Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Good evening, everyone.

Well, David's first (and second) day of school went good. He thinks he will enjoy this year ok. He is so happy he has the same English teacher he had last year, he really likes her. He is doing good so far. I keep reminding him to buckle down, this is his last year. He has the desire to do well, I just hope the effects from chemo he still suffers from won't derail him this year. Please remember to keep him in your prayers.

We went to another Aces baseball game last night. It was a fun game. It would have been more fun had we won, but we still had a great time. We only lost by one run, score was 7-6. It was very cold last night. We were bundled up in our sweatshirts; but I left the blankets in the car! Oh well. We still really enjoyed ourselves. David said it was a great first day of school, even though it was a late night for him. But that is one of the beauties of being home-schooled!!

Well, that is about all for tonight. We are all pretty tired. Thanks for checking in. Keep checking back, you never know what will happen! Thank you for your prayers. Have a really good night. God bless you all. We love you.

Kristi and the Koury Klan

The human spirit is stronger than anything that can happen to it. - C.C. Scott

Sunday, August 29, 2010

Good evening,

We had a fantastic time camping! Our friends had never been to Lake Davis, and they loved it! It was beautiful. Bryon, Rachel, and David went up on Friday; with Pat following in his RV. Jennifer, Eileen, and I followed later, after Eileen got off work. We got there around 6:20. The weather was wonderful on Friday. It was nice and cold, but warm around the campfire. We had BBQ'd burgers for dinner, and Eileen made macaroni salad, and I brought some watermelon. It was such a yummy dinner. Then Saturday was a cold day. Well, not cold, but really cool. It was partly cloudy and wonderful. Boy, did it make us want Fall!!! We had tacos for dinner on Saturday, again with Pat and Eileen. We all sat in our nice warm trailer and had wonderful food and fellowship! Then, the weather changed. It started to rain; just a drizzle; so the guys put all the chairs and wood and stuff under cover, just in case. Then it started to rain, and it rained all night. It sounded so cool on the trailer. The kids love the rain~~~~so do I! We are so happy that the trailer has a wonderful heater. We were cozy and warm in the trailer, and the rain was so nice. When we woke up this morning it was beautiful! It was still cloudy and windy, and absoultely gorgeous. Pat and Eileen left rather early; Pat had a migraine. We packed up after we had breakfast (breakfast burritos). By that time the rain had stopped, and it was beautiful. It was cold, cloudy, and everything was wet, but we got everything packed up rather quickly. We didn't worry about cleaning the trailer; everything was too wet. We will clean it tomorrow, Bryon has his furlough day (unpaid day off) tomorrow. Then we came home. It is cold here, too, but I know it doesn't mean Fall is here yet. We have a fire in the fireplace right now. For dinner I made Chunky Chicken Potato Soup! It was a perfect dinner for a day like today. Overall, we had a great time camping. We did do some bike riding; and Jennifer, Bryon, and Pat rode Bryon's motorcycle. I can't wait to go camping again! We know we will go with Pat and Eileen again!

Well, David starts school tomorrow. It will be a bittersweet day for him. He has the same English teacher, yay!! He is very happy about that. He has a couple teachers he had last year, and that makes him happy. We are praying he has a wonderful year of school this year. He also starts Bible Study on Thursday, and he is ecstatic about that!! He already can't wait until Thursday! Crazy kid. He missed the bowling outing with the Bible Study kids; it was on Saturday when we were camping. Oh well, they have other activities scheduled. He is just looking forward to Thursday, but not tomorrow. Please pray that he has a good day tomorrow. Thanks.

Thank you for all your words of encouragement to us about the house. David is extremely happy that we aren't moving. None of us were looking forward to that, so we are all relieved that we are staying. Thanks again for all your prayers and encouragement.

Thanks for visiting and checking up on us. Have a wonderful evening. Thanks for all your prayers. God bless you all. We love you.

Kristi and the Koury Klan

Despite the success of chemotherapy for osteosarcoma, it has one of the lowest survival rates for pediatric cancer.

Thursday, August 26, 2010

Good evening.

We can't wait until tomorrow! Yay for camping!! I will not be posting again until we get home on Sunday, so this will be the last post for the weekend. I hope you all have a great weekend.

