Thursday, December 31, 2009

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

I hope you all have a great 2010. I am praying that it is a better year for us. We will start out the year with scans on the 6th. I am definitely feeling the stress of the upcoming scans. I posted on my Facebook that I hope 2009 is better that 2010 was!! My dear friend, Olga, let me know I had it backwards!! Thanks, Olga. Yup, scanxiety is living at my house!! I am praying that we all have a better year. You are all in my prayers!

David just had a lazy day today. He just played video games all day. He has been complaining about the cold bothering his knee. Poor kid; 15 years old and he has 'old man' knees! Well, just the one knee. Little things that none of us even thought about before. When he was having the surgeries, all we were focusing on was getting rid of the cancer. I just never thought that he would be bothered by the cold! *sigh* Just one more thing he has to learn to deal with.

We are counting our blessings. We are all alive, we have a roof over our heads (for now), we are warm (thank you again for the wood, Alan), we have food in our bellies, and there is still snow on the ground!! Our biggest request right now is that David's scans come back clear. Please pray that they come back clear. Thank you in advance.

I hope and pray that you all have a great New Year as you celebrate it however you are celebrating it! We are just staying home. Thank you for visiting and checking in on David and the Koury Klan. Thank you for your love, prayers, and encouragement to us. God bless you all. We love you.

Kristi and the Koury Klan

Childhood cancer is devastating and creates unique pressures on the whole family.

Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Good evening.

I forgot to tell you two things last night. One, it was snowing!!! Jennifer had a white birthday! So the roads were all white again this morning. Two, David ate 9 enchiladas!! Yep, you read that right~~~9!!! I could NOT believe he kept going back for more! He is doing great in the eating category~~for the most part.

David did pretty good in PT today. It was freezing when he got out, the therapy pool room is VERY warm! But the car warmed up fast. Then we went home and David showered. Then he wanted to spend his Christmas money at Game Stop, so I took him. He bought a game he really wanted! Drema, thank you so much for the money you sent him! After that I had to run to Costco to get some dog food. Then we came home and I made David lunch. He ate 12 Bagel Bites for lunch. See, he is eating pretty good. He didn't eat that great for dinner, but that is ok. Overall, he had a pretty good day. He is such a trooper.

Tomorrow he has PT again. Last week having PT three days in a row was very difficult for him. Please pray that he does well. Thank you.

This coming March is St. Baldrick's again. That is where people shave their heads to raise money for Childhood Cancer research. Last year Jennifer shaved her head and raised over $1,000, by herself!! This year Jennifer, Rachel, and I are all going to shave our heads. We are doing it in honor of David. We are called "Team David". It is money that will, hopefully, help find a cure for Osteosarcoma. Contrary to what some people believe; St. Jude's does not do ALL the research for Childhood Cancer. Other organizations need money, too. When the 'paperwork' is all done for having David be a featured child I will post a link to it. Rachel and I are scared to do this, but we want to do it in honor of David. We want to do something to help raise money for the best cause out there (in my opinion). Other cancers have fundraisers; and lots more money; and we believe that the children need the money. We need to find a cure for Childhood Cancers!! These children have just begun to live, and way too many of them are dying!! Be looking forward for the link!

That is about it for today. Thank you for checking in on David and the Koury Klan. Have a good night. Thank you for your prayers, and love. God bless you all. We love you.

Kristi and the Koury Klan

Being happy doesn't mean everything is perfect. It means you've decided to see beyond the imperfections.

Monday, December 28, 2009

Good evening.

First things first~~HAPPY BIRTHDAY JENNIFER!! Today is my older daughter's birthday.

David had PT this morning. He did ok, not great. Some of the exercises were causing him pain, and had to be modified. He has PT in the pool tomorrow, and then in the office again on Wednesday. He is walking better, but his knee still wants to buckle a lot on him. The quad muscles he has left are just not strong enough. I know it will just be a matter of time.

Jeremy and Lucy came over for dinner for Jennifer's birthday dinner. She wanted me to make Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas, so that is what I made. Then she had a Funfetti cake with strawberry frosting. It was good to have Jeremy and Lucy over for dinner.

Please pray for David tomorrow as he does PT. He is dealing with some pain with PT, but he knows he still has to do it.

Please remember to continue to pray for all our requests. We are getting a rather severe case of scanxiety with David's scans next week. Please pray that they come back clear! Thanks.

Thank you for checking in on David and the Koury Klan. Thank you for all your prayers and encouragement. God bless you all. We love you.

