the scar tissue. He said scar tissue releases fluid into the knee, so there might be more swelling this time. But we can pray that there won't be, can't we? So please pray that his knee doesn't swell too bad. Thanks.
Gotta run. Have a good day. I will let you know how things go today with David's pain. Thanks for checking in. God bless you. We love you.
Kristi and the Koury Klan
An estimated 12,400 children in the U.S. are diagnosed with cancer each year, and is the leading cause of death for children under the age of 15.
~ Ruben Hinojosa
Please pray for David today. We are going to have the pain meds be 'as needed' today and see how things go. We don't want the pain to get out of control, but he hates taking medicine, so we want to wean him off of it. Please pray that the pain just doesn't get unmanageable. Thanks.
Also, I forgot to mention that the doctor said there might be a bit more swelling this time around. He said that he opened David's knee and scraped scar tissue away. Then when he put the 'screwdriver' in to crank the screw to lengthen the rod there was too much scar tissue in the way. So he got out the 'munchers' (his words) and munched away the scar tissue. He said scar tissue releases fluid into the knee, so there might be more swelling this time. But we can pray that there won't be, can't we? So please pray that his knee doesn't swell too bad. Thanks.
Gotta run. Have a good day. I will let you know how things go today with David's pain. Thanks for checking in. God bless you. We love you.
Kristi and the Koury Klan
An estimated 12,400 children in the U.S. are diagnosed with cancer each year, and is the leading cause of death for children under the age of 15.
~ Ruben Hinojosa
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Good evening. It was another beautiful day here today. Right now it is very windy and warm; but not hot. It is just gorgeous.
David had an ok day today. He started complaining last night around bedtime that his leg hurt. It was hurting at the top of the implant; where they expanded it. I gave him his pain medicine at 7:00, and he wasn't due for another dose until 1am. He said the pain wasn't too bad, and then he went to sleep. I did give him another pain pill at 1am (it was hard to get up) and when he woke up this morning he wasn't in much pain. He gets the pain pill every six hours, around the clock! The only difficult one is the 1am one. The 7am one isn't too bad; even though it is earlier than David gets up. He goes back to sleep after he takes the meds so it isn't too bad. He had PT today, and it wasn't as bad as we thought it would be. He actually did things that Linda didn't think he would be able to do. She just went very slow and did some good stretches. I tell you, this child never ceases to amaze me. He would grimace sometimes in PT, but would still try to do whatever Linda asked him to do. He is such a brave kid. We didn't want him to do too much today and be sore, so Linda took it slow. I am so proud of him. Thank you for your prayers.
Thank you to whoever sent us the gas card. It will come in handy when we have to go back to San Francisco and Oakland in two weeks. Thank you so very much.
Thank you for visiting. Thank you for your love, prayers, and support. Have a good evening. I will post tomorrow and let you know how things are going. Have a good night. God bless you. We love you.
Kristi and the Koury Klan
Hope is ours for the taking every single minute. It's the assurance that things will make sense when there's no sense to make of things.
~Luci Swindoll
David had an ok day today. He started complaining last night around bedtime that his leg hurt. It was hurting at the top of the implant; where they expanded it. I gave him his pain medicine at 7:00, and he wasn't due for another dose until 1am. He said the pain wasn't too bad, and then he went to sleep. I did give him another pain pill at 1am (it was hard to get up) and when he woke up this morning he wasn't in much pain. He gets the pain pill every six hours, around the clock! The only difficult one is the 1am one. The 7am one isn't too bad; even though it is earlier than David gets up. He goes back to sleep after he takes the meds so it isn't too bad. He had PT today, and it wasn't as bad as we thought it would be. He actually did things that Linda didn't think he would be able to do. She just went very slow and did some good stretches. I tell you, this child never ceases to amaze me. He would grimace sometimes in PT, but would still try to do whatever Linda asked him to do. He is such a brave kid. We didn't want him to do too much today and be sore, so Linda took it slow. I am so proud of him. Thank you for your prayers.
Thank you to whoever sent us the gas card. It will come in handy when we have to go back to San Francisco and Oakland in two weeks. Thank you so very much.
Thank you for visiting. Thank you for your love, prayers, and support. Have a good evening. I will post tomorrow and let you know how things are going. Have a good night. God bless you. We love you.
Kristi and the Koury Klan
Hope is ours for the taking every single minute. It's the assurance that things will make sense when there's no sense to make of things.
~Luci Swindoll
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Good evening.
We are home! YAY!! It feels good to be home again. David is doing very well. His pain is being controlled exceptionally well with the percoset. It is at a 0, as long as he doesn't bump his leg. Standing up puts pressure on his leg, so that is painful for him, too. He is back on crutchces, so that helps. But overall he is doing great. He slept almost all the way home. Percoset causes him to be VERY sleepy! But we were glad he was sleeping. When he is sleeping he isn't in pain or nauseous. He was very nauseous today, so he ate almost nothing all day. He drank Sprite and that seemed to help. Bryon drove slower than normal over the mountains; and David had a barf bag ready. But, like I said, he slept almost the whole way. Thank you for your prayers.
David does have PT tomorrow~~~we want the muscles to stretch with as little discomfort as possible. We know that PT will help in that area. Please pray that David is able to do PT pain-free. Thanks.
Gotta run get his meds. Thank you for checking in on us. Thank you for your prayers, love, and support. Have a good night. God bless you all. We love you.
Kristi and the Koury Klan
Even with insurance coverage, a family will have out-of pocket expenses of about $40,000 per year, not including travel.
We are home! YAY!! It feels good to be home again. David is doing very well. His pain is being controlled exceptionally well with the percoset. It is at a 0, as long as he doesn't bump his leg. Standing up puts pressure on his leg, so that is painful for him, too. He is back on crutchces, so that helps. But overall he is doing great. He slept almost all the way home. Percoset causes him to be VERY sleepy! But we were glad he was sleeping. When he is sleeping he isn't in pain or nauseous. He was very nauseous today, so he ate almost nothing all day. He drank Sprite and that seemed to help. Bryon drove slower than normal over the mountains; and David had a barf bag ready. But, like I said, he slept almost the whole way. Thank you for your prayers.
David does have PT tomorrow~~~we want the muscles to stretch with as little discomfort as possible. We know that PT will help in that area. Please pray that David is able to do PT pain-free. Thanks.
Gotta run get his meds. Thank you for checking in on us. Thank you for your prayers, love, and support. Have a good night. God bless you all. We love you.
Kristi and the Koury Klan
Even with insurance coverage, a family will have out-of pocket expenses of about $40,000 per year, not including travel.
Monday, June 22, 2009
Monday, June 22, 2009
Good afternoon.
We are back in Emeryville at the hotel. David did much better this time, thank you for the prayers. I told them that the Fentanyl just didn't help with the pain the last time, so this time they gave him Dilaudid. He did soooo much better!! He woke up better and his pain level was only a 5-6. We were able to leave the hospital when they got his pain down to a 4. They gave him two percoset before we left, and now his pain is at a 2. I can't tell you how different it was this time. He recovered so much faster this time. The only glitch is this time he has been feeling nauseous. But we are trying to stay on top of that. He also woke up very itchy!! He wouldn't take Benadryl, tho. They gave him some liquid antacid before surgery; they didn't want his ulcer acting up. They also didn't want him to be nauseous when he woke up. It was cute, the anesthesiologist drank one of the antacid cups with David (see pictures!!) He said he wanted to know what it tastes like. He liked it, David didn't! Anyway, thank you for all your prayers. It went better this time. Please pray for us tomorrow as we go home. Please pray that David is comfortable on the ride home. Thank you.