In other news; I guess we will be buying a dishwasher. That is, when we can afford it. And that is because we get to keep our house!! Bryon called today and found out that our modification was approved, and we will NOT be moving! YAY!! Thank you so much for the prayers, I can't tell you how much we appreciate it. It is still going to be VERY tight; we will not be buying any 'extras' and we sure won't have money left at the end of the month, but that is ok. We will still have the house, and that is what we wanted. I won't go into the details, but last night I was totally resigned to losing the house. I thought it was a done deal, and we had 90 days. So, I am very happy to report that we will be keeping the house. Whew. We have been fighting to keep the house for 2 years. It is so nice to be out of limbo, and things can move forward. As Rachel always says, "Now time can pass." I am so happy; but we are in shock a bit~~it hasn't really sunk in yet. I hope that makes sense. So, again, thank you so very much for the prayers. As I said on Facebook, maybe the "Koury curse" has been lifted! Maybe we were due for something good to happen to us. I don't care, I am just happy that I don't have to uproot my family; and David doesn't have to add his house to the long list of things he has lost.

Well, that is about all that is happening here. Thank you so very much for all your prayers. Thank you for checking in on us. Have a good evening, and a good weekend. God bless you all. We love you.

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

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Good evening.

Today was, hopefully, the last day of Summer! It was hot today. It was almost 98* today! The humidity was a whopping 10%!! We are pretty tired of the hot weather. This is going to sound strange, so bear with me. I am tired of being cold. Yes, the house is cold in the Summer, and toasty warm in the Winter. I am tired of the cooler being on; the noise; and the being cold. I wear a zip up sweatshirt (hoodie) every day in the Summer in my house! Our hardwood floors are cold. It is totally backwards, I know. In the Summer the house is cold, but we, especially David, can't handle the heat, so we have to use the cooler. And the cooler is old, we got it for free, and it only has one speed~~~~high! So this weekend will be great! We will be camping, but it is predicted to be very cool. Like 65* on Sunday! So we will have the cooler off this weekend. And next week will be not quite so hot, so maybe we will be able to deal with just fans on some days. We are so ready for Fall!! It is my favorite season, but Winter is very close behind!! David's favorite season is Winter, so he is anxiously waiting for Winter and snow!!

I haven't heard from Connie on David's blood work yet, so I will call her tomorrow. David is not eating that much. Today for breakfast he had 2 mini cinnamon rolls; lunch was a half a sandwich; dinner was one meatball sub (homemade). He has, in the past, eaten as many as 5 meatball subs. Usually, on a 'normal' day he would eat 3. So, as you can see, he really isn't eating much at all. He is taking his medicine like he is supposed to. I am telling you, his cancer is the gift that just keeps on giving!! Stamina~~~yeah, still not there. I will keep you posted on what I find out tomorrow.

David is sad to see his Summer vacation coming to an end. I mean, this is the first Summer vacation he has had in 3 years, and it has gone by sooo fast!!! Poor kid. Oh well.

I have a prayer request for my daughter, Rachel. She has the opportunity to go to Israel in a couple of months. There is a gentleman that takes a group, and they go to the actual sites and walk the streets Jesus walked. In the past the sites were not historically accurate. They have done a lot of digging and researching and have the actual sites. Anyway, she really wants to go; and needs prayer to get the money. We would all like to go, but it is out of the question for us. She has been working a bit of overtime, and hopes to have the money to go. It will be for 2 weeks, and I am jealous! She is going with nobody she knows, but that won't stop her! So I would like prayer for her to be able to get enough money together, that she has a great time, and that someone will take her under their wing and take care of her. Sorry, I will always be her mom, and I will always worry about her. But I want her to have a great time! She is quite independent, and I am not surprised she will go that far from home 'alone.' We will miss her, but I am happy for her. Please pray that she is able to save the money. Thanks!

Thanks for checking in on David and the Koury Klan. Thank you for the emotional support you give us. Thanks for caring enough to keep checking in on us. God bless you all. We love you. {{hugs}}

Kristi and the Koury Klan

A hospital should also have a recovery room adjoining the cashier's office. - Francis O'Walsh

Monday, August 23, 2010

Good evening.