Kristi and the Koury Klan

Courage is being afraid but going on anyhow. ~Dan Rather

Saturday, December 26, 2009

Good evening.

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas. We did. We had a dinner provided to us by Century 21. YAY, and THANK YOU!! And we had some dear friends bring a bunch of gifts to us, thank you Claudia and Gerry! The kids woke us up around 6-ish. Then we went downstairs and got a fire going. Then we read the Christmas story from the Bible (Luke 2:1-20). Rachel read it this year. Then we proceeded to open gifts. It only took us about an hour for all 7 of us to open gifts. We do it one at a time so we can all ooohhh and aaahhh at each gift the others receive. Then I made the traditional breakfast burritos for breakfast. Then we had the turkey in the oven by 9-ish. Then it was a day of enjoying being all together; and enjoying a wonderful Christmas dinner. Jeremy and Lucy left around 7-ish; and you will never guess what we did after they left! We took the tree down. I love putting the tree up early, and having time to enjoy it. But then as soon as Christmas is over, I am done with the tree. So Bryon and I took the tree down. Plus, Monday is Jennifer's birthday, so we need to be 'done' with Christmas and focus on her! We have always let her decide if she wants the tree down by her birthday; and sometimes she wants it down and sometimes she wants it up. This year she said she didn't care; so we took it down. It is nice to have my family room back. I have all the other decorations still up, just the tree is down. So we are ready for Jennifer's birthday, and the new year!

It is still very cold here. There is a storm coming in~~~more snow!! We still have the snow we got 3 weeks ago! That is so unusual for us; usually we get snow and then it melts, more snow and it melts, more snow and it melts, etc. But after it snowed 3 weeks ago, the temperatures dropped so low (-15) that the snow just froze very solid! So we did have a wonderful white Christmas!

We got some more wood today, thank you Alan!!! We were pretty much out, and so the delivery today was a huge blessing! We appreciate the wood so very much; more than we can say.

Please pray for the family of another Osteo family member. His name is Darren, and he was 17 years old. He died yesterday, Christmas Day. We have lost so many children this year that I have lost count. Please remember to pray for Darren's family, and all the other families who have lost children. Thank you.

We are praying for a good 2010. We haven't had a good year in quite a while. 2007 started out fantastic!! It had the potential to be a wonderful year. Then David was diagnosed with this monster we call Cancer. 2008 pretty much sucked! 2009 had the potential to be a good year Then David's prosthesis broke, and he had to have the revision; an unplanned major surgery. 2010 will start out with scans on Jan 6 (Bryon's birthday), so it has the potential to start out wonderful~~~with clear scans! I am praying for a good year this next year. David still might have a surgery or two to lengthen his leg (and of course the every 3 month scans), but we want nothing MAJOR to go wrong with him. Of course, the rest of our life could fall apart; but I am going to pray that it doesn't!!! We are so ready for a good year with all good news; clear scans all year; financial reversal (back to the way it was BC); maybe a grandbaby; etc. Please join me in my prayer requests. Thank you.

Well, I need to go make dinner (leftover Quilter's Soup). I pray you all have a wonderful night. Thank you for checking in on David and the Koury Klan. God bless you. We love you.

Kristi and the Koury Klan

The wise man in the storm prays to God, not for safety from danger, but for deliverance from fear. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Thursday, December 24, 2009

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

I just want to say a quick Merry Christmas to all of you. Have a great day tomorrow.

Thank you, Century 21, for the Christmas dinner you provided for us. It is a blessing.

God bless all of you. Have a very Merry Christmas.

Kristi and the Koury Klan

Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Good evening.

Today was a busy day.....again. I got to continue benefiting from the birthday present from my daughters; my nail appointment was this morning. Then as soon as I got home I had to take David to PT. He had a rather rough morning at PT. I am thinking that 3 days in a row is just too much for him. He was very tired and exhausted trying to do all his exercises today. When we got home he was still pretty tired. He came home and took a shower and put his jammies back on. Then I did some more baking. Oh, the PT office loved all the goodies we brought. They were all pretty excited about David's biscotti. And they loved Rachel's fudge! Anyway, I did some more baking today. And the usual many loads of laundry. And the dishes. And keeping the fire going. And the taking care of David, which is my favorite part!! I couldn't make all the cranberry bread I want to make because I ran out of eggs. We will get some tomorrow and I will finish up the baking. Good thing I love to bake!

