Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Quick update~~~I will try to update later. Please continue to pray for our housing situation. Barring a miracle, we WILL lose the house. Well, it is possible a miracle is 'in the works' at this time. We will see. Please pray that our mortgage company, Ocwen, will grow a heart and lower our payments. We have already jumped through many hoops for this blasted company~~~and so far we have gotten NOWHERE with them. Gotta run. I will try to update more later. Thank you for your prayers.

Kristi and the Koury Klan


“There has been a significant lack of progress during the last two decades in treating osteosarcoma,” said Ian Lewis, Professor of Cancer Studies at St. James University Hospital in Leeds, England

Friday, January 29, 2010

Good evening.

Thank you for your prayers for Elaine~~~her MRI came out clear! Yay! I was so happy to read that!

We REALLY need your prayers. Bryon talked to a lawyer today about our special request; which many of you have probably figured out is our house. David's cancer diagnosis has devastated and destroyed us financially. We have one more 'last ditch effort' in hopes of saving it. If that falls through, we will be walking away from it~~~and it kills me to have to write that!! Part of why it kills me is I know that some people are happy about this happening to us. Some of those people live here, some out of state. And that is hard for me to believe, and accept. But it is true. Therefore, part of the reason I want to keep my house is pride, and I willingly admit that. We have put soooo much into this house (our home) and it is going to be soooo hard to lose it. The emotional aspect of losing our home is almost more than I can bear. Like I said many months ago; my son has lost so much, and now he is losing his home. This sucks SOOOO bad! All I can say is, pray for us! We are trying that one last thing........who knows. Maybe it will work out for us. I wish I knew an investor who would come in and buy my house and then sell it back to me for a reasonable mortgage payment (not the $3000+ we are paying now); but I don't know any such person. Please, please pray for us. I want to save my house, but I want my will to align with God's will; not the other way around. I know that God knows what is best for us, but sometimes I just don't get it! Thank you for your prayers.

Thank you for checking in on David and the Koury Klan. Sorry this is a short post, I am just not 'good company' tonight. God bless you all. We love you.

Kristi and the Koury Klan

'So long as children are allowed to suffer, there is no true love in this world.'~~~Isodore Duncan

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Good evening, everyone. I hope you all had a good day today.

David's orthodontist appointment yesterday went very well. David's teeth are fine. His retainers fit great, and his teeth are nice and straight. Again, I am just unhappy with the color of them. Another reminder of his cancer journey. Maybe when he is older he can get them bleached. But he has a beautiful smile, and I am happy about that. Our orthodontist really cares about David, and our family, and he always asks how David is doing. When I told him that David does have a spot in each lung that they are watching, he instantly teared up! He hugged me and said he will be praying for us. He is a great guy. So David's appointment went well. He doesn't want to see David for 6 more months!

David had a pretty good day today. He got to go to Bible Study tonight, and that made his day great! He loves going, and the social time with his peers is very important. Peers that don't judge him, or make fun of him, just accept him. As far as school goes, he is 'back in the groove' of it! He is looking forward to the unit in History where he will be learning about World War II. He has a few books about WWII, and he is VERY excited to get to that unit. He still struggles a bit, he gets tired so easily. The fatigue really gets to him. But he still just plugs along. Plus he is gone for 1 1/2 hours 3 days a week with PT. And that wears him out! Tomorrow he has PT in the pool. He works amazingly hard in the pool. The pool seems like it would be easier, but not really. He can only bend his knee to 90* in the pool; but he can get to 105* in the office! Weird, huh? So tomorrow morning will be busy.

