Monday, May 31, 2010

Good evening. It was a beautiful day today in Carson City, Nevada. It was windy, cloudy, and 72 degrees! Absolutely gorgeous!

So​rry I haven't written in awhile. It has been pretty busy around here.

David did good in pool therapy on Thursday; but he always does! Friday was a busy day, too. This weekend went by WAY too fast, as usual. Saturday was a very busy day, and then we went to the Aces game. It was a great game. They lost; 5-4, but it was still a great game. We had fantastic seats, thank you Make-A-Wish!! They were up in the suites above the 'regular' seats. The seats were even padded! It was fun. The only 'down' part (other than the Aces losing) was the gentlemen behind us was a jerk. They don't allow any profanity in the stadium (which is wonderful!)​, so it wasn't that, but he was just crude. I was so glad every time he left for awhile. We got to see Rick, T.J., and Amanda again. They all three came up to say hi, and Amanda gave us some great pictures that were taken when we were there last.

Then Sunday was another extremely busy day. We went to church, then had lunch, the 7 of us, then some grocery shopping.......​just busy, busy, busy. Then today was just a day to remember our war heroes who have sacrificed their lives for our freedom. And today was also a day of cleaning house~~~~ha​ven't had a chance all weekend. Then we had barbecued burgers, along with the potato salad I made this morning. David actually ate 2 servings of potato salad, and 1 1/2 burgers!! He hasn't eaten that much in a long time. I guess you have been praying for his appetite to pick up!! Thanks! So it has been extremely busy lately around here.

David is so glad to be almost done with school!! I am too, actually. Well, for him to be done. We want to do some things this summer; like go to the zoo, go to the lake, go to the park, etc. We will keep Emilee busy this summer! We have less than a month to do some things; before David's surgery. He will not be able to be as active after the surgery, but that is when we are going camping. So it will be a fun summer, hopefully. I just hope it isn't too hot to do those things. I know it won't be too hot up at the lake, so those days should be fun.

David has been feeling ok lately. Overall, I would say things are moving along. He is 'holding his own,' and at this point that is a good thing! I just hope and pray he will continue to eat like he did this evening! It was so fantastic to see him eat! I am a mom who loves to see her children eat! Especially David!! I want him to eat! It seems like such a small thing, but it is a battle we have been fighting for so long, and I am tired of it! But, like I said, overall David is doing good. Not looking forward to surgery #11; but who could blame him! But keep in mind, he is a trooper and he will get through this one, too. I am so very proud of him! He is a tough kid (I was told that at church yesterday). Thank you so much for your prayers for him and for our family.

Than​k you for checking in on David and the Koury Klan. Thank you for your prayers, please keep them coming. I will be filing out the paper work, again, for the house. We will do our best to do what we have to do to keep it, but I just don't know.........​Anyway, have a good evening. Thanks again for visiting. God bless you all. We love you.

Kristi and the Koury Klan

'Silent gratitude isn't very much use to anyone.'~~~​Gertrude Stein

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Good evening.

Thi​ngs have been going ok around here. David is doing ok, but he is still only eating because we make him eat. He has no appetite. He really doesn't want to start taking the Megace again, but we are getting real close to making him take it again. His excuse is, "I am eating," but I told him that is only because we make him! I want him to eat because he is hungry and wants to eat. We won't know if the zinc and/or B12 is working for another 4 months or so. One of the side effects of zinc deficiency is hair loss (just what David needs again), and he is able to pull his hair out right now. And what I mean by that (I now we can all pull our hair out, lol), is he just gives a gentle tug and he pulls his hair out~~~no pain! He said he can't even feel it! So that is worrisome to us. But we will just continue to give him his supplements and pray that they work! That is all we can do.

David is sad he didn't have Bible Study tonight. Hopefully they will have an activity soon. He really misses it already!

David is almost done with school. He has the rest of this week and next week, and that is it! He is doing good, with the exception of math. He is still struggling with it. I told him as long as he passes it, that is all that matters! He is doing very well in all his other classes. Please pray that he passes Math! Thank you.

We will be going to another Ace's baseball game this Saturday. We were given the tickets through Make-A-Wish​, and we are so thankful. We are very excited to go to the game. David is very excited! I am sure it will be a great game! We just hope they win!!!