We heard from Oakland Children's Hospital today, David's scans are set for January 6, 2010; which happens to be Bryon's birthday. He told David that the best birthday present he could get from David would be clear scans. Please be in prayer for David to have clear scans! The scanxiety has set in!! We have to be in Oakland at 10:30 to check in; then David has the injection for the bone scan at 11am, the CT scan at 12pm, then the bone scan at 2pm. Connie wants us to come in for a check-up, too. Hopefully we will have some preliminary information about the scans that same day. It will be a long day, but at least we won't have to spend the night. Thank you in advance for the prayers!!

I want to thank everyone who took the time to write and encourage me! And I am taking it to heart, and I agree with you all. I need to just let it go, and let God take care of it. Those people are not worth my time and energy. Just sometimes I get so discouraged and depressed; and I just get overwhelmed with everything. Having a child with a life-threatening illness is just so taxing on a parent! I just wanted you all to know I appreciate and love you all. Thank you for getting me 'back on track' with what I need to be focusing on. Keep up the good work!

I am so thankful that we are able to enjoy our Christmas this year, home! We have the right priorities and the proper perspective. I have admitted before that I sooo took my children's health for granted. I don't anymore. I don't even take the ability to walk for granted anymore. My poor son has to think about every step he takes. He can't just walk 'mindlessly' like we do; he has to concentrate on every step. For those of you with children~~~give then an extra big hug tonight. Please cherish every day you have, you never know when it might be the last.

Well, that is about it for tonight. Thank you for visiting and checking in on David and the Koury Klan. God bless you. We love you.

Kristi and the Koury Klan

He who fears something gives it power over him. ~Moorish Proverb

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Good evening. I hope everyone is doing good this evening.

It is beautiful and very cold. It snowed last night, and some today. We are still hoping for a white Christmas. The snow is still hanging around here, so it is possible that it will still be here on Christmas. Especially because the highs are only going to be in the low 30's all week. And single-digit lows!! YAY! We are happy about that.

David has had a busy week so far. He went to PT on Monday, and did good. Then he had PT in the pool today, and, again, did good. Then tomorrow he has PT in the office again. Then he has a 4 day break from PT. He is happy about that. He just finished making some biscotti for the PT office. We will be bringing them some goodies tomorrow. Rachel and I have made a bunch of cookies, and tonight Rachel made fudge. So we are pretty set for giving goodies out for Christmas. We will just have to make more if we actually want to have any, ha-ha!

Sara is home, thank you for your prayers. She is still in pain, but she is healing. Please continue to pray for her pain to diminish; thanks.

Not a lot is happening around here. We still REALLY need your prayers. Our 'special request' is not getting better; in fact, it is getting worse. Please, please, we covet your prayers. We want to be in God's will, we just aren't sure what that is right now. I can't go into details at this point; but we are at risk of losing everything. Please pray for us. Thank you.

I would appreciate prayer for me, specifically, too. I am dealing with a lot of issues. Stuff that was said to me a LONG time ago keeps rearing its ugly head. I was told I was wrong to ask for financial help (by putting David's account number on this website). I was told he is my son to raise, God gave him to me to take care of and it is not up to others to help me pay for his expenses. But this person has NO idea what it cost to have a critically ill child. Sure, he is out of active treatment now (except for continued surgeries), but his expenses are still on-going! All you 'cancer parents' know exactly what I am talking about. The medication, doctor visits, trips to Oakland, etc. And there is no end in sight! I will do whatever I have to do to keep David alive, but our family is on a very slippery slope right now. All that to say, please pray for me/us. Thank you so much.

Thank you all for being here. Thank you for your love, prayers, and support. And I don't say that lightly! I mean it from the bottom of my heart. I don't know what I would do without all of you guys. Like I have said before, we have lost so many people in our lives over this journey. But they were people that I don't need, or want, in my life anyway. People have shown their true colors; and some are 'punishing' David for the way they feel about me. How sad is that? But we know that David is better off without those people anyway. I just want all you faithful readers to know how much I appreciate you! Some (most) of you I don't even know! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!

Well, you all have a great night. Again, thank you for being there for us. Thank you for your encouragement, and your love. God bless you all. We love you.

Kristi and the Koury Klan

Cancer treatment can cause serious side effects that may last a lifetime

Saturday, December 19, 2009

Good evening.

