THURSDAY, APRIL 11, 2013

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAVID 

Good evening. 

Well, it has been quiet around here. David spends every weekend at the girls' house, so it is just me and Bryon at home. So, not much has been happening around here. The girls' house is really coming along! It looks so nice with all the colors they have painted it! It is so cozy and welcoming now. They are doing a great job getting it all personalized, if you know what I mean. 

Well, tomorrow is David's birthday. 5 years ago today David had his second thoracotomy and spent his birthday in the PICU. We can't believe he will be 19 tomorrow. We are so thankful he is still alive! We were told he wouldn't live to see 15, and here he is turning 19!! Praise God! We will be having fajitas for dinner; that's what he chose. And he doesn't want a cake, he wants cupcakes! So, that is what I will be making tomorrow. 

David has an oncology appointment next week. We aren't sure what we will find out, but I will let you know. We are trying hard to put this nightmare behind us; as much as we can, anyway. It will never be gone from our lives, however. 

Please pray for David to get a job. It is looking good for him to start a job (another temp) May 1st, but it could be sooner. He really needs a permanent job! Please pray! 

Well, that is about all that is happening around here. Thank you for visiting and checking up on David. Have a good evening. God bless you all. We love you. 

Kristi and the Koury Klan 


Some see a hopeless end, while others see an endless hope. - Author Unknown

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2013

Good afternoon. 

I have a quick few minutes to update! Finally!! Elena is down for a nap, and it's VERY quiet here. 

Well, our house is officially quieter. As of two weeks ago, both of my daughters have now moved out. They moved into a house together, and it is great! I spent one whole week (the first week of February) helping Rachel paint theinside. The kitchen paint was originally a fiasco. I will spare you the details, but the kitchen was painted 4 times to get it right! Lowe's screwed up the color thefirst time (and didn't pound the lid on the can properly and now the back of my SUV has a lovely paint stain Grrr); so after priming the walls and getting the proper paint, actually the proper base, the kitchen looks great!! I helped wash walls and paint the other rooms. It looks so good!! Then the next week I spent helping David move into the room his sister had; and that was a chore!! Then cleaning the room he was in. Bryon spent the time helping move furniture and shampoo carpets! The girls needed to shampoo the carpets in their house; they wanted to replace the carpet withwood flooring, but couldn't afford it.Anyway, then I spent the next week getting my house back in order, it got quite neglected when I was helping the girls and David. But it's all good now. David has spent the last two weekends with the girls at their house, so it has been just Bryon and I at home on the weekends. It's weird.......I really miss the girls, but I am so happy for them! They are still working on unpacking. It will take time, they both work full-time! But they are not in any hurry. It will get done, in time. Jennifer is home todayand tomorrow because I was scheduled for jury duty, but it was cancelled. She wanted to take care of Elena if I had jury duty, so she took the time off. Because I didn't have to serve, she is spending the day unpacking. Actually, she had Elena over for a bit this morning. I can't wait to see the progress she's made! 

Well, in less than 3 weeks my girls and I will be bald again. Yes, we are shaving our heads for St. Baldrick's again this year. I am nervous. I know it's for a great cause (duh!), but last time I really missed my hair! But Bryon said it will be easier this summer to go motorcycle riding when I don't have to worry about 'helmet hair!' And that is so true!! Also, camping is easier, too!! But I still missed my hair. The good thing is it's only hair, and it grows back!! And it's so worth it to raise money for an EXTREMELY underfunded cancer (childhood). Please pray that we get the money we need! Thanks. 

I have a few unspoken prayer requests. God knows what they are. Please pray for some health issues in the Koury Klan. Thanks. 

I better go so I am ready when my precious princess wakes up; which will be momentarily. Thank you for checking in. I hope you have a great evening. God bless you all. We love you. 

Kristi and the Koury Klan 


The National Cancer Institute’s (NCI) federal budget was $4.6 billion. Of that, breast cancer received 12%, prostate cancer received 7%, and all 12 major groups of pediatric cancers combined received less than 1%. 

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 9, 2013

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Good evening. 

I am so sorry it has been so very long since I updated. I just don't get on the computer much. 