Please pray that we all sleep good tonight. I didn't sleep very well last night; go figure!! You would think that with David going into surgery so many times it would get easier with time. Yeah, not so much!! He was crying before he got the 'happy medicine,' poor kid. He also got the spots he always gets (when he is stressed or having an axiety attack) as they were wheeling him off to surgery. This was his 9th surgery, but the 10th time he was put under general anesthetic. And we know he has at least 2 more leg surgeries. Grrr. But we will get through this, somehow or other.
Thank you for visiting and checking in on David. Thank you for all your love, prayers, and support. Keep it up, it is working!!! Have a good night. God bless you. We love you. {{HUGS}}
Kristi and the Koury Klan
Toughness is in the soul and spirit, not in muscles. ~Alex Karras
We are back in Emeryville at the hotel. David did much better this time, thank you for the prayers. I told them that the Fentanyl just didn't help with the pain the last time, so this time they gave him Dilaudid. He did soooo much better!! He woke up better and his pain level was only a 5-6. We were able to leave the hospital when they got his pain down to a 4. They gave him two percoset before we left, and now his pain is at a 2. I can't tell you how different it was this time. He recovered so much faster this time. The only glitch is this time he has been feeling nauseous. But we are trying to stay on top of that. He also woke up very itchy!! He wouldn't take Benadryl, tho. They gave him some liquid antacid before surgery; they didn't want his ulcer acting up. They also didn't want him to be nauseous when he woke up. It was cute, the anesthesiologist drank one of the antacid cups with David (see pictures!!) He said he wanted to know what it tastes like. He liked it, David didn't! Anyway, thank you for all your prayers. It went better this time. Please pray for us tomorrow as we go home. Please pray that David is comfortable on the ride home. Thank you.
Please pray that we all sleep good tonight. I didn't sleep very well last night; go figure!! You would think that with David going into surgery so many times it would get easier with time. Yeah, not so much!! He was crying before he got the 'happy medicine,' poor kid. He also got the spots he always gets (when he is stressed or having an axiety attack) as they were wheeling him off to surgery. This was his 9th surgery, but the 10th time he was put under general anesthetic. And we know he has at least 2 more leg surgeries. Grrr. But we will get through this, somehow or other.
Thank you for visiting and checking in on David. Thank you for all your love, prayers, and support. Keep it up, it is working!!! Have a good night. God bless you. We love you. {{HUGS}}
Kristi and the Koury Klan
Toughness is in the soul and spirit, not in muscles. ~Alex Karras
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Good evening from San Francisco. We made it here safely around 2:30. We left around 9:40 this morning. This is the second Father's Day in a row that we have spent away from home. Last year David was having chemo on Father's Day; and this year we are here awaiting another surgery for David. Maybe next year will be a better year. I won't hold my breath, but I will not give up hope, either.
Please remember to pray for David tomorrow at 11am Pacific Daylight Time. Bryon and I were talking and we are just so tired of seeing our baby in pain. Tired of seeing him being wheeled away from us into surgery; tired of seeing more and more scars on his body; tired of seeing him in pain. I HATE CANCER!! Thank you so much for your prayers, we feel them. God does give us peace when David is in surgery; we know He is watching over David. Why this happened.........we don't know. We may never know. But we just want to bring glory to Him through all of this. Please pray for all of us, especially David. Thank you.
Thank you for visiting. Have a good night. Thank you for your prayers, love, and your support. We appreciate it more than you know. God bless you all. We love you.
Kristi and the Koury Klan
Do not be afraid of tomorrow; for God is already there. ~Author Unknown
Please remember to pray for David tomorrow at 11am Pacific Daylight Time. Bryon and I were talking and we are just so tired of seeing our baby in pain. Tired of seeing him being wheeled away from us into surgery; tired of seeing more and more scars on his body; tired of seeing him in pain. I HATE CANCER!! Thank you so much for your prayers, we feel them. God does give us peace when David is in surgery; we know He is watching over David. Why this happened.........we don't know. We may never know. But we just want to bring glory to Him through all of this. Please pray for all of us, especially David. Thank you.
Thank you for visiting. Have a good night. Thank you for your prayers, love, and your support. We appreciate it more than you know. God bless you all. We love you.
Kristi and the Koury Klan
Do not be afraid of tomorrow; for God is already there. ~Author Unknown
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Good evening. It was another beautiful fall today. It was cool, windy, and cloudy. Like I said, beautiful.
Bryon went golfing with co-workers. He said he had a good time. The kids and I went over to Jeremy and Lucy's to do laundry. Got it all done, yay! We had a good day of fellowship. Then when Bryon got home we went out for Father's Day. We had to celebrate it today since we won't be home tomorrow.
On that note, please pray for us tomorrow. We will be leaving around 10:00am to go to San Francisco. Please pray for our safety. Thanks. Also, please remember to pray for David on Monday. He is not looking forward to this surgery at all. Who can blame him? He is so tired of surgery after surgery. This will make surgery #9 in one year and 8 months! That is a lot! Please pray for all of us. And could you please pray that he won't need to stay in the hospital? We want what is best for David; no matter what; but if he doesn't stay it will save us the $105 inpatient co-pay. But the #1 priority is David. Thank you for your prayers.
Also, could you please pray for Rachel? She is staying home to take care of the animals (and work, of course ). Jennifer will be going with us this time. Rachel is thinking of going when David has his scans in July.
I will update tomorrow after we get all settled in San Francisco (actually Emeryville). I will try to keep you all posted after surgery.
Thank you for your prayers, love, and support, we appreciate it. Thank you for checking in on us. Have a good night. God bless you. We love you.
Kristi and the Koury Klan
“Happiness is where we find it, but rarely where we see it.”
— J. PETIT SENN
Bryon went golfing with co-workers. He said he had a good time. The kids and I went over to Jeremy and Lucy's to do laundry. Got it all done, yay! We had a good day of fellowship. Then when Bryon got home we went out for Father's Day. We had to celebrate it today since we won't be home tomorrow.
On that note, please pray for us tomorrow. We will be leaving around 10:00am to go to San Francisco. Please pray for our safety. Thanks. Also, please remember to pray for David on Monday. He is not looking forward to this surgery at all. Who can blame him? He is so tired of surgery after surgery. This will make surgery #9 in one year and 8 months! That is a lot! Please pray for all of us. And could you please pray that he won't need to stay in the hospital? We want what is best for David; no matter what; but if he doesn't stay it will save us the $105 inpatient co-pay. But the #1 priority is David. Thank you for your prayers.
Also, could you please pray for Rachel? She is staying home to take care of the animals (and work, of course ). Jennifer will be going with us this time. Rachel is thinking of going when David has his scans in July.
I will update tomorrow after we get all settled in San Francisco (actually Emeryville). I will try to keep you all posted after surgery.
Thank you for your prayers, love, and support, we appreciate it. Thank you for checking in on us. Have a good night. God bless you. We love you.