It was a busy day today, as usual. David pretty much had a lazy day. He played games for most of the day. We did go to church tonight~~it was very good. David ate ok, not great, but ok. Yesterday he ate great! Well, for lunch anyway. He had 8 tacos! Yes, you read that right, 8. He told me he wanted 3 (they were leftovers from dinner the other night), so I gave him 4. Then he wanted 2 more; then he wanted 2 more!!!! I couldn't believe he ate so much. Then he went to PT, and got a stomach ache. PT in the afternoon is hard for him. But he still did his best, which is all we ask of him. Then on the way home I stopped at Dutch Bros. for him and got him an iced Milky Way coffee (I keep a container of change in my car for just such an occasion!). So it was a special treat for him after working so hard at PT.

Today was busy for me and Rachel. We baked today! We made the dough for one batch of cookies that have to chill for 3-4 days. Then I made banana bread. Then the two of us made Snowball Cookies (yes, they are the same as Mexican Wedding Cakes and Russian Tea Cakes), Cherry Snowball Cookies, Sugar Cookies (Rachel had fun with the cookie cutters), and jam-filled Thumbprint Cookies. We still have quite a bit of baking left to do, but that is all we did for today. Whew. Busy day; but I had fun with my daughter. So we will be doing some more baking tomorrow; and every night after work.

Sara had all her tubes removed, and was hoping to go home today. I haven't heard, so I don't know if she is at home or not. Please pray for her pain to go away. This is a very painful surgery; I remember David's thoracotomies! Thank you for your prayers.

Please remember all our Osteo family members who are 'celebrating' this Christmas without their precious children this year. Thank you.

I am so thankful that we are not in the hospital for Christmas this year, like we were in 2007;

and I am thankful that we are not looking at another surgery a few days after Christmas, like last year. This year we just get to celebrate Christmas with the 7 of us enjoying being together. Relaxing and no looming surgery hanging over our heads. Of course, David's scans are sometime in January, but we don't know when, yet. I will keep you posted!

Thank you for all your prayers. Please keep praying for our finances and our 'special request.' We appreciate it so much.

Another answer to prayer, we got some firewood on Friday! Thank you Alan! Our house is warmer than it has been in a week! We appreciate the wood!!

Thank you for visiting and checking in on David and the Koury Klan. Have a good night. God bless you all. We love you.

Kristi and the Koury Klan

If you're going through hell, keep going. ~Winston Churchill

Thursday, December 17, 2009

Good evening.

It has definitely warmed up here, our highs are in the high 30's-40ish.

David is doing ok. He still gets tired pretty easily. His stamina is just not there, still. He is eating pretty good~~~still forcing himself. He still has some better days eating wise, and some not so good days. I think because he gained the weight he is slowing down some. He just did what he did to avoid the feeding tube, and now he is not eating quite as much. But at least he is still eating, so we are happy. He is trying so hard to get caught up with school~~he could still really use your prayers in that area! He just gets so overwhelmed sometimes. He is such a smart kid, and he has always done so well in school before. *sigh* It is just so frustrating for him. He is trying so hard. He might have to do work over Christmas break! Poor guy. He just can't catch a break. If he didn't have to spend time with surgeries, scans, doctors appointments, PT, and just plain fatigue, he would be doing GREAT!! I guess in time.

Please continue to pray for our 'special request,' we haven't heard any news lately. I will let you know when we find something out.

Please pray for Sara, she is recovering from her thoracotomy; she had the surgery on Monday. Please pray that she can have the chest tube removed soon, and that she can go home soon. Thank you. Also, please remember to keep Holly in your prayers as she goes through her treatment for her recurred lymphoma. Thank you so much.

David did pretty good in PT yesterday, and he has PT again tomorrow. No pool this week, it is a long story. So he has PT tomorrow afternoon; not when he is at his best! He is tired by afternoon. Oh well. It is what it is.

Thank you for visiting and checking in on David and the Koury Klan. Thank you for being there for us. Thank you for the love, prayers, and support. God bless you all. We love you.

Kristi and the Koury Klan

At a time when breakthroughs can be made in treating all childhood cancer and the quality of life for children with cancer improved, the continued decline in government funding will endanger the development of new clinical trials and threaten progress in curing childhood cancer.

Sunday, December 13, 2009

Good evening.

The weather has warmed up some. I am glad that the nights are warmer, but I will miss the snow if it all melts before Christmas!! I pray it doesn't all melt before Christmas. We really want a white Christmas! But with us running out of wood, it is nice that the days are somewhat warmer.