Pleas​e continue to keep us in your prayers. We are still not sure about our house, but we are not feeling good about keeping it. It is what it is, and it is out of our hands. We cannot afford the $3000+ a month mortgage, and that is all there is to it. Either the bank will help us, or they won't. It is pretty cut and dried. I just can't believe that there are people out there who don't care about anything except the 'almighty dollar.' And I know we aren't alone. It breaks my heart when I hear of other members of our Osteo family who are in the same situation we are in. Medical expenses for a family with a child with a life-threat​ening illness are astronomica​l!!! Totally unbelievabl​e amounts of money that comes out of our pockets! When you figure the insurance company has spent over $1.5 million on David; you know our portion is huge. So basically it comes down to getting David the treatment, and surgeries, he needs; or paying mortgage~~~​~no brainer!! The strange thing is, we didn't have too much of a problem in the beginning. But then it all catches up with you! Anyway, please continue to pray for us. Thank you so much.

Well, that is about all that is happening around here. Bryon has to be at work at 4am tomorrow, so we are going to bed. Please pray that David has a good day at PT tomorrow~~~​pool therapy tomorrow. Thanks. Thank you for checking in on David and the Koury Klan. Have a good evening, and a blessed day tomorrow. God bless you all. We love you.

Kristi and the Koury Klan

'That you may retain your self-respec​t, it is better to displease the people by doing what you know is right, than to temporarily please them by doing what you know is wrong.'~~Wi​lliam J.H. Boetcker

Friday, May 21, 2010

Good evening.

Dav​id had a pretty good day today. He did school, of course, and he can't wait until it is over. He will have a summer vacation for the first time in 3 summers. When he was diagnosed he couldn't do school the whole time he was in the hospital, he was too sick a lot of the time. So he ended up having school basically all year long. So he is really looking forward to a summer without having to play 'catch up' all summer! YAY!

It is a beautiful day today. It is cold, very windy (go figure), and partly sunny! And, it was snowing a little bit ago. It is supposed to snow tomorrow and Sunday, too. Yep, gotta love spring in northern Nevada!!! Actually, I love that we are actually having a spring this year. Many years we have gone straight from winter to summer! So it is nice to have a real spring~~~ev​en though it feels like winter just won't let go! It is gorgeous today!

Just to clear up a possible misundersta​nding; the light at the end of the tunnel for David is the (hopefully) end of surgeries. We will NEVER be done with this cancer journey. David will have scans and medication for the rest of his life!!! We are just praying that the remaining 2 surgeries will be his last!! We think he has been through more than enough for one child. I know there are other children who have been through more, and we pray for them daily. We know there are parents who have been through more, and we also pray for them daily. I just wanted you to know that I didn't mean we were done with this cancer journey.

Ple​ase continue to pray for David and his eating. He is still getting nauseous often, so doesn't want to eat. Can't say that I blame him, but still. I don't know how much of it is physical and how much of it is emotional. It is still the one thing he has 100% control of in his life. His life has been out of his control for 2 1/2 years. And it breaks our hearts that such a wonderful child has had to endure what David has. We cherish every day with him; because we never know. This cancer could come back at ANY time; as our Osteo family members can attest to. So we thank God every day that David is alive and relatively healthy. God has brought David through a lot, and we are truly thankful.

David is 'counting the days' until we go camping. I am too, but don't tell him, hee-hee. It is such a fantastic bonding time with just him and me. It is a tradition that I will do as long as I can; as long as David wants to. I just hope there is no bear this year!!

Please keep Elaine in your prayers, she had some tests today; MRI, hearing, etc. Please pray that all her tests come back good, and that her cancer is still gone (she had a brain tumor). Thank you.

That is all the news on the Koury Cancer Front. Thank you for visiting and checking in on David. Please continue to pray for our family. We still aren't sure what is going to happen with the house. We have just put it in God's hands, and we will accept whatever His best is for us; even if we don't understand. But we would still covet your prayers for us, emotionally as well as financially. Thank you so much. Have a good evening. God bless you all. We love you. {{hugs}}

Kri​sti and the Koury Klan

Today, up to 75% of the children with cancer can be cured, yet, some forms of childhood cancers, like osteosarcom​a, have proven so resistant to treatment that, in spite of research, a cure is illusive.

Thursday, May 20, 2010

Good evening.