Kristi and the Koury Klan
“Happiness is where we find it, but rarely where we see it.”
— J. PETIT SENN
Friday, June 19, 2009
Friday, June 19, 2009
Good evening. Today was a beautiful fall day. Yeah, I know it is June, and summer is a day or so away, but today felt like fall. It was gorgeous!!
We had a great time with Jeremy and Lucy tonight. I made the Sour Cream Chili Bake and Eclair cake that she wanted. It was a good time of food and fellowship. Happy Birthday Lucy!!
David did pretty good in PT today. We bought him a squirt bottle fan; and it was a good thing we did. He works so hard and he gets hot. So we used the fan on him. The bottle has a wide mouth opening; big enough for ice! So I put ice and water in the bottle and it worked great for him. Today was his last PT before surgery so we wanted to 'make it count!' He did have a little trouble with his hip while doing one of the exercises~~~don't know what that was all about. But he got through it and did good.
I am NOT going to the laundromat tomorrow. Lucy said we could go over their house and do laundry. I am so thankful for that. Bryon is going golfing with some folks from work, so that is when I will do the laundry. I am disappointed about my washer, tho. We have been shopping around, and found out that my Maytag is not Maytag anymore. Things just aren't made to last like they used to. I have found one I want and I will be getting it on Friday. I think I can last a week before I have to do laundry again. This is another 'storm' in our life, and I can't wait until the sun comes out. I know it will. Thanks for the prayers.
Thank you for visiting. Thank you for your prayers, love, and support. Have a good night. Sleep tight. God bless you all. We love you.
Kristi and the Koury Klan
“Today is a smooth white seashell, hold it close and listen to the beauty of the hours.”
— ANONYMOUS
We had a great time with Jeremy and Lucy tonight. I made the Sour Cream Chili Bake and Eclair cake that she wanted. It was a good time of food and fellowship. Happy Birthday Lucy!!
David did pretty good in PT today. We bought him a squirt bottle fan; and it was a good thing we did. He works so hard and he gets hot. So we used the fan on him. The bottle has a wide mouth opening; big enough for ice! So I put ice and water in the bottle and it worked great for him. Today was his last PT before surgery so we wanted to 'make it count!' He did have a little trouble with his hip while doing one of the exercises~~~don't know what that was all about. But he got through it and did good.
I am NOT going to the laundromat tomorrow. Lucy said we could go over their house and do laundry. I am so thankful for that. Bryon is going golfing with some folks from work, so that is when I will do the laundry. I am disappointed about my washer, tho. We have been shopping around, and found out that my Maytag is not Maytag anymore. Things just aren't made to last like they used to. I have found one I want and I will be getting it on Friday. I think I can last a week before I have to do laundry again. This is another 'storm' in our life, and I can't wait until the sun comes out. I know it will. Thanks for the prayers.
Thank you for visiting. Thank you for your prayers, love, and support. Have a good night. Sleep tight. God bless you all. We love you.
Kristi and the Koury Klan
“Today is a smooth white seashell, hold it close and listen to the beauty of the hours.”
— ANONYMOUS
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Good evening. I hope you are all having a good evening.
David did really good in the pool today. He likes to give Lu Ann a bad time, but she loves him!! He was silly, though. He forgot to grab his towel! But it was ok, he was just kinda bummed that he had to 'drip dry' before he put his shirt on. It was kinda funny. But he had a good time in the pool. Thanks for your prayers.
Let me tell you; when it rains it pours. The Koury Klan cannot catch a break!! My washing machine died tonight. I am so frustrated. Now I have to spend the money we do NOT have to buy a washing machine!! Bryon said it is almost 9 years old, so it has outlived it's lifespan. What happened to things lasting? Oh well. What can I do? I will be going to the laundromat on Saturday, we won't be able to get a new machine until next week. *sigh* Please pray we can find one for a good price. Thanks
Well, that is all the drama for today. Thank you for checking in on us. Have a good night. Thank you for your prayers, love, and support. God bless you all. We love you. {{HUGS}}
Kristi and the Koury Klan
If you're going through hell, keep going. ~Winston Churchill
David did really good in the pool today. He likes to give Lu Ann a bad time, but she loves him!! He was silly, though. He forgot to grab his towel! But it was ok, he was just kinda bummed that he had to 'drip dry' before he put his shirt on. It was kinda funny. But he had a good time in the pool. Thanks for your prayers.
Let me tell you; when it rains it pours. The Koury Klan cannot catch a break!! My washing machine died tonight. I am so frustrated. Now I have to spend the money we do NOT have to buy a washing machine!! Bryon said it is almost 9 years old, so it has outlived it's lifespan. What happened to things lasting? Oh well. What can I do? I will be going to the laundromat on Saturday, we won't be able to get a new machine until next week. *sigh* Please pray we can find one for a good price. Thanks
Well, that is all the drama for today. Thank you for checking in on us. Have a good night. Thank you for your prayers, love, and support. God bless you all. We love you. {{HUGS}}
Kristi and the Koury Klan
If you're going through hell, keep going. ~Winston Churchill
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Karen~~~Polynesian Pile-Up is a recipe I got from my mom. I don't know where she got it from. You take the ingredients I am going to list and you pile it on your plate. You only use what you like (I use everything). You can pile it in any order. It sounds strange; but, boy, is it good!! Here is the list of ingredients:
Rice (I use brown rice)
Chicken (boiled and cubed)
Diced Tomatoes
Chopped celery
Chinese noodles
Grated cheese
Pineapple chunks or tidbits
Coconut
Diced green onions
Chicken gravy (I use canned)
Slivered Almonds
It is very, very good. Give it a try, and let me know what you think! David doesn't use all the ingredients, but he still really likes it. Take care!!
Kristi
Rice (I use brown rice)
Chicken (boiled and cubed)
Diced Tomatoes
Chopped celery
Chinese noodles
Grated cheese
Pineapple chunks or tidbits
Coconut
Diced green onions
Chicken gravy (I use canned)
Slivered Almonds
It is very, very good. Give it a try, and let me know what you think! David doesn't use all the ingredients, but he still really likes it. Take care!!
Kristi
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Good evening. Fireworks page!!
I forgot to mention yesterday that it was Lucy's birthday. Shame on me. We are going to celebrate it on Friday night. They will be coming over for dinner and she wants me to make an eclair cake. So we will have Sour Cream Chili Bake and eclair cake. Sounds good, huh?
Lucy and I went to the Farmer's Market tonight. It was pretty good. I will buy more fruit and veggies next week; didn't want to this week because we will be gone from Sunday through Tuesday. But we had fun.
David is doing ok today. I forgot to mention that he was weighed at his appointment on Monday and he is holding at 124 pounds. I wish he weighed more, but I will take that. He looks good, just thin. Yes, I am just a bit jealous of that!! *sigh*
He has pool therapy again tomorrow. The weather is beautiful here (upper 70's-low 80's) so he doesn't freeze when he gets out of the pool. That is a good thing. This will be his last pool therapy for a couple of weeks. He won't be able to get the staples wet, so he will just be having therapy in the office. He is concerned about that; but Linda promised not to touch his staples or his knee. She said she will just focus on stretching exercises to get the quads and the hamstrings stretched to match the rod length. David has to learn a new way of doing things because there is NO lower quad muscle, but he is adjusting very well. His knee is still giving him trouble sometimes, but overall it is doing ok.