Elena recovered from her hand, foot, and mouth disease. She is such a sweet baby. She will be 2 years old in 2 1/2 weeks! I can't believe she will be 2!! Where did that time go? Is she in the "terrible two's?" No way! Seriously! Sure, she tests boundaries, but she is NOT a terrible two! She is a good baby. 

Our Christmas was good. It was small, gift wise, but full in the love category! We enjoyed each other, and had a wonderful day! We ended up with 7 inches of snow on Christmas! It has been so cold since then (like -0.9) that the snow is still hanging around! And we are supposed to get some more snow tonight! Actually, it has snowed quite a bit since Christmas. Jennifer had a birthday on December 28, and it snowed on her birthday. Bryon's birthday was January 6, and it snowed on his birthday, too!! Jeremy's birthday is January 16, wonder if it will snow. And of course, Elena's birthday is January 26, so she could have a white birthday, too!!! We sure hope so! And my and Bryon's anniversary (32 years) is on January 24, so our January is VERY full!!! 

Well, David's job ended. His last day was December 31. He is glad to be able to sleep in and be a bum again, but he did enjoy working. They are still trying to get him back. Everybody loves him there. Of course, to be honest, to know David is to love him. I'm not just saying that, it is true! He is a fantastic young man. I am so proud to be his mom. Please pray that he finds another job; or he is able to go back to the job that just ended. Wait, that didn't make sense. It was a grant funded job, so please pray that they can get more grant money so he can go back. I hope that makes sense. Thanks. 
I can't go into too much detail, but in about 3 1/2 weeks it will be just Davidhere with me and Bryon. Rachel will be moving out, and the girls will be in a house together....their own house. It is such a bittersweet thing. The house will seem empty with just the 3 of us. When Jennifer moved out we had to get used to just the 4 of us, so I'm sure it will take a bit of time to get used to just 3! And I am sure that David will be spending a lot of time at the girls' house, so it will just be me and Bryon. Please pray that the move goes smoothly. Thank you. 
Well, that is about all that is going on here. Please forgive me for not updating sooner. I guess no news is good news? 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 

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

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 2012

Update on Elena

Quick update on my precious granddaughter......she has hand foot andmouth disease. She is miserable! She has blisters in her mouth, around her nose and mouth, and on her feet. He legs are covered in a rash and she refuses to wear pants. They have her eating otter pops, so that will help with the sores in her mouth. It breaks my heart. I remember how miserable David was with the mouth sores from chemo, and poor Elena has the mouth sores (blisters) from this disease. Please continue to pray for her. Please pray that she recovers quickly from this. They have been staying home with her, and I really miss her!! My house is too quiet without my little princess!! Anyway, I just wanted you to know what is going on with my granddaughter. Thank you for the prayers! 

Kristi and the Koury Klan 

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2012

Good afternoon. 

I am so sorry I haven't updated in so long. I hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving. We did. It was the 8 of us, and it was a good day. Rachel and I made cookies the week before, and we had a few more to make Thanksgiving morning. I can't believe another Thanksgiving has come and gone. We do have so much to be thankful for. Life is not perfect, but we are still thankful for so much. 

David is now on the antibiotics~~2 VERY strong ones! He will be on them for another week, then 2 weeks of a probiotic. Please pray for him as he is having side effects of the antibiotic. He is still working, and struggling with the side effects at work is NOT fun. Just please pray for him. Thanks. 

Could you also please pray for my precious granddaughter? She has been sick for a few days now. My son says she is a trooper and tries really hard for life to be normal, but it is obvious that she doesn't feel well. Yesterday Lucy stayed home with her, today Jeremy stayed home. Please pray that she is back to her healthy self soon! Thank you. 

Well, that is about it for now. Thank you for your prayers, please keep them coming. Thanks for visiting and checking in on David and the Koury Klan. God bless you all. We love you. 