Please continue to pray for us. Things are getting worse all the time. The state of Nevada is in the 'red' by a lot; so that is why Bryon has to have a furlough day a month. Now the talk (out of Vegas) is that they are looking at a 20-30% pay cut for state employees. Well, if that happens, we will lose our house. The way to balance our state budget is easy; but nobody has the guts to do it. This country is being bled dry by the illegal aliens who get things for free that we can't have. We are paying for them. I am not stupid, I know how it works. I have a friend who used to work at the local urgent care, and she said that 90% of the patients came in with a Nevada check-up card and a Mexico I.D. card. So how much was their bill? You guessed it~~~a big, fat $0!! So guess who pays for that?!?! If we would stop giving them everything, the state (and the country) could have a balanced budget. It isn't rocket science, people. We saw a LOT of this kind of stuff when we were in Oakland. Our insurance company has paid Oakland Children's Hospital over $1,000,000; yet they sent us to collections for $3,000. I am an American citizen, yet I have to pay for the ones who are here illegally. Anyway, we don't know how this is all going to play out, but we see absolutely NO way we can save our house if Bryon's pay is cut another 20-30%. I have just prayed that if for some reason it is God's will that we lose our home, that God will let me be okay with it. Right now I am NOT okay with it! But my family comes first, and I don't want to be 'married' to my house. Please keep us in your prayers. Thank you so much.

Thank you for visiting and checking in on David and the Koury Klan. Could you please pray for Elaine tomorrow? She is a brain cancer warrior, and she has an MRI tomorrow to make sure she is still cancer free. Thank you for your prayers for her. Thank you for your prayers for us, too. Have a good evening, and a good day tomorow. God bless you all. We love you.

Kristi and the Koury Klan

'Never deprive someone of hope; it might be all they have.'~~~H. Jackson Brown Jr.

Monday, January 25, 2010

Good evening. Our weather was very strange today. We had snow, rain, hail, but no sun. It was cold and beautiful.

We had a great weekend. It went by way too fast, tho. We had a fantastic hotel room; sorta like a suite.

We got to use our restaurant gift card (and there is still money left on it), and we got to go to the movies on our free movie passes! The movies we saw were 'Extraordinary Measures,' and 'The Book of Eli.' Both fantastic movies! We weren't sure if we would be able to handle 'Extraordinary Measures,' but we loved it! Yes, it was a tear-jerker, but a fantastic movie. 'The Book of Eli' was a bit graphic, but another fantastic movie. We don't usually go to the movies; we just wait until they come out on video! So it was nice to be able to do that. We took a drive out to Pyramid Lake; I had never been there before. And we just walked around Legends and went to Scheels. It was raining on Sunday, so we didn't want to be outside too much, and the Legends is an outside mall~~~I guess it is a mall. Anyway, we had a great weekend, it just went by way too fast!

David did good in PT today. He is trying hard to get strong. He works really hard. Emilee had fun watching him and 'talking' to everyone there. She sat in the stroller and was such an angel! She is so much fun. We have fun with her. She enjoyed watching David do his exercises, and he kept talking to her and making faces at her (and she would make them back). So David had a pretty good PT session. He is doing better. He is limping more now; he is rather sore. But he is doing good.

Tomorrow David has an orthodontist appointment. It is just another maintenance appointment for him. It is just to check his retainers. His teeth are so nice and straight; we just wish they weren't so discolored from chemo! *sigh*

Well, that is about all for now. Thank you for checking in on David and the Koury Klan. Have a good night. God bless you. We love you!

Kristi and the Koury Klan

'The way I see it; if you want the rainbow you gotta put up with the rain.'~~~~Dolly Parton

Friday, January 22, 2010

Good morning. I have a few minutes to update before we get ready to leave (while Emilee is sleeping).

We have several inches of snow outside!! It is a beautiful winter wonderland!! It is sunny (and cold~~34*{but feels like 24*}) and the snow will be around for awhile!! YAY!! We are having a fantastic winter this year. So much better than last year.

David is doing ok in PT. He added the elliptical to his routine today. Linda noticed he isn't limping as bad, so that is good. She also noticed he isn't as tight. Right after surgery his straight still had an 8* bend; now he is down to 3.4*! So he is getting straighter. His extension is still pretty bad, tho. But, like I said before, without those lower quad muscles he just doesn't have the strength. You never know what muscles you use until you no longer have them. Nor do you know which muscles do what! He will never be the way he was, but he will be the best that he is! (I hope that makes sense) He is trying hard. Please continue to pray that he gets stronger. Thanks.