Well, my rice is ready for the Polynesian Pile-Up I made for dinner. You all have a good night. Thank you for visiting. Thank you for your love, prayers, and emotional support. God bless you all. We love you.
Kristi and the Koury Klan
Feed your faith and your fears will starve to death. ~Author Unknown
I forgot to mention yesterday that it was Lucy's birthday. Shame on me. We are going to celebrate it on Friday night. They will be coming over for dinner and she wants me to make an eclair cake. So we will have Sour Cream Chili Bake and eclair cake. Sounds good, huh?
Lucy and I went to the Farmer's Market tonight. It was pretty good. I will buy more fruit and veggies next week; didn't want to this week because we will be gone from Sunday through Tuesday. But we had fun.
David is doing ok today. I forgot to mention that he was weighed at his appointment on Monday and he is holding at 124 pounds. I wish he weighed more, but I will take that. He looks good, just thin. Yes, I am just a bit jealous of that!! *sigh*
He has pool therapy again tomorrow. The weather is beautiful here (upper 70's-low 80's) so he doesn't freeze when he gets out of the pool. That is a good thing. This will be his last pool therapy for a couple of weeks. He won't be able to get the staples wet, so he will just be having therapy in the office. He is concerned about that; but Linda promised not to touch his staples or his knee. She said she will just focus on stretching exercises to get the quads and the hamstrings stretched to match the rod length. David has to learn a new way of doing things because there is NO lower quad muscle, but he is adjusting very well. His knee is still giving him trouble sometimes, but overall it is doing ok.
Well, my rice is ready for the Polynesian Pile-Up I made for dinner. You all have a good night. Thank you for visiting. Thank you for your love, prayers, and emotional support. God bless you all. We love you.
Kristi and the Koury Klan
Feed your faith and your fears will starve to death. ~Author Unknown
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Good evening. It was an absolutely beautiful day today.
David's appointment went well yesterday. There was a little bit of a mix-up, tho. To make a long story short, they told me the wrong time. So they rescheduled it for 1:30 yesterday. So that worked out fine for us. And the appointment went well. Dr. Raphael said he will be scheduling David's scans for July 10. That is the day we need it to be, because David's post-op (and staple removal) in San Francisco is on July 9 at 2:00, so we will have his scans in Oakland on July 10. Yes, scanxiety is is starting to set in. But right now one thing at a time, and we need to get through David's surgery on Monday. He is not looking forward to it, of course, but he is looking forward to not being so uneven. I hate the fact that he will be back on crutches for a few weeks. But I am trying to focus on the big picture; that is just hard to do sometimes. And remembering that he will have to have the revision (new implant) in a year or so just sucks!! This poor child. But at least he won't be on chemo for the next surgery, so he will heal a lot faster. Please pray for David as we prepare for his next surgery. I am just so tired of watching my baby wheeled away into surgery; having him cut into; watching him in pain; etc. *sigh* Thank you for your prayers.
Mattie is doing ok. He is resting comfortably and pretty much out of it. His mom said they removed 9 lesions from his lungs. They did a sternotomy on him, not a thoracotomy. They told her it is less painful because they don't have to break any bones or deal with any muscle. David did have a rib broken and muscles manipulated. Anyway, Mattie does have the chest tubes, and David said those were very painful. Please pray that they are able to keep Mattie's pain under control. He is an adorable little 7-year-old boy. Thank you for your prayers for him; and his parents, Peter and Vicki.
Thank you for visiting and checking up on David. Thank you for your prayers, love, and emotional support. I am trying to add a couple of pictures of David in the pool. Have a good evening. God bless you all. We love you.
Kristi and the Koury Klan
Courage is being afraid but going on anyhow. ~Dan Rather
David's appointment went well yesterday. There was a little bit of a mix-up, tho. To make a long story short, they told me the wrong time. So they rescheduled it for 1:30 yesterday. So that worked out fine for us. And the appointment went well. Dr. Raphael said he will be scheduling David's scans for July 10. That is the day we need it to be, because David's post-op (and staple removal) in San Francisco is on July 9 at 2:00, so we will have his scans in Oakland on July 10. Yes, scanxiety is is starting to set in. But right now one thing at a time, and we need to get through David's surgery on Monday. He is not looking forward to it, of course, but he is looking forward to not being so uneven. I hate the fact that he will be back on crutches for a few weeks. But I am trying to focus on the big picture; that is just hard to do sometimes. And remembering that he will have to have the revision (new implant) in a year or so just sucks!! This poor child. But at least he won't be on chemo for the next surgery, so he will heal a lot faster. Please pray for David as we prepare for his next surgery. I am just so tired of watching my baby wheeled away into surgery; having him cut into; watching him in pain; etc. *sigh* Thank you for your prayers.
Mattie is doing ok. He is resting comfortably and pretty much out of it. His mom said they removed 9 lesions from his lungs. They did a sternotomy on him, not a thoracotomy. They told her it is less painful because they don't have to break any bones or deal with any muscle. David did have a rib broken and muscles manipulated. Anyway, Mattie does have the chest tubes, and David said those were very painful. Please pray that they are able to keep Mattie's pain under control. He is an adorable little 7-year-old boy. Thank you for your prayers for him; and his parents, Peter and Vicki.
Thank you for visiting and checking up on David. Thank you for your prayers, love, and emotional support. I am trying to add a couple of pictures of David in the pool. Have a good evening. God bless you all. We love you.
Kristi and the Koury Klan
Courage is being afraid but going on anyhow. ~Dan Rather
Monday, June 15, 2009
Monday, June 15, 2009
Good morning. VERY quick update, I have to leave in 45 minutes to take David to his monthly oncology appointment.
I wanted to ask you to please pray for Mattie. He is, as I write this, having a sternotomy to remove cancer from his lungs. Please pray for his doctors that they get all the cancer, pray for Mattie that he does well and recovers quickly with minimal pain, and please pray for his parents, Vicki and Peter. Thank you. I will try to update later.
Thanks for your prayers. Have a good day. God bless you. We love you.
Kristi and the Koury Klan
I wanted to ask you to please pray for Mattie. He is, as I write this, having a sternotomy to remove cancer from his lungs. Please pray for his doctors that they get all the cancer, pray for Mattie that he does well and recovers quickly with minimal pain, and please pray for his parents, Vicki and Peter. Thank you. I will try to update later.
Thanks for your prayers. Have a good day. God bless you. We love you.
Kristi and the Koury Klan
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Good afternoon. We are coming on to July 4th, so I got out the patriotic background!!
This will be quick. Bryon is at work; and David, Jennifer, and Rachel are in Gardnerville at the carnival. It is very quiet in the house! Sometimes I REALLY enjoy the peace and quiet. I have to go grocery shopping, so this will be quick.
David is doing ok. He did really good in PT yesterday. He knee is buckling on him less and less. He still doesn't have the stamina he once had; maybe he never will, I just don't know. He gets so tired so quickly. The kids are only going to be at the carnival for a couple of hours; I am sure that will be all David will be able to stand anyway.