David has had a busy couple of days. Saturdays always seem to be so busy. We had to do some shopping, some running around, and then we went to church. Oh, and it snowed most of the day, too. Then after church we came home and had dinner. It just was a very busy day. Church was good.

All my plans fell threw today for lunch. I was planning on making chili, but there was one ingredient I forgot to buy. By the time I showered and got ready, it was too late to make the chili for lunch. So we figured we would go to a local store and get some pre-made fajita mix. Well, I had to go to Walmart to get a couple things, and when we went to the market for the fajita mix, they didn't have any. So I ended up making tacos for lunch. So I had to do plan C for lunch, but it was still good. I still made the chili, and it will be leftovers this week. So today was a rather disappointing day (lunch wise). We all really wanted fajitas!! *sigh*

Tomorrow is David's appointment with Connie to check on his weight. He has been eating a LOT more than before, and I think he has gained about 5 pounds! We will get the official word tomorrow. Connie did say that David still might need some therapy to figure out all the 'why's' of David's not wanting to eat without the Megace. I still have a theory~~~for the past 2 years his life has been so out of his control, and the only thing he has control over is his eating. That is the one area where no one can force him to do something he doesn't want to do. I put 2 and 2 together because he is alot like me. I went the other way he went, and I ate and got overweight. I had the control. We will probably be talking about getting him some therapy. I sure hope insurance will pay for it! Things are already pretty dire around here, we sure don't need something else we can't afford! Of course, David is important, and we will do whatever we have to do to get him healthy; in EVERY way. I told Connie I am worried about him being dependant on the Megace to eat, and Connie said that, #1 we will wean him off it; and #2 she is more worried about his health and heart by him not eating. Please pray we can get all this mess figured out and fixed. Thanks.

Well, thank you for visiting and checking in on David and the Koury Klan. Have a good night, and a good day tomorrow. I will post and let you know how David's appointment went. God bless you all. We love you.

Kristi and the Koury Klan

“Life is a promise; fulfill it.” — MOTHER THERESA

Thursday, December 10, 2009

Good evening.

We had a lot of fun at the Christmas party last night. Partly because we knew more people. Going to our support group meetings has helped us get to know people at this annual party. It was really good food, too. The party was at the El Dorado and they have a great buffet. The food was rather 'kid friendly,' with mac and cheese, chicken strips, french fries, salad, rolls and butter, ravioli, ice cream sundae bar, punch, and I can't remember what else. I ate the salad and mac and cheese, and it was GREAT! David only ate 2 chicken strips. But we stopped at A&W on the way home for him. The Megace is working! But he is a picky eater, so it is a bit frustrating when he wants to eat, but doesn't know what! Right now Bryon, David, and I are just sitting drinking hot cocoa. He just finished snacking on some chips and dip. Sorry, I got off the subject. We all had a good time last night.

David had PT in the pool this morning. He did real well. He is stiff and sore now, but he did good. He is glad to be back in the pool. He hates the work, of course, but likes being in the pool. Last summer we spent a lot of time in the pool at home. So he was glad to be back in the pool. Then he came home and did school.

Our weather is warming up. Today our high was 19 degrees (yesterday was 15). Our low was only -5, yesterday morning it was -15!!!! We still have a LOT of snow, and we are expecting more tomorrow and Saturday. The roads are dry in spots, pretty darn icy is others. Our neighborhood is still pretty buried in snow! But our driveway is nice and dry! We have some beautiful icicles hanging from our house. I am praying for a white Christmas.

Bryon had to light the furnace tonight, just in case. The wood is almost gone. I am just praying we don't need to turn on the furnace, we can't afford to use the heat. Trying to heat a 2-story, 2550 sq.ft. house is not easy. If we want it to be warm downstairs, it is going to be hot upstairs! That will just not work. Hopefully we can get some wood, or God will just multiply the wood we have! Hey, it could happen!

Well, that is about it. Thank you for checking in on us. Thank you for your continued prayers, love, and support. Please don't give up on us!! Have a good evening. Sleep good tonight. God bless you all. We love you.

Kristi and the Koury Klan

Confucius said it best "The smallest gesture is better than the grandest intention"

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Good evening.