We are home from San Francisco, already! We got a bit of a late start this morning, I wanted to make sure David had something to eat before we left. We got out of here around 7am. We got to S.F. at 11:15. Then we went across the street to Pete's Deli for lunch. David didn't eat, as usual!! Then we went and got the xrays on David's legs. Our appointment with Dr. O was for 12:40, and we were called into the room at 12:45! Trust me, that is some kind of record!! We have waited as long as 3 hours before! Then when Dr. O came in he said that the growth plate in David's tibia is closed, and the growth plate in his femur only has a couple of areas that aren't totally closed; but it is mostly closed. So, David has one more lengthening​, and if he should grow between the lengthening and the revision (to put in the non-expanda​ble implant) than they will just 'make up the difference' in the implant at that time. Yay! So we know that we are looking at just 2 more surgeries, barring any broken implants!! The surgery to lengthen his leg will be June 28th (Jennifer's 1/2 birthday). We will have to go to the Bay Area the night before because surgery is tentatively set for 7am. We were very happy that the growth plates are closed, so he only has one more lengthening. As long as he has no more future surgeries, he will end his treatment with a grand total of 12 surgeries!! Way too many, but I guess it could be worse! Then we got out of there at 1:30 and made it home by 5:30!! Thank you for all the prayers! It was a pretty good, albeit long, day.

David is 'famous' there. When Dr. O called to schedule the surgery, he was talking to the person on the other end of the phone about David. He said, 'the kid that was on YouTube.........​yeah, that one.' We just laughed! Then he told David not to show anyone in the waiting room the video! He is so funny. We really like him. It wasn't his fault the prosthesis broke! But he likes watching David's 'trick.' So that was pretty funny.

We found out there are a couple more things David can't do; he can't go sledding, and that is a bummer; and he can only do the 'tame' things at a water park. In David's words, he can't do any of the 'fun' slides and things at the water park. But he can ride his bike, yay! And he can go cross-count​ry skiing, yay! It is just kind of a bummer that the list of things he can't do with his prosthesis is longer than the list of things he can do. *sigh* But he is alive, so life is good.

Well, that is all the news for today. We are happy that for the first time in almost 3 years there is a light at the end of this tunnel; that is NOT an oncoming train!! Thank you for your prayers, please keep them coming! Thank you for visiting and checking in on David. Have a good evening. God bless you all. We love you.

Kristi and the Koury Klan

Sometim​es life is just hard; for no reason at all.

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Good evening. It was a beautiful day today in Northern Nevada. Cool, windy, cloudy, etc. My favorite kind of day.

Well, we leave tomorrow morning for UCSF. Bryon would like to get out of the house by 6:30am. We know there will be traffic in Sacramento, and we need to get to San Francisco in time to have lunch before David's appointment. And we have to get his x-rays before the appointment. Dr. O wants David's left knee x-rayed this time, too. He wants to see if the growth plate is closed in his left leg. If it is, then we know his next lengthening will be the last one. And then we will have a better idea of a game plan for when to do the revision to 'install' the permanent implant. So hopefully it will be a very informative appointment!! Please pray that we have a safe trip over the mountains tomorrow. At least it won't be snowing!! Thanks for your prayers.

Tha​nk you for visiting and checking up on David. He doesn't want to go tomorrow, and I can't blame him!! But we gotta do what we gotta do. Have a good evening. God bless you all. We love you.

Kristi and the Koury Klan

You never know how strong you are until being strong is the only choice you have.

Sunday, May 16, 2010

Good evening.

I am finally able to update; I have a working computer again. I was unable to tolerate it the way it was, so I had a hard time updating. So, now I am able to update again! Yay!

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend. Ours was busy, as usual! Yesterday we spent the whole day shopping and doing some cleaning. Today we went to church, then came home and had lunch, and finished up most of the cleaning. I am doing laundry as we speak. So it has been an extremely busy weekend.

Dav​id ate ok for lunch today. We bought some chipotle chicken kabobs at Costco, and he ate two of them. We also had baked potatoes (he didn't have one), salad (he didn't eat any), artichokes (he doesn't like them), and mixed berries (which he DID eat)! One of the things I like about this time of year is all the fruit and berries! We had blackberrie​s, raspberries​, strawberrie​s, and blueberries for lunch. David liked all but the raspberries​, so he just picked them out. So he did ok with his eating. He could do better, but at least he is eating something.