You know, something finally hit me. We know our lives have been forever changed by an uninvited monster called 'cancer.' That we have know for almost 2 years. But sometimes we have worse days than others. Well, we now know it is because we are going through a 'grieving' process. We are grieving the loss of our child. Now, I know he is still alive, so it is a different kind of grief. We have a totally different child than we had 2 years ago. We now have a disabled child. We now have a child whose future is uncertain. All the hopes and dreams that every parent has for their child are changed for us. Our main hope and dream is that he lives!! We don't take life for granted anymore. We don't just 'assume' that he will grow up. I hope this makes sense. It is a grieving process that we have to go through. We have a child who has lost his childhood, his innocence, his ability to walk normally, his natural knee and femur, some lung tissue, some of his bowels, a year of his life spent in the hospital, etc. And all for an 'incurable' cancer. Maybe in time, with research and funding, they will be able to cure osteosarcoma. I just pray that they do. And I pray it comes in time for him.
I don’t know how many of you readers have ever been on a pediatric oncology floor. If you have ever walked the halls and seen the smiles or tears on the faces of these little fighters as they play on the little trikes and big wheels. How the moms and dads race behind them with the ever present IV pole. How they have little child-sized masks on because they are at high risk of infection. How the teens hang together and still try to be cool, even though they’re bald and ready to throw up at any time. How the teens have added words like methotrexate and acronyms like ANC to their vocabulary, instead of LOL and "sweet". How the poor little baby's cry because they can't even relate what hurts. Or if you've ever seen a mom or dad alone in the parent room at 3 am, with their head in their hands, feeling alone, helpless, scared and mad. I don't know if you've ever visited a Care Page or a Caring Bridge site besides this one, blogs where we tell our children's stories. I've seen it all and more. I have seen enough. I have lived through it. I am still living it. I will forever live it.
Thank you for visiting. Thank you for your prayer, love, and emotional support. Thank you for 'listening' to me bare my feelings. Have a great rest of your Saturday. I am off to the store! God bless you. We love you. {{HUGS}}
Kristi and the Koury Klan
If you're going through hell, keep going. ~Winston Churchill
This will be quick. Bryon is at work; and David, Jennifer, and Rachel are in Gardnerville at the carnival. It is very quiet in the house! Sometimes I REALLY enjoy the peace and quiet. I have to go grocery shopping, so this will be quick.
David is doing ok. He did really good in PT yesterday. He knee is buckling on him less and less. He still doesn't have the stamina he once had; maybe he never will, I just don't know. He gets so tired so quickly. The kids are only going to be at the carnival for a couple of hours; I am sure that will be all David will be able to stand anyway.
You know, something finally hit me. We know our lives have been forever changed by an uninvited monster called 'cancer.' That we have know for almost 2 years. But sometimes we have worse days than others. Well, we now know it is because we are going through a 'grieving' process. We are grieving the loss of our child. Now, I know he is still alive, so it is a different kind of grief. We have a totally different child than we had 2 years ago. We now have a disabled child. We now have a child whose future is uncertain. All the hopes and dreams that every parent has for their child are changed for us. Our main hope and dream is that he lives!! We don't take life for granted anymore. We don't just 'assume' that he will grow up. I hope this makes sense. It is a grieving process that we have to go through. We have a child who has lost his childhood, his innocence, his ability to walk normally, his natural knee and femur, some lung tissue, some of his bowels, a year of his life spent in the hospital, etc. And all for an 'incurable' cancer. Maybe in time, with research and funding, they will be able to cure osteosarcoma. I just pray that they do. And I pray it comes in time for him.
I don’t know how many of you readers have ever been on a pediatric oncology floor. If you have ever walked the halls and seen the smiles or tears on the faces of these little fighters as they play on the little trikes and big wheels. How the moms and dads race behind them with the ever present IV pole. How they have little child-sized masks on because they are at high risk of infection. How the teens hang together and still try to be cool, even though they’re bald and ready to throw up at any time. How the teens have added words like methotrexate and acronyms like ANC to their vocabulary, instead of LOL and "sweet". How the poor little baby's cry because they can't even relate what hurts. Or if you've ever seen a mom or dad alone in the parent room at 3 am, with their head in their hands, feeling alone, helpless, scared and mad. I don't know if you've ever visited a Care Page or a Caring Bridge site besides this one, blogs where we tell our children's stories. I've seen it all and more. I have seen enough. I have lived through it. I am still living it. I will forever live it.
Thank you for visiting. Thank you for your prayer, love, and emotional support. Thank you for 'listening' to me bare my feelings. Have a great rest of your Saturday. I am off to the store! God bless you. We love you. {{HUGS}}
Kristi and the Koury Klan
If you're going through hell, keep going. ~Winston Churchill
Friday, June 12, 2009
Friday, June 12, 2009
Good morning. It is still a beautiful spring here. We are loving it! Today it is supposed to be 70 degrees with clouds and thunderstorms!! YAY! David loves thunderstorms.
I am getting ready to take David to PT in a little bit. He did very well in the pool yesterday. I have a couple pictures, I will upload them later. Then his orthodontist appointment went well, too. He doesn't have to go back for 4 months!! His orthodontist said David has a million dollar smile. We tend to agree. We like seeing his smile again.
Claudia, you are so funny. You still have the wrong house. That camping trailer belongs to our next door neighbor. We are still the yellow house. Our camping trailer is flat (it pops up), not that round airstream-looking thing. Next time you are in the neighborhood, stop by! The yellow house. We can have a cup of coffee, or tea, or something. I would love to have you stop by.
Anyway, I hope you all have a great day today. Please pray that David has a good PT session. Thanks. Thank you for visiting. Thank you for all your prayers, love, and support. God bless you all. We love you.
Kristi and the Koury Klan
Treatments often involve lengthy hospital stays &/or outpatient treatments which can extend over a period of months to multiple years. Children may often need to be isolated from other people/activities (even certain foods, at times) due to their heightened risk of infection. Families experience multiple severe stressors from the financial, emotional, physical, psychological, social & spiritual strains from it all. Parents may lose or have to give up jobs; insurance issues may add to the stress; siblings experience their own multitude of issues from it all.
I am getting ready to take David to PT in a little bit. He did very well in the pool yesterday. I have a couple pictures, I will upload them later. Then his orthodontist appointment went well, too. He doesn't have to go back for 4 months!! His orthodontist said David has a million dollar smile. We tend to agree. We like seeing his smile again.
Claudia, you are so funny. You still have the wrong house. That camping trailer belongs to our next door neighbor. We are still the yellow house. Our camping trailer is flat (it pops up), not that round airstream-looking thing. Next time you are in the neighborhood, stop by! The yellow house. We can have a cup of coffee, or tea, or something. I would love to have you stop by.
Anyway, I hope you all have a great day today. Please pray that David has a good PT session. Thanks. Thank you for visiting. Thank you for all your prayers, love, and support. God bless you all. We love you.
Kristi and the Koury Klan
Treatments often involve lengthy hospital stays &/or outpatient treatments which can extend over a period of months to multiple years. Children may often need to be isolated from other people/activities (even certain foods, at times) due to their heightened risk of infection. Families experience multiple severe stressors from the financial, emotional, physical, psychological, social & spiritual strains from it all. Parents may lose or have to give up jobs; insurance issues may add to the stress; siblings experience their own multitude of issues from it all.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Good morning.