Do you all remember when I said that if it wasn't for bad luck we would have no luck at all? Remember a while back my dishwasher died? Remember a while back my washing machine died? Well, today my dryer died!! It is blowing COLD air! I couldn't figure out why the dryer kept running and running (it was on 'sensor dry'). So I opened the dryer and the clothes were still wet, and COLD!!! Grrrr! See, if it isn't one thing, it's another! So goes life in the (seemingly cursed) Koury Klan. Sorry, I had to get that off my chest. Oh, thankfully, I do have a clothesline in the backyard. But not everything can be put on the clothesline! But we will make do until we can figure out how to get a dryer. *sigh*

We are counting the days until we go camping! One thing I forgot to tell you is we are taking our bikes camping!! We wish we had done that before. Bryon is taking his motorcycle; we have a motorcycle carrier thing that will attach to the trailer hitch on Bryon's car. I will drive Bryon's car with the motorcycle. I am sure Bryon and Jennifer will take turns riding Bryon's motorcycle, and David and I will ride our bikes. We can't wait. Rachel might ride my bike when I am not riding it, we will see. Anyway, sorry for the rambling. We are just really excited to go camping!

I can't believe summer vacation is almost over. The first summer vacation David has had in 3 years, and it went by so fast!!! It is kinda sad. Oh well. He is enjoying his last week of break. It will kinda be nice to get back into a 'schedule' again. It just seems that life is just going so fast.

Well, that is about all that is going on here. Thank you for visiting and checking in on David. Have a good evening. God bless you all. We love you. {{hugs}}

Kristi and the Koury Klan

"We have a multi-billion dollar industry that is killing people, right and left, just for financial gain. Their idea of research is to see whether two doses of this poison is better than three doses of that poison."—Glen Warner, M.D. oncologist

Sunday, August 22, 2010

Good evening.

It has been a busy weekend, as usual. Yesterday was busy with errands and Bryon getting Jennifer's motorcycle running. It has been sitting for too long, and it needed some work done. Then, Jennifer learned to ride it! YAY! She bought the motorcycle 3 years ago; when Bryon bought his; and she hadn't really learned to ride it yet. Well, yesterday she succeeded. And she looks so cute riding it. It is a dual sport bike; dirt and street legal bike. So now she just needs to take the safety class, and then she can get her license. She really wants to do that. That will be good for the Summer, save on gas!! Then today we went to church. Well, the kids and I did. Bryon has been at work since 3:30am (and is still there), so it was just us today. Then Jeremy and Lucy came over for lunch, and we had homemade sub sandwiches. Then Lucy and Jeremy left because Lucy and her sister were going to go to Target and Burlington Baby Depot so Lucy could register for the baby! She will be 18 weeks tomorrow!! She is almost halfway there! Then it has been just the normal housework for the rest of the day. Oh yeah, David and I went bicycle riding yesterday. I have so much fun with him. I am so out of shape, I haven't been on my bike in years! It was so much fun, tho. It felt good to be out there in the beautiful weather. Oh, today was only 79 degrees; beautiful!! Today Rachel roller bladed while David rode his bike. Anyway, it was a busy weekend.

Thank you for your prayers for the Bish family. Even though we knew Sam was going to die, it doesn't make it any easier when it actually happens. As one of the members of our Osteo family said, over half of the kids that were alive when her daughter was diagnosed are now dead. This cancer sucks so badly. It is stealing our children! Just in the last month it has robbed us of Soren, Matt, Nicki, and Sam. It is scary for us who are still in the battle for our children's lives! We feel like this cancer is a ticking time bomb in our children. And, like I said a few days ago, there is no rhyme or reason to it. It is so unknown, and unpredictable. Please remember to pray for our Osteo family members; God knows who they are. One specific person who needs prayers right now is Todd. Thank you.

David has one more week of Summer vacation. School starts next week. He is excited/nervous. I got the sweetest email from his English teacher from last year. I can tell she is a teacher who truly cares, and I so appreciate that. I hope David has her for a teacher this year. I don't know when we get his class schedule, I assume this week. Please pray for David as he prepares for his Senior year of High School. I can't believe this is his last year. Him being a year ahead has made the time go so fast. Thank you for your continued prayers for him.

I forgot to call Connie about David's blood work. I will do that this week. I will keep you posted on what I find out.

We can't wait until Friday. Our last Summer camping trip! It will be fun, it always is! It is just one of those little things we do as a family that doesn't cost much!

Thank you for checking in. Thank you for all your support and love~~~and your prayers. God bless you all. We love you.