Emilee is getting used to being here. She is still rather clingy to me (but that is fine with me!) but she is doing better. She came with us to PT and she just sat in the stroller and watched all the activity going on around her. She is such a sweetie.

Well, I gotta run. Thank you for all the anniversary wishes. And thank you, Christine and Emery, for the thoughtful gift. We are very thankful for this time to get away; we need it VERY badly! You all have a great weekend. We will NOT be bringing our laptops, so I won't be updating until we get home. Thank you for checking in on David and the Koury Klan. God bless you all. We love you.

Kristi and the Koury Klan

'Marriage is a wonderful institution, but who would want to live in an institution?'~~Henry Louis Mencken

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Good evening.

Today went pretty good. David did ok in the pool. He also started second semester of school. I am praying he does better this semester than he did last one! He didn't do too bad; I should be getting his grades by next week. I think his only 'bad' grade will be in English. But I know he is trying his best. This semester he is starting on time; so that is good. Please pray that he does well this semester. Thank you.

It went good with Emilee today. She is such a sweet baby. While David was in the pool, Emilee and I just walked around the perimeter of the pool. She just wanted to keep walking around and around and around. But I didn't mind. It was not a bad day. This isn't a super long term job, just while Emilee's daddy is deployed. Actually, it is for 3 weeks initially, then starting sometime in March it will be for 7 months. But it will still be a help, and I will LOVE taking care of that precious baby. She is really adorable, and David loves her, too. Please continue to pray that it goes well, and her mommy has an easier time leaving her (I don't blame her for struggling with leaving her daughter). Thanks for your prayers.

Our weather is very cold, and more storms are on the way!! YAY! Loving the snow!

This weekend the forecast is to be clear; no storms. Sunday is my and Bryon's 29th wedding anniversary~~~so we are going away for the weekend. Not really far away, just about 30 miles away. We have a free night at a Marriott, and our daughter, Jennifer, wants to pay for the second night for an anniversary gift to us. Plus, we have some gift cards for restaurants, so this weekend won't cost us much! I am looking forward to it. So we will be leaving Friday evening, and coming home on Sunday. We really need to get away together and reconnect. This past 2+ years has been VERY hard on our marriage, and this is something we need to do. So I am thankful that Jennifer wants to pay for a night for us to be away (thank you, sweetie!). Please pray for our safety, and safety for the kids while we are gone. Thank you so much.

That is about all that is happening in the Koury Cancer Ward. Thank you for checking in on David and the Koury Klan. Have a good evening. God bless you all. We love you.

Kristi and the Koury Klan

'I love being married. It's so great to find that one special person you want to annoy for the rest of your life.'~~~Rita Rudner

Saturday, January 16, 2010

Good evening.

First things first~~HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JEREMY!! Today is my oldest child's birthday.

Sorry I haven't updated lately~~~just haven't.

David has been doing quite well lately. He had a great time at Bible Study Wednesday night. We went to our support group meeting and had a good time, too. David was very happy to be back at Bible Study; they have been off for the holidays, and then David had scans last week. Anyway, he was very happy to be back.

David did good in the pool on Thursday. He also did quite well in PT on Friday. He has been walking, and doing well. His knee still hurts in the cold, but he just keeps on walking. Tonight we went over Jeremy and Lucy's for dessert, and Rachel, David, and I walked over there. They live a mile from us, so it was a good walk for David. He and Rachel walked earlier (before church) for 40 minutes. Connie will be proud of all the walking he is doing. He is trying to build up his stamina. It is VERY slow going; he still gets very tired and fatigued easily. But hopefully he will start to feel better soon.

I have had an answer to prayer. On Tuesday I will be starting to take care of a baby. I am so excited about that. I have really missed having a baby in the house. And it is going to help us out financially. We still need prayer for our 'special request,' though. Please continue to pray for that. Thank you for all your prayers.

Thank you, Wylene, for your very generous gift to us. We appreciate it more than you know. Thank you so much.

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

Kristi and the Koury Klan


If you lose money, you lose much; if you lose friends, you lose more; if you lose faith, you lose all. ~~Eleanor Roosevelt

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Good evening.