Quick update, I have a busy morning this morning. I am getting ready to take David to pool therapy. Then we come home and he has just enough time to change his clothes and then we are off to an orthodontist appointment. Bust morning.
Thank you again for all your encouragement. But I do have one thing to say. Claudia, you know I love you dearly, but I was confused by your entry. Are you sure you have the right house? We don't have any new toys. If you meant our trailer, we bought that almost a year before David was diagnosed with cancer! I just wonder if you got the wrong house......lol.
Anyway, gotta run. Please pray that David has a good PT session and a good orthodontist appointment. Thanks.
Have a great day today. Thank you for your love, prayers, and emotional support! God bless you all. We love you.
Kristi and the Koury Klan
More than 2/3’s of survivors will deal with one or more (sometimes life-long) “late effects” from treatment, which can occur in any organ or system of the body, & include such things as Graft Versus Host Disease (GVHD – can occur from bone marrow transplants), learning disorders, growth problems, sterility, hearing &/or vision loss, neuropathy/pain, heart damage, amputations (& prosthetics) & the possibilities of recurrences &/or secondary cancers.
Quick update, I have a busy morning this morning. I am getting ready to take David to pool therapy. Then we come home and he has just enough time to change his clothes and then we are off to an orthodontist appointment. Bust morning.
Thank you again for all your encouragement. But I do have one thing to say. Claudia, you know I love you dearly, but I was confused by your entry. Are you sure you have the right house? We don't have any new toys. If you meant our trailer, we bought that almost a year before David was diagnosed with cancer! I just wonder if you got the wrong house......lol.
Anyway, gotta run. Please pray that David has a good PT session and a good orthodontist appointment. Thanks.
Have a great day today. Thank you for your love, prayers, and emotional support! God bless you all. We love you.
Kristi and the Koury Klan
More than 2/3’s of survivors will deal with one or more (sometimes life-long) “late effects” from treatment, which can occur in any organ or system of the body, & include such things as Graft Versus Host Disease (GVHD – can occur from bone marrow transplants), learning disorders, growth problems, sterility, hearing &/or vision loss, neuropathy/pain, heart damage, amputations (& prosthetics) & the possibilities of recurrences &/or secondary cancers.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Good evening. Sorry for the needed security, again. Maybe it won't be needed for too long........
David had a pretty ok day today. The school he was doing 'independent study' through really frustrated me this year. They are supposed to send his work to him as he finishes work. They basically send a quarter at a time. Well, there has been many weeks this year when he has waited for the new work to be sent to him. To make a long story short, he is still doing school. He has about 5 more weeks. Poor child. As if he hasn't been through enough. The final two years of High School he will be going to Insight School of Nevada. It is an on-line public school, so it is FREE!! Yay! I can't afford to keep him in the private school he was in before. *sigh* Just another sacrifice we have to make. They are aware of his special needs; like he can't do P.E.; and they will work with us to make sure he gets all his credits to graduate. Right now his PT is counting as P.E., and I am sure it will continue to do so. So he has been doing school these days. Oh well. Otherwise he is doing ok. He is so funny. No matter what, he always says he is 'fine.' I have to drag it out of him if I think he isn't fine. Even after all his surgeries, he always said he was fine. We knew better. He just isn't a complainer. When a doctor would come in and ask him how he feels, he always said fine; even when he was vomiting!! He is a nut!! But he is such a great kid! Here I go bragging on him again~~~I am so proud to be his mom. Please continue to pray that he gets his school done soon. He just wants to be done!!! Can't say that I blame him. All his friends are out of school, and he isn't. Poor kid.
Thank you for all the support you are giving me. I really appreciate it. And you are all right. I will not allow those people to bother me. I know I don't always say what I mean, and I am sorry when things I say don't come out right. I just request that you all remember the stress and heartache I am going through, and try to 'read between the lines' and realize I am not trying to offend or hurt anyone. Thank you for your encouragement.
Thank you for your love, encouragement, and prayers. Thank you for visiting. Thank you for caring about and loving David. Thank you for accepting me, 'warts and all.' Have a good night. Sleep tight. God bless you all. We love you. {{HUGS}}
Kristi and the Koury Klan
During their lengthy treatments, the children are often rendered unable to eat (throwing up/diarrhea, stomach/abdominal pains, mouth/throat/intestinal sores), “poked” scores of times (or having to have tubes &/or "ports" surgically put in) & are literally crying out to God &/or their mommies & daddies who sit helplessly by, watching the cancer &/or treatments which are meant to save them wreak havoc on the small bodies of their dearest children -- the least of which is hair loss.
David had a pretty ok day today. The school he was doing 'independent study' through really frustrated me this year. They are supposed to send his work to him as he finishes work. They basically send a quarter at a time. Well, there has been many weeks this year when he has waited for the new work to be sent to him. To make a long story short, he is still doing school. He has about 5 more weeks. Poor child. As if he hasn't been through enough. The final two years of High School he will be going to Insight School of Nevada. It is an on-line public school, so it is FREE!! Yay! I can't afford to keep him in the private school he was in before. *sigh* Just another sacrifice we have to make. They are aware of his special needs; like he can't do P.E.; and they will work with us to make sure he gets all his credits to graduate. Right now his PT is counting as P.E., and I am sure it will continue to do so. So he has been doing school these days. Oh well. Otherwise he is doing ok. He is so funny. No matter what, he always says he is 'fine.' I have to drag it out of him if I think he isn't fine. Even after all his surgeries, he always said he was fine. We knew better. He just isn't a complainer. When a doctor would come in and ask him how he feels, he always said fine; even when he was vomiting!! He is a nut!! But he is such a great kid! Here I go bragging on him again~~~I am so proud to be his mom. Please continue to pray that he gets his school done soon. He just wants to be done!!! Can't say that I blame him. All his friends are out of school, and he isn't. Poor kid.
Thank you for all the support you are giving me. I really appreciate it. And you are all right. I will not allow those people to bother me. I know I don't always say what I mean, and I am sorry when things I say don't come out right. I just request that you all remember the stress and heartache I am going through, and try to 'read between the lines' and realize I am not trying to offend or hurt anyone. Thank you for your encouragement.
Thank you for your love, encouragement, and prayers. Thank you for visiting. Thank you for caring about and loving David. Thank you for accepting me, 'warts and all.' Have a good night. Sleep tight. God bless you all. We love you. {{HUGS}}
Kristi and the Koury Klan
During their lengthy treatments, the children are often rendered unable to eat (throwing up/diarrhea, stomach/abdominal pains, mouth/throat/intestinal sores), “poked” scores of times (or having to have tubes &/or "ports" surgically put in) & are literally crying out to God &/or their mommies & daddies who sit helplessly by, watching the cancer &/or treatments which are meant to save them wreak havoc on the small bodies of their dearest children -- the least of which is hair loss.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Quick update. Olga, I have had a few people sign the guestbook who are not who they say they are. That is fine with me. There is no 'Janet P' listed in the 'Author Services,' you know what I am talking about. We can find all the people who sign this, and they can put fake names on their post in the guestbook. I agree; if you have not done the criticizing, you shouldn't be offended. Thank you for your post, Olga.