As I begin this entry it is 2 degrees outside! It got to -9 this morning. Brrrr. I love the cold. Not being out in it, but the cold. Then the sun came out~~~but it didn't get much warmer. I think the high today was around 14. But when the sun came out I went out and shoveled the driveway. I wanted to shovel the remaining snow (Bryon shoveled it twice yesterday), and break up the ice so it would melt in the sun. The gentleman across the street was shoveling his driveway, too, and he said we are lucky that our driveway faces South. I told him I agree; I am very happy our house faces South. He said his driveway will never melt. And I said awww, it will melt; sometime in the middle of Summer!! LOL. I came in from shoveling and I said I was hot (I was wearing long underwear, a sweatshirt, jeans, my heavy coat, and gloves) and David said, "It is 1 degree outside, how can you be hot?" He is such a goofball!! But it has been warm and cozy in the house today.

David had a good day. He is still very hoarse, but he feels ok. I will be surprised if he keeps his voice! The mornings are the worst for his voice. He ate ok. He is doing somewhat better at eating. Again, he is trying so hard. Then he had a full day of school. He stuck his head outside at one point today and said it is so cold it hurts to breathe. So he stayed inside, of course. We can't have him walking around outside any more than he needs to. We can't have him falling! That's for sure!

Tomorrow is our Christmas Party with the Northern Nevada Children's Cancer Foundation; formerly Angel Kiss and Keaton Raphael Memorial. It should be fun. This year it will just be the 3 of us, instead of the 7 of us. The other kids just can't get off work in time~~~the party starts at 5:30, and it is in Reno. Bryon worked late tonight so he can get off early tomorrow so we can get there in time. It is only from 5:30-7:30.

I forgot to tell you something funny David said yesterday. Remember, the forecast called for only 4-6 inches of snow. So the 16+" was quite a surprise, and the roads were pretty much a mess. At least they weren't icy. Anyway, as we were on our way home from PT there was a snow plow going north; I was driving south. David said, "Well, now there are the snow plows, but they are on the wrong side of the road!" He cracks me up sometimes. I suppose NDOT was scrambling to get the plows out as soon as they could. Bryon said today that the freeway is in really good shape. Our neighborhood is still pretty bad, but at least it is getting packed down. I do so love the snow. I was telling my children that I am so glad they grew up where there are 4 seasons; and snow. I was raised in Southern California where there are NOT 4 seasons. And I didn't live in the mountains and snow, like my children do. They learned how to drive in the snow when they learned how to drive! So they are good drivers in the snow. I am just thankful they get to experience living where there are 4 seasons.

Please continue to keep us all in your prayers. Pray for my family's safety as they are driving in this wonderful weather. Please pray for our wood situation. Bryon thinks we only have about 2-3 days left. Pray for our finances. And please continue to remember those families who have recently lost their children, and have to face this first Christmas without them. Thank you so much for you love, prayers, and support. We appreciate you all. God bless you all. We love you. Have a good night. {{HUGS}} By the way, it is now 1 degree!!

Kristi and the Koury Klan

"Kids aren't suppose to have cancer, they're suppose to have a future." - Jeff Foxworthy

Monday, December 7, 2009

Good evening.

Well, the weather forecast for us was 4"-6" of snow by this morning. They were WRONG! Very wrong! We woke up to 16", and it snowed pretty much all day. The snow all day was light, but steady. We are living in a beautiful winter wonderland!! Bryon, Jennifer, and Rachel all got sent home from work. All the schools were closed. I took David to PT; and my Honda Pilot did GREAT!! I have newish tires (about 7 months old); and they are beefy tires. I didn't slip or skid once! My tires got great traction. I just locked it into 4-wheel-drive, and drove slow and steady. It was such a beautiful day! I posted some pictures of our house this morning. Our low for tonight is predicted to be 0*!! Just a bit chilly, wouldn't you say? Please pray that our wood lasts. We are running really low, and Alan is not here to deliver some more. Please, please pray that we don't run out. Thanks.

David did pretty well in PT today. He didn't want to go, but he went and did his best. Linda was very surprised at how well he did on the balance board. His bend is 105*, so we are very happy with that. We aren't going to worry about getting it better at this point. Dr. O said he would be happy with 90*, so David is fine where he is at. Linda said that 105* is good for riding a bike, which David did. He got very tired, but he did good.

David also ate pretty good today, too. For breakfast he had a piece of toast. For lunch he had some nachos with guacamole. For dinner he had some turkey, stuffing, and cranberry sauce. He actually had a 2nd helping of turkey!! He said today was a perfect day for chili, but I said 'sorry, I am making a turkey breast' and he was happy with that! So he did pretty good today. Thank you for your continued prayers in that category.