It has been a rather busy last couple of days. David had PT on Monday, and it was a difficult day for him. Linda said he was much tighter, and he was in more pain trying to get his leg straight. She also noticed that he was limping more. Don't really know what that is all about. He is doing his extra walking that Connie ordered, so maybe that is factoring into it. The other night we went for a walk, and David took his dog, I took the tiny dog, and Bryon took the German Shepherd. It was fun, and comical! The 3-pound chihuahua I had was walking so fast to keep up with all of us that David said his legs were just a blur! It was pretty funny. But it was a nice, cold walk. So David is doing extra work, so that could be why he is more tired and having a harder time at PT. But, as usual, he just does what he is told. I am so proud of him.

His eating is still going good. The 1/2 dose of Megace is still working, but I can tell it doesn't work as well as a full dose! But he is still eating good. Please continue to pray that he does continue to eat. Thanks!

Bryon and I went over the CDs of David's CT scans, and we discovered the nodule appeared in the July scans. We know they didn't say anything right away because it could have been anything; infection, a lung met, scar tissue, etc. So they needed to 'watch it' and see what it does. Well, it is bone, but it is stable. But, the flip-side of that is, that means that David had a recurrence. So that is one of the reasons we are totally praising God that the nodules are stable. But, like I said from the beginning, I am not going to put God in a box. The greater the odds of David not surviving, the bigger the miracle!!! And since he is a walking miracle right now, we are praising God!! We were told that a recurrence within the first 5 years is not survivable~~~but we know of a few kids who are surviving. Man is into the 'numbers,' God isn't!! So stay tuned!

Thank you for checking in on David. Thank you for your support. Thank you for your prayers. God bless you all. We love you.

Kristi and the Koury Klan

Courage is the art of being the only one who knows you're scared to death. ~~~Harold Wilson

Friday, January 8, 2010

Good evening.

I got a call from Connie~~~bone scan is clear! Praise God! We were so happy to hear that! Connie said that David will continue to have scans every 3 months (12 weeks) for the rest of this year. Then next year we will start having scans every 4 months. We are praying that David's scans stay 'stable' and clear. But we will just take it one day at a time, and not worry about the next scans~~that is until it gets close to them again! (Smile) We are trusting God to take are of David. And right now we are praising God for stable disease and clear bone scan!!!! Thank you so very much for your prayers; they mean more to us than we can say.



This is David getting his bone scan

This is the bone scan image

This is David's CT Scan. Notice the little white dot just to the left of center. This is one of the lung mets (cancer) they are watching. So far it is stable - not growing or multiplying



David had an ok day. He did good in PT, he just gets very tired. He also tends to, at times, cop a 'tude when he just wants to go home. He doesn't like to do the exercises, he gets really tired, he works really hard, and he knows it is going to take time. He 'stuffs' a lot of his feelings; just like ME!! He wants his life back, and he misses being able to do the things he used to be able to do. He misses being a normal 15-year-old kid. He was robbed of his childhood at the tender age of 13. This has taken an emotional toll on him; and some days are not as bad as other days. I can tell when he is having a bad day, though. Please continue to keep him in your prayers. Thank you.

I just wanted to post the fantastic news about the bone scan. Thank you, thank you for your prayers. Thank you for checking in, and for your love, prayers, and emotional support. Have a great evening. God bless you all. We love you.

Kristi and the Koury Klan

Sometimes life is just hard; for no reason at all.

Thursday, January 7, 2010

Good evening.