I am not here to offend anyone~~but facts is facts. You can't understand someone, anyone, until you 'walk in their shoes.' I understand that more, now. I have been guilty of not being compassionate enough of others. Did I just abandon them? No, they are still in my life (as much as they want to be). Like I said before, many people have abandoned us in our greatest time of need. If you don't want to read about David, don't. If you can't 'get it' that this is a family diagnosis that affects the whole family, that is fine. This is not a broken leg that heals in time and life goes back to what it was before. Life is NEVER the same. If you choose to be offended by my journal, I am sorry. I have thanked all of you for your prayers, love, and emotional support almost daily. I mean it when I say if you are unable to give that anymore, that is fine. If you have truly read this journal for "quite some time" you would see that I don't "constantly" tell "bystanders" they will "just never understand" (I am quoting Janet P here). Like Olga said, we are constantly being scrutinized for everything we do and say. I know what a politician feels like!! We are constantly given all the platitudes by people. No one knows the future, only God does. I don't know that 'everything will be fine' and neither do you. That is why 'cancer parents' do not tell each other that; none of us know that. I have learned (the hard way) not to give those platitudes to others; it does NOT make them feel better; it is not what they want to hear. If you don't know what to say to someone, don't say anything; just love them and be there for them. If you can't be there for the Koury family, that is fine. If you still really want to know how David is doing, keep reading. If you stop reading......we will form our own conclusions on that one.
Thank you for your time. Thank you for reading and being there for us. Have a good day. God bless each and every one of you. We love you.
Kristi and the Koury Klan
Childhood cancer is devastating and creates unique pressures on the whole family. (I didn't make these up, I researched 'Childhood Cancer Facts' and found these.)
I am not here to offend anyone~~but facts is facts. You can't understand someone, anyone, until you 'walk in their shoes.' I understand that more, now. I have been guilty of not being compassionate enough of others. Did I just abandon them? No, they are still in my life (as much as they want to be). Like I said before, many people have abandoned us in our greatest time of need. If you don't want to read about David, don't. If you can't 'get it' that this is a family diagnosis that affects the whole family, that is fine. This is not a broken leg that heals in time and life goes back to what it was before. Life is NEVER the same. If you choose to be offended by my journal, I am sorry. I have thanked all of you for your prayers, love, and emotional support almost daily. I mean it when I say if you are unable to give that anymore, that is fine. If you have truly read this journal for "quite some time" you would see that I don't "constantly" tell "bystanders" they will "just never understand" (I am quoting Janet P here). Like Olga said, we are constantly being scrutinized for everything we do and say. I know what a politician feels like!! We are constantly given all the platitudes by people. No one knows the future, only God does. I don't know that 'everything will be fine' and neither do you. That is why 'cancer parents' do not tell each other that; none of us know that. I have learned (the hard way) not to give those platitudes to others; it does NOT make them feel better; it is not what they want to hear. If you don't know what to say to someone, don't say anything; just love them and be there for them. If you can't be there for the Koury family, that is fine. If you still really want to know how David is doing, keep reading. If you stop reading......we will form our own conclusions on that one.
Thank you for your time. Thank you for reading and being there for us. Have a good day. God bless each and every one of you. We love you.
Kristi and the Koury Klan
Childhood cancer is devastating and creates unique pressures on the whole family. (I didn't make these up, I researched 'Childhood Cancer Facts' and found these.)
Monday, June 8, 2009
Monday, June 8, 2009
Good evening. Today was a beautiful day. We were outside watching the thunderstorm! It was so gorgeous!
I want to say thank you to Olga, Drema, Suzanna, and others, who have encouraged me in the guestbook and through email. You are the ones who truly understand what we are going through. Others, bless their hearts, just don't understand. When they tell me that everyone is in the same boat as us, they are belittling what we are going through. I am sure they don't mean to, but the end result is the same. Like I said, we are struggling financially not just because of the economy; but we have the double whammy of the economy AND a child with a life-threatening illness. I lost my income when David was diagnosed. There are some issues I am dealing with concerning that whole situation. The traveling has cost us 10's of thousands of dollars (that we don't have, by the way). I know for a fact that not everyone is in the same boat as we are. We don't have a pediatric oncology close, so our travel expenses were astronomical. Our income went down, and our expenses went up, exponentially. Again, when I am compared to 'everyone else' our situation is minimized. And our expenses are still going up, and our income is NOT (it is actually going down). We have to travel every month to oncology appointments. We have to travel every 3 months for scans. We have to travel every 6 months for surgery. We found out (the hard way) that we CANNOT make the surgery coincide with the scans; that is WAY too hard on David. Then we have to travel for staple removal and post-op. I am not trying to make you 'feel sorry for me,' I will gladly do what I have to do to keep David alive. But that is not the point. I also know that there are people out there who are worse off than me. But to tell me I am in the same situation as the average person just hurts me because it is belittling what we are going through. I know a lot of people have lost their homes because of the economy; but if we were to lose ours that would be tragic! David would lose his youth, his innocence, his health, AND his home?!?! Give me a break!! We understand the hardship of the economy; we have been there. We have been unemployed (with 3 young children); we have been below poverty level; and we survived. But we would trade places with anyone who has healthy children; even if they are in the financial position we are in. All you parents out there, please don't take your healthy children for granted. I know I used to. I don't anymore. Please continue to pray for us. I have never asked for money; my pride gets in the way of that. Plus, I got criticized for even putting the bank account on this site. I was told he is my child, it is up to me to raise (and take care of) him. But we are struggling, BIG TIME!!! I just request your prayers. Thank you.
David did great in PT today. Linda was impressed; he is doing more work. He is getting stronger; which is what we wanted before surgery. And his extension is down to 19 degrees!! That is the best he has ever been! He sits on the table and straightens his leg as straight as he can (hanging, not laying on the table). I hope that makes sense. Anyway, he is getting it straighter; meaning he is getting stronger. We are so proud of the work he does. It is paying off. He might lose a few degrees with surgery, but he will get it back faster this time. He is such a trooper. He tries so hard, wonderful child that he is! So it was a great day in PT today.
Well, that is about all that is happening around here. Thank you for your prayers. Thank you for being there for all of us. Thank you for listening. Have a good evening. God bless you all. We love you.
Kristi and the Koury Klan
Childhood cancer is devastating and creates unique pressures on the whole family.
I want to say thank you to Olga, Drema, Suzanna, and others, who have encouraged me in the guestbook and through email. You are the ones who truly understand what we are going through. Others, bless their hearts, just don't understand. When they tell me that everyone is in the same boat as us, they are belittling what we are going through. I am sure they don't mean to, but the end result is the same. Like I said, we are struggling financially not just because of the economy; but we have the double whammy of the economy AND a child with a life-threatening illness. I lost my income when David was diagnosed. There are some issues I am dealing with concerning that whole situation. The traveling has cost us 10's of thousands of dollars (that we don't have, by the way). I know for a fact that not everyone is in the same boat as we are. We don't have a pediatric oncology close, so our travel expenses were astronomical. Our income went down, and our expenses went up, exponentially. Again, when I am compared to 'everyone else' our situation is minimized. And our expenses are still going up, and our income is NOT (it is actually going down). We have to travel every month to oncology appointments. We have to travel every 3 months for scans. We have to travel every 6 months for surgery. We found out (the hard way) that we CANNOT make the surgery coincide with the scans; that is WAY too hard on David. Then we have to travel for staple removal and post-op. I am not trying to make you 'feel sorry for me,' I will gladly do what I have to do to keep David alive. But that is not the point. I also know that there are people out there who are worse off than me. But to tell me I am in the same situation as the average person just hurts me because it is belittling what we are going through. I know a lot of people have lost their homes because of the economy; but if we were to lose ours that would be tragic! David would lose his youth, his innocence, his health, AND his home?!?! Give me a break!! We understand the hardship of the economy; we have been there. We have been unemployed (with 3 young children); we have been below poverty level; and we survived. But we would trade places with anyone who has healthy children; even if they are in the financial position we are in. All you parents out there, please don't take your healthy children for granted. I know I used to. I don't anymore. Please continue to pray for us. I have never asked for money; my pride gets in the way of that. Plus, I got criticized for even putting the bank account on this site. I was told he is my child, it is up to me to raise (and take care of) him. But we are struggling, BIG TIME!!! I just request your prayers. Thank you.