He said his leg is a bit stiff, more so than usual. I know it is because of the PT, but he will get used to it again. He has PT in the pool on Thursday. It is good to get him back in the groove of PT again. It is amazing how fast the muscles atrophy! His knee buckles on him quite a bit again. We can't wait until that stops; when his quads are stronger.

Well, that is about it for today. Thank you for visiting and checking in on David and the Koury Klan. Please remember to pray for our firewood situation. Please pray for all the families who have lost their children this year. As we all prepare for Christmas, these families have to prepare for a Christmas without their precious children. I am sure this is going to be a very difficult time. Thank you. Have a good evening. God bless you all. We love you.

Kristi and the Koury Klan


Cancer treatment can cause serious side effects that may last a lifetime

Sunday, December 6, 2009

First and foremost~~~Happy Anniversary Jeremy and Lucy. Today is my son
and daughter-in-love's 6th anniversary.

Good evening. IT IS SNOWING!!! It is so beautiful. We woke up to a cold,
mostly cloudy, windy day. In church we could here the wind picking up and
howling (we were sitting close to a window). We could see the storm coming
over the mountains on the way home. Then, when we were almost home, it
started snowing. Lightly, at first. It was so windy that the snow was
pretty much blowing sideways. Then we went to a place called Red's for
lunch; compliments of David's PT office. They gave David a gift card for
that place. It was very yummy!! David ate a little over 1/2 of his
hamburger; so we were happy about that. It has pretty much been snowing
ever since. It is accumulating on the ground; woo-hoo!! And it is COLD!
But, again, we have a nice warm fire going.

Yesterday was a pretty good day. The kids went to sushi for lunch. The
girls said that David ate pretty good. I can tell he is forcing himself to
eat. But we figure that if he forces himself and eats more, maybe he will
feel better and want to eat more, then he will feel better and want to eat
more, etc. We sooooo hope to avoid the feeding tube! When they got home
from sushi we went and got a little (2 feet high) real tree for the living
room. David says he misses having a real tree, with the smell and all, so
we said we would get a small one for the living room. It is on a table, so
it looks really cute in there. We spend most of our time in the family
room; where the fake tree is; but the living room is kinda my 'retreat'
room. I like to go in there when I just want to be alone and have some
peace and quiet. It is a very peaceful room. Anyway, after we got home
from that we went to church. The church is all decorated and looks great!
I am looking forward to each Saturday night service this month. They have
a different Christmas 'theme' each week. Saturday night was 'Youth' night;
more contemporary music and the younger children were in the service for
the singing part. Next week will be a 'Country' Christmas theme. Then the
following week will be a 'Classic' Christmas theme. I will let you know
how those go. The message was about 'Following the Star.' It was good.
Then we came home and David had 3 leftover enchiladas! I am happy to see
him eat. He really likes my pork enchiladas. And that was Saturday.

Church this morning was good. David doesn't always feel like going, but he
went today. He probably shouldn't have gone, though. He is feeling ok, but
loosing his voice. He has a cold, and now he is getting hoarse. But I am
glad we went. The sermon was about something Bryon and I have talked
about, many times. It was about God's omnipotence. We know God CAN do
anything; it just doesn't mean He will. That can be such a struggle for
us, sometimes. Pretty much God does what He wants. I know that what He
does He has a reason for, but that is just really hard to swallow
sometimes. It was a really good sermon. Then for dinner David ate 10
chicken nuggets. He didn't really know what he wanted to eat, and I found
some frozen chicken nuggets in the freezer outside, and he ate 10. So that
was good. It is very obvious to me that he is trying really hard. Clearly
he wants to avoid the feeding tube, too! Can't say as I blame him!! It is
so hard to sit and watch your child suffer with having a feeding tube
shoved down their nose into their stomach. It is so hard for him to drink,
to help the tube down, while he is gagging! Please continue to pray that
we can avoid the tube!! Thank you.

Well, that about takes care of the weekend. Tomorrow David has PT at
8:45am. I am glad I have a four-wheel-drive vehicle!! Please pray that he
doesn't have too difficult of a time at PT tomorrow. He is NOT looking
forward to it. And please continue to pray for his schooling. Pray he
isn't too tired after PT tomorrow; it usually pretty much wipes him
out~~~with his lack of energy and all. And please continue to pray that he
can eat the protein that he needs, and his heart will heal itself. Thank
you sooooo much.

I have another prayer request for you. The gentleman who gives us our
wood, Alan, is in Southern California because his brother is dying of
cancer. Please pray for Alan and Ron. Thank you.