Ok. I called Connie today, and she finally called me back. The results of the bone scan are not back yet. She said that is odd, usually they are back sooner. So she will be calling me tomorrow with those results. The results of the CT scan are a mixed bag. The good news is 'stable disease' and no new nodules. The bad news is 'stable disease' meaning there is disease. The couple nodules they are watching are unchanged~~which is fantastic news! Trust me, I know how wonderful that news is. We just wanted him to be NED (No Evidence of Disease), and he clearly is not as long as there is disease. I have to remember what I learned from our online support group; and that is 'Don't bleed until you are shot,' and we have not been shot, yet. We are not hemorrhaging, we have not been shot, we have just been grazed. If these nodules stay in his lungs and never change, that would be fantastic! Connie said they are nothing to worry about at this point. So we won't worry. Besides, God is in control. That can be a very difficult pill to swallow sometimes. It is so hard for us to watch our precious son go through what he has gone through the past 2+ years. But we know God has a plan for him; and us! There are lessons we are supposed to learn through all this. I just wish I knew that everything was going to be fine. I guess it is, one way or another. Like I said before, David is in a win-win situation. If he dies, he wins because he will be in heaven. If he lives, he wins because he is alive!! So he wins either way! So that is the result of the CT scan. We are breathing somewhat easier. We can 'relax' for another 3 months. Well, 2 1/2 months anyway. Lol.

David did pretty good in PT today. I forgot to tell you that Connie wants David to build up his stamina by walking. She said on the days he has PT he is to walk for 20 minutes. On the days he doesn't have PT he is to walk for 45 minutes. So tonight we went for a walk before dinner. He only made 17 minutes, but he did great. It is freezing, so his knee was causing him a bit of pain. But he walked anyway. I told him 17 minutes was ok. So tomorrow we will walk another (hopefully) 20 minutes. Connie also said that on days where it is too windy, rainy, icy, snowy, etc. he can use the treadmill for 20 minutes. But she would rather him be outside. I agreed 100% with her. Please continue to pray for him. Thanks.

I will post tomorrow after I get the results of the bone scan. We are praying that scan comes out totally clear! Thank you for visiting and checking in on David. Please continue to pray for him, and us. And to the people who have deposited to David's account, thank you. You know who you are. We appreciate it more than you know. Have a good night. God bless you all. We love you.

Kristi and the Koury Klan

Be who you are and say what you feel; because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind.

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Good evening.

We made it home~~~earlier than expected! We think with 13% unemployment in California, there are just fewer cars on the road. We were glad to make it home sooner than we were expecting to.

Ok, here was our day. We left the house sometime between 6 and 6:30am. We did make one potty stop, and we got to Children's around 10. Yup, we made pretty good time. We got a handicapped parking place in the front of the hospital; so we didn't have to pay for parking~praise God!! We checked into radiology about 10:15ish. Then Bryant was able to give David the injection for the bone scan around 10:30. Then we got into the CT almost right away; and the CT was done by 10:45ish. And it was NOT with contrast! David was happy about that! He said the contrast makes him feel really hot inside. Oh, just before the CT the nurse drew David's labs, and then took out the IV. Then we went to the cafeteria. We had a great surprise~~~we got to see Teagan!! We haven't seen her for quite some time, and it was fantastic to see her. She looks great! Then Teagan went to have her CT and bone scan, and we had lunch! And we got to see a bunch of doctors that we have missed! Like Dr. Hoppe, Dr. Styles, and Dr. Singer. We didn't make it upstairs because David couldn't go upstairs~~~swine flu and all. Anyway, David's bone scan was at 1pm. Then we went across the street to the clinic to see Connie. Ok, the results of the scans are~~~~~are you ready? Are you sitting down? Drum roll please.......NO NEWS!! Connie didn't have the report yet! So I have to call her tomorrow. Rather frustrating. So, scanxiety is still reining at our house! Please continue to pray!!

David's weight is great! Connie said that David is exactly on target for height and weight! She said his height was always steady in the 52%; but his weight was around 30%! So now his height and weight are exactly the same, and she is thrilled! She told David she is really proud of him. So we are going to wean him off the Megace. We will be doing a 1/2 dose for a week, then stop it. If he continues to eat he can stay off it. If he loses his appetite, then he is back on it. Also, she is going to be sending me the 504 documentation for his school. And his phosphorus levels are perfect! So he doesn't have to go back on the supplements! YAY! So, other than not knowing what the results of the scans are, it was a pretty good day. Bryon would have rather spent his birthday not going to Oakland, but it is what it is! We will 'celebrate' his birthday on Sunday with all 5 kids. He can't decide if he wants me to make enchiladas or beef stroganoff. Fickle man, lol! (smile)

So that was our day. I hope to be able to post tomorrow what the results of the scans are. We were really hoping to know the results today; but it wasn't to be. That is the story of our life! So we would continue to covet your prayers as we await the results. Thanks.