Kristi and the Koury Klan 


When many people hear childhood cancer, they may only think of St. Jude and TV ads with cancer kids with round faces (from steroids) and bald heads (from chemo). Yet while it is a leading childhood cancer research center, St. Jude doesn't work exclusively on cancer research and treats less than 5% of all children with cancer. Or perhaps you think of the American Cancer Society and its support for childhood cancer? Unfortunately, in 2008, with $1,078 million of public support; the ACS gave only $4.2 million to childhood cancer research, less than 1/2 a penny for each dollar of support. 

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2012

News

Good evening. 

Well, we got the reports in the mail yesterday. It wasn't all good news. David is still stable, and that is very good news! However, the cancer has spread beyond his lungs. There is a calcified spot in/on his spleen. They can't tell if it is on the outside or inside his spleen. BUT; it is stable!! Apparently we are on a 'need to know' basis with Children's Hospital, and this spot has been there for 3 years! I know they never tell us the first time they see something, they wait to compare it with the next scans. So, this spot has been there for awhile, but it is stable, just like the lung mets. It is very disconcerting to us to know it has spread, but we are so thankful that David is still stable, no active disease. Thank you for your prayers, please continue to pray that David stays stable....forever!! We are definitely going to keep a very close eye on the future reports, that's for sure!! Of course his gall stone is still there. But the bottom line is, he is stable!! Yay!! 

Thank you for checking in on David. Please continue to keep him in your prayers. Thank you so very much. God bless you. We love you. 

Kristi and the Koury Klan 

Everyone who is in your life is meant to be a part of that journey, but not all of them are meant to STAY. 

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2012

Finally!!

Good evening. 

Well, I finally got a hold of Connie. She said that everything is the same, and I will be getting the reports in the mail this week. Once I get those reports, I will let you know what they say. But at least we know that David is still stable, no new nodules!! Yay!! 

I realized I never posted about David's appointment in San Francisco. It went well. We were told David didn't need an xray, but we didn't think that sounded right. Well, they have a new computer system and we DID need to get an xray. We just said we would go after David's appointment. As far as the appointment went, Dr. O'Donnell was so happy to see David, as usual. He was the first one to tell us that David wouldn't live 5 years. He always lights up when he sees David, and gets the biggest smile on his face!! Twice in this appointment he said to David, "You make me proud." He said David's legs are about 3mm different, but that is no big deal. He said it isn't even enough to need a lift in his shoe. He was so glad to see David alive and walking!! After the appointment we went to get the xray. Usually we are in and out in about 15 minutes. Well, after over an hour; with people who came after us being seen; Bryon asked how much longer it would be. Well, to make a long story short, they lost the paperwork! So they had to print up another order, and David got his xray! It was frustrating because we wanted to go home!! Anyway, I got a call from Dr. O'Donnell the next day and we were told there is no sign of a local recurrence!! Oh, we already knew that, because Dr. O'Donnell said that David is so thin that a local recurrence could never hide, it would be very obvious!! So that is good news. All good news on David's scans!! God is definitely not finished with David yet!! 

I thank you for your prayers, they are working!! We need to just keep praying that David's scans continue to be stable! Thanks again! 

Update on the probiotic David is taking.....it's not working, he is still having the same issues. I guess the next step is call the GI doctor and go ahead with the antibiotic/probiotic route. Grrrr. We were really hoping the probiotic would work. Please continue to pray for David's health. Thanks! 

Thank you for visiting and checking in on David. Sorry I didn't update sooner, I wanted to get the news from Connie before I did. Please continue to pray for David and the Koury family. Some unspoken prayer requests; God knows what they are. Thank you. God bless you all. We love you. 

Kristi and the Koury Klan 

Hope is ours for the taking every single minute. It's the assurance that things will make sense when there's no sense to make of things. 
~Luci Swindoll 

MONDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2012

Good evening. 

