Thursday, June 24, 2010

I should have posted this at the beginning of the month, but I forgot. Sorry. I got this from a sarcoma website, I don't remember which one. Hopefully I will remember to post it at the first of the month next year!! Here goes:

"The month of June brings awareness to Sarcoma/Bone Cancer.

The American Cancer Society estimated that 2,570 people will be diagnosed with Sarcoma/Bone Cancer this year.

Bone cancer is caused by a problem with the cells that make bone. Bone tumors occur most commonly in children and adolescents and are less common in older adults. Cancer involving the bone in older adults is most commonly the result of metastatic spread from another tumor.

There are many different types of bone cancer. The most common bone tumors include osteosarcoma, Ewing's sarcoma, chondrosarcoma, malignant fibrous histiocytoma, and fibrosarcoma. Plasmacytoma and rhabdomysarcoma are NOT bone cancer.

The most common symptom of bone tumors is pain. In most cases, the symptoms become gradually more severe with time. Initially, the pain may only be present either at night or with activity. Depending on the growth of the tumor, those affected may have symptoms for weeks, months, or years before seeking medical advice. If you have been experiencing undiagnosed bone pain, please see your doctor. While these symptoms don't necessarily mean you have cancer, it is best to rule out anything serious.

Please remember to wear your Yellow Awareness Ribbon items to honor or memorialize those affected with Sarcoma/Bone Cancer."

Ok, now onto regular things.

Thank you for all your prayers. We got David's report card in the mail today~~~he passed all his classes!! We now officially have a Senior! Wow. I can hardly believe it. He didn't do as well as we all, including David, would have liked, but that is a-ok! We figure he passed, that is all we wanted. After all, he is a year ahead of his age, so we are happy he passed. He struggled, but he persevered, and we are so proud of him. And the way he 'smoked' the proficiency tests......we certainly aren't worried about letter grades! Anyway, I wanted to let you all know that he passed his Junior year of High School.

I got the call from UCSF today; the pre-op phone consult. We do it by phone because we are 4 hours away; we can't just come in for a quick consult. So we have it all scheduled for Monday. The time was changed, though, twice! Now he is scheduled for surgery at 2:40, and we have to be there at 12:30. They have a room for him on 7Long, but we are praying he won't need to stay. They reserve the room just in case. They said to make sure he takes his Prevacid! His other vitamins and supplements can be excused for the day, but not the Prevacid. He is sad that this week is going by fast! He is dreading yet another surgery; as we all are!! But he, on the other hand, is anxious to get it over with because he knows it will be the last one for awhile! YAY! I know that could change, but we are just going to take one day at a time and pray that he won't have another surgery until the revision for the permanent implant. Please pray that we all stay healthy. We CANNOT get sick between now and Monday. Please pray that we don't. We have been around some sickies, and we cannot afford to get anything. Thank you for your prayers.

Please continue to pray for our Osteo family members. Some of them are struggling right now. Please remember Todd, Rachel, Sara, Nicki, and Amber right now. I know there are others, but those come to my mind at this time. Also, please pray for the ones who are doing well, that they stay that way!! Thanks!

Life is just moving on here. The summer is going fast. We can't wait to go camping! We know scanxiety will kick in when it gets closer to scan time; but for now we are just taking it one day at a time. And looking forward to our camping trip!! Our weather has been gorgeous! Of course, it is set to get hot this weekend. Oh well. That's life. At least I don't have to contend with the humidity! As I was messaging a facebook friend today, we are dry!! She was lamenting how 'disgustingly humid' it was! I don't know how she can stand it!! Praise God I don't have to deal with that! When Jennifer was 4 we were in Missouri, and we asked her if she liked it there. She said, "NO, it's too sweaty." Yeah, she hit the nail on the head! Basically we have been having a pretty nice summer, so far. I just pray it isn't too hot while we are camping. Last year it was hot for about a day and a half; then a thunderstorm came in and it was really nice after that. But we will have fun, no matter what. Can't wait!

Thank you for all your prayers. Again, please pray we don't get sick. Thanks for visiting and checking in on us. Have a great evening, and a good day tomorrow. God bless you all. We love you.

Kristi and the Koury Klan

'We must develop and maintain the capacity to forgive. He who is devoid of the power to forgive is devoid of the power to love.'~~~Martin Luther King