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

'Hope sees the invisible, feels the intangible, and achieves the impossible.'~~Helen Keller

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Good evening.

First, I want to say 'thank you' to all of you who wrote and encouraged me. That is why I love you all, I know you are there for me. I can say how I feel, you don't judge me, and you do what you can to encourage me. Thank you. I really appreciate you all.

Well, tomorrow is the day. David is not nervous at all. I told him that is ok, I am nervous enough for both of us! He doesn't need to be nervous, I'll take care of that for him. Aren't I just the best mom? LOL!!! Please pray that his scans come back clear! Thank you for your prayers.

Tomorrow will be a busy day. We will leave at 6am. We have to check in at 10:30. Oakland Children's Hospital called and said David will have the injection for the bone scan (and labs drawn) at 11am. He can't eat until after the CT scan. Then he will have the CT scan at 12pm. Then we all get to eat!! Then he has the bone scan at 2pm. Then we will go across the street to the clinic and have his monthly oncology appointment; and hopefully get the results of his scans and labs. By the time we get done with everything and are ready to go home, it will be rush hour traffic! Like I have said before, I don't know why it is called 'rush hour' when no one is rushing anywhere! The good thing is we will be able to use the carpool lane!! So Bryon predicts we will be home around 10pm. See? Long day! And it is Bryon's birthday! Poor guy. What a way to spend his birthday. Bryon told David that the best birthday gift he could give him would be clear scans. Poor kid, he has no control over that! But He told Bryon he will do his best! I am not looking forward to such a long day. And David still gets so stiff in the car, even though he has the whole backseat to himself. Four hours is a long time for him to be sitting in the car~~we will have to have a potty stop or something to let him stretch his legs. He said he wants to sleep for most of the time; maybe watch a movie, too. Please pray for safety for us as we drive to Oakland. Thanks.

We are so glad that some things just never change. I have mentioned this before, but for the newcomers I will mention it again. The whole winter we were traveling to Oakland for chemo and surgeries when David was first diagnosed the weather was harsh. Storm after storm after storm. When we were home the weather would clear up, then a storm would come in as we were preparing to leave. Well, there is 'bad' weather coming in tomorrow night. There is a small storm coming in; so we will be coming home to the storm, not leaving in one. So it is just nice to know that some things never change!! For awhile we were wondering if my car would know how to get to Oakland on dry roads! We thanked God many, many times for my Honda Pilot!! Let me tell you, it is THE BEST vehicle in the snow!!

Thank you for checking in on David and the Koury Klan. Thank you for all your prayers; we need them!! I will try to post tomorrow when we get home; depending on when we get home, and how tired I am. Again, thank you for being there for me/us. God bless you all. We love you.

Kristi and the Koury Klan


The only thing worse than being diagnosed with cancer is watching your child go through it.

Monday, January 4, 2010

Good evening.

Today was a busy day for David. He had PT this morning, and he had a tough time! His calf is very sore, so just walking is difficult for him. The exercises were very difficult; but he did them anyway! He is such a fantastic kid, and a trooper. I could tell he was in a lot of pain; almost to the point of tears! We aren't sure why his calf is so sore, it has been sore since yesterday. He woke up with it sore, so maybe he had a charlie-horse or something in his sleep~~~~who knows?!?! So he struggled through PT. But he still did what he needed to do. Then he had school. He is struggling a bit in that area, too. It is hard to get back in the groove after 2 weeks off! He will only have school 4 days this week; he won't be able to have school on Wednesday. David's eating today was pretty fantastic! Breakfast was eggs with cheese and toast. Lunch was a Chicken Bake (we got them at Costco). After lunch, right after lunch, he wanted some chips and salsa. Bryon made salsa last night, so David had some with/after lunch. Then he had 2 Reese's peanut butter cups. Around 3 he had some crackers and chicken salad. Then for dinner he had 2 bar-b-qued hamburgers; then he wanted some more chips and salsa; then more Reese's peanut butter cups!! He ate great today! We are so happy to see him eat!