Well, we made it to Oakland safely. We left around 4:30, and it was starting to sprinkle a bit as we left. Then, as soon as we turned onto highway 50 it started to snow! And it snowed rather hard, and the road was a bit slushy. We were even behind a snow plow for awhile!  It was beautiful, but it was dark so we couldn't really see much, except what was in the headlights! Traveling in the snow to Oakland brought back MANY memories. And we were, once again, SO thankful for our Honda Pilot. There were chain requirements, and the inspector look long and hard at our tires and waved us on and told us to be safe. David got quite car sick; as always! Some things never change. As soon as we got low enough to get out of the snow, it rained the rest of the way. Poured! But we did make it there; exactly at 9:30 when we were supposed to be there for check in. So we checked in, and then waited. Of course, it is always rush to get there, so we can sit and wait. Anyway, David had the injection for the bone scan at 10:00, chest CT was scheduled for 11:00, but he got in a few minutes early. Then it was wait until the bone scan at 12:30. David did NOT want to eat in the hospital cafeteria, so we just didn't eat at all this morning. By the time everything was done, we got to the hotel around 2:45 or so. Then we unloaded our stuff and walked across the street to eat, finally! We went to Fuddrucker's, and then came back to the hotel to relax. We decided we will just veg in the hotel until we have to leave in the morning. So that is where we are now. We can't wait till tomorrow is over and we can go home!! Thank you so much for your prayers, we made it safely here because of them! It is supposed to snow tomorrow, too, so please continue to pray for us as we go to San Francisco and then home. Thank you. 

Well, that is about all for now. Thank you, again, for your prayers. Thank you for checking in on David. Please pray he doesn't get car sick on the way home. Thank you. God bless you all. We love you. 

Kristi and the Koury Klan 


Whether their children are in remission, cured, or still in treatment, parents of kids with cancer never really relax. Your mind tells you if it happened once, it could happen again. 

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2012

Prayers needed

Good evening. 

Quick update. We leave tomorrow morning for Oakland Children's Hospital and UCSF. Please pray for our safety; we have come full circle and there is a storm coming in!!  We will be hitting rain and snow in the mountains. We aren't really upset about that; we love the storms! And we still have the Honda Pilot that does great in the weather! But we would still appreciate your prayers. 

Scanxiety is pretty high right now with us. Please pray that the nodules in David's lungs are stable, and that there are no new ones. Thank you. 

Here is a link to a video my daughter, Rachel, made. Please watch it. It is just a very tiny example of what David went through. My daughter did an amazing job on this video. Warning, have tissues ready! 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUIRBQDXUwY 

Well, gotta get ready for bed, must leave very early in the morning. I will try to post tomorrow, if I can, on how the trip and scans went. Then on Tuesday we head to San Francisco for David's appointment with his surgeon. Thank you for visiting and for checking in on David and the rest of the Kourys. God bless you all. We love you. 

Kristi and the Koury Klan 

We are continuing to see late deaths of children presumed “cured” due to late relapses, toxicity and secondary malignancy. 

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2012

Finally an update

Good evening. 

Sorry I haven't updated before now. Things have just been busy, and I really hate spending time on the computer! I get bored really fast!  :) 

Anyway, here is what happened at the doctor. He said David has 3 options: #1~~take a Rx probiotic for a month and see what happens, see if David gets any better; #2~~take an antibiotic for 2 weeks and then a probiotic for 2 weeks and see if David gets any better; #3~~do nothing. Clearly option #3 is NOT an option, and the doctor didn't recommend it, but had to offer it to him. David chose option #1. David said he wanted to do the least 'invasive' of the options first. He didn't like hearing about the side effects of the antibiotics, and said if just doing the probiotics doesn't work then we will explore option #2. The doctor gave us a month supply of the probiotics, yay! It has to be kept in the fridge because it is live freeze-dried probiotics. The doctor said it should kill the unhealthy bacteria in David's small intestine while not harming the healthy bacteria. If it does work, he will be on probiotics for the rest of his life, but that is no big deal! David said, "It's no biggie, just another pill to take twice a day!" Please pray this works!! He really doesn't want to do the antibiotic route. He has already taken 4 pills~~~not helping yet! He was just told to take it for a month and then give the doctor a call and let him know the results. The doctor said that the surgery removed part of his colon and the small intestine (including that valve), and that is part of David's issues. The other issue is the chemo that David had destroyed part of his intestine; it just doesn't work like it is supposed to. He kept saying that David has just been through so much; and we agree!! Too much!! Hopefully the unhealthy bacteria will be a thing of the past soon!! So that is the happs with the doctor appointment. 