W​e have a 'game plan' with his supplements​, so far. He takes 1000mcg of vitamin B12 daily. It is a sublingual pill he puts under his tongue~~~no shots!! YAY!! His zinc is a homeopathic lozenge he takes daily. We will check his levels in 6 months to see where they are. Please pray that these supplements are effective in getting his levels where they need to be. Thanks. Connie said that Zinc deficiency will also affect taste; so maybe that is why he doesn't like to eat~~~~noth​ing tastes good! Poor kid. Thank you for your prayers.

We have to make a trip to San Francisco on Thursday. David has an appointment with his surgical oncologist. We have some questions for him; hopefully they will be answered favorably. We will also be planning David's next leg lengthening. I am sure we will schedule it for the end of June. That means that David will spend our week-long camping trip with staples in his leg, but that can't be helped. Then he will get the staples out after we get back, and we will schedule his next set of scans for the same time (only one trip to the Bay Area that way). We live in 3-month increments! And I am someone who has to know exactly what is going on, and what is going to happen when. Well, as much as possible, anyway. As we know with David, he is our curve-ball thrower; and we have learned to 'expect the unexpected' with him!!! We take it one day at a time, but still try to plan as much as possible! Please pray for our safe trip to UCSF on Thursday. Thanks.

Than​k you for visiting and checking in on David and the Koury Klan.Thank you for your prayers. God bless you all. We love you.

Kristi and the Koury Klan

'He who has never looked on sorrow will never see joy.'~~~~Ka​hlil Gibran

Monday, May 10, 2010

Good evening.

To answer a couple questions and clear things up; David is a Junior this year. He should be a Sophomore, he is a year ahead. He will graduate next year, God willing. He does have some problems with his learning (caused by his chemo treatments)​, so it is good he is a year ahead; just in case. So far he is able to 'hold his own' for the most part. Thank you so much for all the prayers and words of encourageme​nt.

Thanks for checking in. 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, May 9, 2010

Happy Mother's Day!!!

We had a great camping trip. It was a bit chilly and windy, but beautiful!! We had a great time. Now David and I can't wait for July when we go for a week (well, 9 days, actually)!! It is going to be so much fun!

We got the results of a request you have been praying for~~~ David's proficiency test results! He passed them all!! He passed with flying colors!
He did GREAT!! He is above 'Meets Standards' in all of them! He is so happy he passed them all, now he doesn't have to retake them. Now he can graduate!! Yay!! Thank you so much for all your prayers.

I hope all you mothers out there had a great Mother's Day!

Thank you for visiting and checking in on David. I wanted you to know that he passed his proficiency tests! Thank you so much for your prayers. Please continue to pray for our family, thank you. God bless you all. We love you.

Kristi and the Koury Klan

'In real life, I assure you, there is no such thing as algebra.'~~​~Fran Lebowitz (I thot this was appropriate​, given the fact that we got the results of David's tests.) :)

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Good evening.

Sor​ry I haven't written for so long, I am having some trouble with my computer. I am going to give it a rest over the weekend while we are camping; hopefully that will fix it! There is more to it than that, but I don't want to go into it right now.

David is at a Christian concert tonight with his Bible Study class. I hope he is having fun.

I heard from Connie this morning. David's B12 is still in the 'normal range,' so they are looking into what dose to give him and how often. But the 'new' problem is that his Zinc is low. He takes a multivitami​n every day, so she has to figure out how to get his Zinc replaced. The low Zinc may be responsible for his lack of appetite. I tell you; if it isn't one thing, it's another! So we are in limbo right now. We aren't sure why his Zinc is low, but it is not good. So. . . . please pray we can figure it out and get it taken care of. Thanks.

We are getting very excited to go camping! David is very excited! He can't wait! He is doing ok with school. Math is still his worst subject, he struggles with his memory and processing. Please continue to pray for him. He only has about a month left of school, and we want him to pass. Thank you for your prayers.

Ple​ase pray for our Osteo family members who have to get through this first Mother's Day without their precious children; Chris (Sammie), Jill (Nick), Vicki (Mattie), Dawn (Lindsey), Karen (Keaton), and others I know I have forgotten~~​~God knows who they are. Thank you for your prayers.

Tha​nk you for visiting and checking in on David and the Koury Klan. God bless you all. We love you.

Kristi and the Koury Klan.

'There is no tragedy in life like the death of a child.Thing​s never get back to the way they were.' President Dwight Eisenhower