We got some more wood today, THANKS ALAN!! It is quite cold, so the wood is very much appreciated!!

I was talking to someone today, and he said he understands why I am feeling some frustration and perhaps anger at God. He did say that we have a big God, He can handle it. I was feeling it because it just seems like everything is just spinning out of control!! Today someone came to shut off our power. Each month I have to 'rob Peter to pay Paul,' and it is catching up with me! I was able to stop the shut-off, thank God. I just was asking God what He wants from us! We are trying to save our house, pay the bills, feed the family, etc. with money that we don't have! BIG *sigh*! I am glad God can handle my frustrations and stress!! We would really continue to covet your prayers. Thank you.

I was chatting with my friend today, and she asked me if it gets easier when scan time comes around the farther out we are. I told her NO!! Actually, it gets worse. The farther out we are, the more chance of 'something' showing up in the scans. Those rogue cells can rear their ugly heads! Right after chemo it can happen, too, but in our minds it is less likely to happen right away because the effects of the chemo are still in David's body. But now that he is out of treatment~~~it is scary. She was saying so this is something we will have scanxiety about for the rest of our lives (or David's); and I said YES!! She is finally getting closer to 'getting it!' She asked if it had been 6 months already since his last scans; and I told her that since David is classified as 'high risk' for recurrence he has to have scans every 3 months~~~still! His last chemo was 15 months ago, today!! We were told the protocol calls for scans every 3 months for a year, then every six months. Like I said, David is still every 3 months. Even though my friend is here, watching David go through what he is going through, she admits she still can't imagine what he is going through. It is still hard for her to understand all the ramifications of how his life has changed, forever. And how ours has changed. But I don't expect her to understand, at least she is there for me. That is a lot more than I can say for some people~~the ones I really thought would be there. But I am just trying to move forward; with God's help! I am trying not to 'bleed until I am shot,' it is just hard sometimes. Please pray for clear scans for David. Thank you.

I want you all to know that David's website. www.davidpaulkoury, will be expiring Jan. 18. That site will no longer be available. We couldn't afford to keep it up. But Bryon has opened another one, a free one, and the link is: http://davidkoury.blogspot.com/ It will coincide with this one. The link is also under the 'Resources' at the top of the page. Thanks for your understanding.

Thank you for checking in. Thank you soooo very much for your prayers; we REALLY need them. Have a good evening. God bless you all. We love you.

Kristi and the Koury Klan

"God doesn't give you the people you want, He gives you the people you NEED. To help you, to hurt you, to leave you, to love you and to make you into the person you were meant to be."

Saturday, January 2, 2010

Good evening.

I hope you all had a great New Year's. Ours was quiet. We just stayed home and stayed up past midnight. Then we went to bed. New Year's day was busy. We spent the day cleaning and re-arranging. Then today Bryon took the Christmas lights off the house. It has been a somewhat busy, but enjoyable weekend.

We are praying for David's scans on Wednesday. It just never gets any easier when the time comes for scans. David will be having his blood drawn to find out how his counts are, and if he can stay off the phosphorus pills. I won't be giving David his Megace that day. The reason is because his CT is with contrast this time, and he can't eat before the CT scan. Poor kid, the CT scan isn't until 12:00, so he will eat afterwards. Fortunately, the CT scans doesn't take long. David gets the injection for the bone scan at 11; then the CT at 12; then the bone scan at 2. Christine always wants David to drink and eat before the bone scan, so that will work out perfect! But I know he will be hungry. Actually, we all will be. We never eat when David can't; that just wouldn't be nice. So we all go hungry together. Bryon and I can afford it, David can't!! But he will make up for it at lunch, hopefully. He doesn't much care for the cafeteria food~~~but that just can't be helped. We will get him to eat something. Anyway, please pray that it is an easy day for David, and that the scans come back clear. Thanks.

Thank you for 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

"To lose a child is to lose a piece of yourself."~~Dr. Burton Grebin

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.