David did great in PT today. Linda was impressed; he is doing more work. He is getting stronger; which is what we wanted before surgery. And his extension is down to 19 degrees!! That is the best he has ever been! He sits on the table and straightens his leg as straight as he can (hanging, not laying on the table). I hope that makes sense. Anyway, he is getting it straighter; meaning he is getting stronger. We are so proud of the work he does. It is paying off. He might lose a few degrees with surgery, but he will get it back faster this time. He is such a trooper. He tries so hard, wonderful child that he is! So it was a great day in PT today.
Well, that is about all that is happening around here. Thank you for your prayers. Thank you for being there for all of us. Thank you for listening. Have a good evening. God bless you all. We love you.
Kristi and the Koury Klan
Childhood cancer is devastating and creates unique pressures on the whole family.
Monday, June 8, 2009
Good morning. Quick update. I am getting ready to take David to Physical Therapy. I will let you know how it goes. Please pray that he has a good session. Thanks.
Kristi and the Koury Klan
Kristi and the Koury Klan
Friday, June 5, 2009
Friday, June 5, 2009
Good evening. It is cold and windy and gorgeous here. We actually have a fire in the fireplace (wood-burning stove) as I write this. It has been raining, and we love the rain.
We got a call from UCSF today about David's upcoming surgery. We will have a pre-op phone call on June 18th. David's surgery will be June 22nd at 7:30am. We check in at 6:30am. That is why we have to go the day before. They have him set to spend the night in the hospital~~but we will see about that. We don't want to have to spend the night in the hospital, but last time we had a hard time managing his pain, so I was wishing he were in the hospital with the IV pain meds that work better than the oral ones. So we will see how it goes this time. We will play it by ear and see how he does. Please pray for him as he prepares for yet another surgery. I am so tired of my baby being put through all this. Then to know that he has to have the entire implant replaced in the next year or so just sucks!! How much is one child supposed to have to go through?!?! So that is the info as I know it about his next surgery.
He is doing ok. Earlier this week he had a pretty bad day. His stomach hurt him very badly for several hours. It was very frustrating. I really hate those days. It is so difficult for us to see him in pain like that. He couldn't walk or even stand for very long. So he just laid around until he felt better. He is feeling better now, so that is good.
I didn't post for a few days because we were very busy. I cannot say what we were doing, because I will be criticized for it. People who don't have a child with cancer do NOT understand decisions we make, so they feel the need to criticize me for them. So I choose to not post them here. Rest assured, we enjoyed some 'family time' together. We have had a year from hell and we are still trying to recover from it. Just being together is very important to us, so we spent some time together. I just chose not to post during that time. We don't have to do anything special, just be together. So we did. Thank you for your concern, things are ok.
Also, David had found a lump on his skull that we were watching. We know osteo spreads to lungs (been there) and other bones, so we didn't know what it was. We decided to not say anything, but just watch it. Well, it went away, praise God!! It is hard for us to accept that our lives have forever been changed. We can't just feel a lump and not panic!! We try not to, but it is really hard. So we have been dealing with things I just don't post. Sorry to worry you all. We are ok. We still need lots of prayers, mainly for financial issues. I know the economy is bad so lots of people are struggling; but we have the economy and a child with a life-threatening illness to contend with. We really appreciate the prayers. Thank you.
Thank you for visiting and for posting in the guestbook. Thank you for your love and prayers. Have a good night. God bless you all. We love you.
Kristi and the Koury Klan
Several childhood cancers continue to have a very poor prognosis, including: brain stem tumors, metastatic sarcomas (that is what David has), relapsed acute lymphoblastic leukemia, and relapsed non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.
We got a call from UCSF today about David's upcoming surgery. We will have a pre-op phone call on June 18th. David's surgery will be June 22nd at 7:30am. We check in at 6:30am. That is why we have to go the day before. They have him set to spend the night in the hospital~~but we will see about that. We don't want to have to spend the night in the hospital, but last time we had a hard time managing his pain, so I was wishing he were in the hospital with the IV pain meds that work better than the oral ones. So we will see how it goes this time. We will play it by ear and see how he does. Please pray for him as he prepares for yet another surgery. I am so tired of my baby being put through all this. Then to know that he has to have the entire implant replaced in the next year or so just sucks!! How much is one child supposed to have to go through?!?! So that is the info as I know it about his next surgery.
He is doing ok. Earlier this week he had a pretty bad day. His stomach hurt him very badly for several hours. It was very frustrating. I really hate those days. It is so difficult for us to see him in pain like that. He couldn't walk or even stand for very long. So he just laid around until he felt better. He is feeling better now, so that is good.
I didn't post for a few days because we were very busy. I cannot say what we were doing, because I will be criticized for it. People who don't have a child with cancer do NOT understand decisions we make, so they feel the need to criticize me for them. So I choose to not post them here. Rest assured, we enjoyed some 'family time' together. We have had a year from hell and we are still trying to recover from it. Just being together is very important to us, so we spent some time together. I just chose not to post during that time. We don't have to do anything special, just be together. So we did. Thank you for your concern, things are ok.
Also, David had found a lump on his skull that we were watching. We know osteo spreads to lungs (been there) and other bones, so we didn't know what it was. We decided to not say anything, but just watch it. Well, it went away, praise God!! It is hard for us to accept that our lives have forever been changed. We can't just feel a lump and not panic!! We try not to, but it is really hard. So we have been dealing with things I just don't post. Sorry to worry you all. We are ok. We still need lots of prayers, mainly for financial issues. I know the economy is bad so lots of people are struggling; but we have the economy and a child with a life-threatening illness to contend with. We really appreciate the prayers. Thank you.
Thank you for visiting and for posting in the guestbook. Thank you for your love and prayers. Have a good night. God bless you all. We love you.
Kristi and the Koury Klan
Several childhood cancers continue to have a very poor prognosis, including: brain stem tumors, metastatic sarcomas (that is what David has), relapsed acute lymphoblastic leukemia, and relapsed non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.
Friday, June 5, 2009
Good afternoon.
Sorry I haven't updated in a while. Please keep us in your prayers. I will post again later. Thanks for visiting.
Kristi and the Koury Klan
Sorry I haven't updated in a while. Please keep us in your prayers. I will post again later. Thanks for visiting.
Kristi and the Koury Klan
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