David completed his first week of work! He did great. He is nervous and excited for Monday. He will be learning new things on Monday, and that makes him rather nervous, and excited at the same time. We are so proud of him. I knew this day would come, when all my children would be working and gone all day, but I'm not sure I was ready for it! I miss having him home with me! He's my last one still at home! I am so glad he has beaten the odds and has lived long enough to get a job, it's just strange to have him gone all day. He is well-liked, no big surprise, and does a good job at work, so we are hoping that someday this will turn permanent. He rides his motorcycle to work now, but that will be changing once it gets cold! He will have to take my car, but that's ok. Please continue to pray for him; pray for his safety as he rides to and from work. 

Well that is about all that is happening around here. Thank you for checking in on David. Please continue to keep him in your prayers. Also, please pray for one of our Osteo family members. I have mentioned Sonya before; she starts chemo again in a couple of days for a relapse, and her dad died yesterday from lung cancer. Please pray for Sonya, and her mom and sister. Thank you so much. God bless you all. We love you. 

Kristi and the Koury Klan 

Whether their children are in remission, cured, or still in treatment, parents of kids with cancer never really relax. Your mind tells you if it happened once, it could happen again. 

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2012

Sorry for the delay

Good evening. 

I am sorry I haven't updated with the results of David's interview! It has been very hectic around here! He had the interview, and he got the job! It is only a temp job, but that is ok! He started yesterday and he said he likes the job. It was kinda sad for Bryon and I because we had planned a trip to Arizona to visit our friends, and we weren't there for David's first day of work! We left for Arizona on Friday, and didn't come home until last night. I really wanted to be there for David's first day of work, so I could pray with him before he left......I've done that with all my children. It was good for him, but hard for me! He is my baby, and it was difficult for me to not be there for this momentous occasion! But, anyway, he had a good day, and he likes it. I am so glad that it is a positive experience for him. He was extremely nervous yesterday, but not at all today. He doesn't even dread going to work! So thank you for all your prayers. Now please pray that this could turn into a permanent job! That would be great! 

David's appointment with the gastroenterologist is on Thursday. Please pray that it goes well. We will finally get the 'official' results of the hydrogen breath test, and we will get him started on antibiotics. He had to call the temp agency and let them know about this appointment. The place he is working already knew; he mentioned it in the interview. They also know that he will be gone October 22 for scans in Oakland and October 23 for his appointment with Dr. O in San Francisco. But he had to tell the temp agency. Anyway, we can't wait to get this appointment over with!! 

Our weather has finally turned the corner and it is getting cooler. It definitely feels like fall is in the air!! Sooooo glad we don't live in Arizona! It was 102 and 103 when we were there!! I do NOT like it that hot! Our friends do, however. We think they are crazy!! I am so glad to see it getting cooler. I love having my windows open and have the cool breeze blowing in. Great sleeping weather! 

Well, that is about it for now. I will try to update after David's doctor appointment on Thursday. Thank you for checking in. Have a good evening. God bless you all. We love you. 

Kristi and the Koury Klan 

September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month…the general public is not aware of this! 
The Gold Ribbon is the symbol for Childhood Cancer…the general public is not aware of this either! 
The fact that September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month and that the Gold Ribbon symbolizes Childhood Cancer goes largely unrecognized across our country. 

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2012

Please Pray

Good evening. 

Quick update. Please pray for David tomorrow morning at 10:45. He has a job interview. It is only a temporary job, from October 1st through December 31st, but could turn into something permanent. Please pray for David to be able to speak up and talk to the interviewers (3 of them). He is such a shy, withdrawn young man, and he needs to 'get over it' so to speak. He is understandably nervous, but also kind of excited to get the job. He is so limited in what he can do with his physical disabilities that it is difficult to find a job. Plus, Nevada is #1 in unemployment..... Anyway, this is a data entry job, so he doesn't have to stand all day (which he cannot do), or do a lot of walking (which he also cannot do), so this will be the perfect job for him. Please pray for him to be calm and to do well in the interview. Thanks. 

Kristi and the Koury Klan 

Three out of every five children diagnosed with cancer suffer from long-term or late onset side effects.