Thank you for visiting and checking in on David and the Koury Klan. Have a
good evening. God bless you all. We love you.

Kristi and the Koury Klan

Childhood Cancers are cancers that primarily affect children, teens, and
young adults. When cancer strikes children and young adults it affects
them differently than it would an adult.

Friday, December 4, 2009

Good evening.

It has been a beautiful, cold day here today. Snow is in the forecast;
along with a low temp. of 7! Yep, you read that correctly, 7 degrees.
Thank you again, LifePoint, for all our firewood!! We are very cozy in the
house. David is so excited for the cold and snow.

David is doing ok with his eating. Not great, but ok. He ate most of his
breakfast, about 3/4 of lunch, and 3 leftover enchiladas for dinner. So
not too bad, for him. He is trying so hard, I feel so bad for him. The
more we remind him of how important it is that he eats, the more teary-
eyed and nauseous he gets! Just talking about food makes him nauseous. So
it is a real balancing act with him; saying enough without saying too
much. *sigh* Donna, David's Megace is a liquid. He says it tastes
horrible, and doesn't want to take it. So that is a semi battle we fight,
too. He knows he has to take it, but hates it. It is all such a mind game.
I am really tired of playing this game. This whole thing just really
sucks! I will play the game, I will fight tooth-and-nail to get my son
healthy. I will do whatever it takes. To say 'it's not fair' would be such
an understatement. Please continue to keep him in your prayers. Thank you.

We went to the Physical Therapy office today to set up David's new
schedule. He wants to get stronger, but really doesn't want to go to PT
again. But we are working on getting his leg stronger, we aren't worrying
so much about range of motion. We don't want to break another implant! So
we go bright and early Monday morning. The weeks are going to go by faster
now; with us being so busy! Christmas is going to seem to come so much
faster with us being busier. 3 days a week of PT; one of those days in the
pool! He really does like being in the pool. So that will be good.

Thank you for checking in on David and the Koury Klan. Thank you for all
the prayers. 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.

Thursday, December 3, 2009

Good afternoon. Yep, winter has arrived here in Carson City, NV!! And I am
NOT complaining! It is supposed to be snowing here in a couple of days,
yay! We are nice and cozy in our house, so let the storms come!

David is hanging in there. Thank you to all of you who have had the
experience with the Megace. I hope it works for David as well as it did
for your children. So far, I don't see any change. He is trying harder,
tho. He forces breakfast down. Well, today it was only 1/2 a bagel. I
don't know how long it takes for the Megace to work, any ideas? The
leaflet that came with it said it could take several weeks; is that true?
I mean, that seems like a long time. Connie wants to see him in 2 weeks;
well just a week and a 1/2 now. He doesn't have several weeks for it to
work. Like I said, she is worried about his heart and his lack of protein.
And, to add insult to injury, he isn't feeling well. He asked me if a sore
throat is a side effect of the medicine. I told him it is not listed as
one (but increased appetite and weight gain are, go figure). He said he is
also kind of achy all over. Last night we used the humidifier in his room,
but he still has a sore throat. We live in a VERY dry climate, so it is
easy to get a sore throat. Then today he sneezed and said it really hurt
his sinuses. So I am thinking he is just getting a cold. But it seems that
not feeling well takes his appetite away, too. Poor kid can't catch a
break!!! If it isn't one thing, it is another. *sigh* Please pray that the
medicine works quickly, and that David doesn't get sick. Thanks.

Other that that, things are going ok around here. David had a lot of fun
at Bible Study last night. He took a video on his iPhone of the doctor
removing the staples from his leg, and he showed it to his Bible Study
leader. AJ thought it was pretty gross. David just laughs. He is such a
quirky kid!! But we love him. He is doing his best to get caught up with
school. He is trying to get caught up and do the 'current' work so he
doesn't fall even more behind. If he could just stop having surgeries,
scans, and doctor appointments he would be good!! I guess that won't
happen for a LONG time, tho. Oh well. He is a trooper! He didn't ask for
the cards he was dealt, but he is just playing them the best he can. We
are so proud of him.

Have a great rest of your day, and evening. Thank you for checking in on
David and the Koury Klan. Thank you for your prayers. Please keep them
coming. God bless you all. We love you.

Kristi and the Koury Klan


Children with cancer are like candles in the wind who accept the
possibility that they are in danger of being extinguished by a gust of
wind from nowhere and yet, they flicker and dance to remain alive, their
brilliance challenges the darkness and dazzles those of us who watch their
light.