Kristi and the Koury Klan

'Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.'~~~Robert Brault

Friday, August 20, 2010

Quick update. Little Sam lost his battle tonight. Please remember to pray for the Bish family. I can't tell you how absolutely sick I am of this monster taking our children from us. We have got to find a cure! I just don't have anything else to say tonight. I am just sick of this. Thank you for understanding. God bless you all.

Kristi and the Koury Klan

Osteosarcoma (osteogenic sarcoma) is a highly malignant tumor. It characteristically presents between the ages of 10 and 30 years and has a male predominance. The tumor is usually treated with wide tumor resection and adjunctant chemotherapy. Despite treatment the prognosis is poor and a fatal outcome is the rule.

Monday, August 16, 2010

Good evening.

Things are going about the same here. We are anxiously waiting for Fall~~~it is gorgeous here! The leaves on the tree in our front yard are about 66% yellow, and the whole yard is covered with the leaves that fell off already! It is funny, because the tree was VERY late to blossom this year; and it is early to turn and lose it's leaves! We are really hoping for an early, long Fall. David is ready for Winter and snow, but I am not quite there, yet. I am ready for all the colors and smells of Fall.

We hope to hear this week about the results of David's blood work. The results are supposed to be faxed to Oakland Children's Hospital, so I assume we will find out this week. David still has the rash on his knee, but it is getting better. I am putting the cream on it every night; but David said it is still itchy. He said it actually feels good when I rub the cream on it because that kind of scratches it. He is not healing real well, and that is a sign of zinc deficiency. Please continue to pray that we can get his meds tweaked to the correct dosage. Thanks.

Please continue to pray for Sam. He is in the active phase of dying. Hospice told them it could be any time. He is on oxygen and morphine; having trouble breathing; not eating or drinking; mostly spending his time sleeping. Please pray for his parents and 2 sisters. I can't imagine the pain and agony they are going through watching their child die. There has got to be no greater pain than that. I watched my dad die, and that was bad enough!! I can't imagine watching my child die, someone who should outlive me!! Also, please continue to pray for the families of Matt and Nicki. Thank you so much for your prayers. I know the families appreciate it.

Thanks for visiting and checking in on the Koury Klan. Thanks for being there for us. Thank you for the love, prayers, and emotional support. Have a good evening. God bless you all. We love you.

Kristi and the Koury Klan

'Be yourself. No one can ever tell you you're doing it wrong.'~~~James Leo Herlihy

Saturday, August 14, 2010

Good evening.

Today has been a busy day. Bryon had to work today. I had to run to the grocery store first thing this morning because the kittens (and their mommy) had no food. The kittens are 6 weeks old; they are eating and drinking; and using the litter box. Yay! So, they can go at any time! So, if anyone knows of someone who wants a kitten, let me know. They are so very cute. 2 boys and 2 girls. One boy is pure black, and one boy is orange. One girl is mostly black (with very cute markings that make her always look sad), and the other girl is tortoise shell. They are such cute kitties. Anyway, then I did some housework, then had to run to Costco. Then Bryon got home and we had dinner. Then Rachel and I had to run to walmart. Busy day.

Jennifer is finally getting her car fixed! Something I didn't know was her deductible is lower than normal because she hit an animal. I am not totally sure what difference that makes, but it was a nice surprise for her. She will be taking her car in on Monday, then she will be riding her bike to work. She is looking forward to that! It will be good for her. Not sure how long it will take to fix her car, but she doesn't care. I will be taking her back to work on Monday after she drops the car off. I hope Rachel can take her home after work. If not, I will pick her up.

We are excited for 2 weeks from now. We are going camping the last weekend of August. We are going with some friends from church. Bryon and Pat are going up Friday early afternoon; and I will be going up with Eileen later, after work. I think David and Rachel are going with Bryon, Jennifer will go with me and Eileen. Bryon will also have the dogs. Hopefully we won't get up there too late. We are really looking forward to it! We love camping!! These two weeks are going to go by slow. It is David's last camping trip before school! It isn't our last trip for the year, but the last one for the summer.

My heart is heavy again tonight. Matt lost his battle with Osteosarcoma this morning. Like I have said before, it is so hard to see these kids die from the same cancer that is in my son's body!! I don't understand how this cancer works. I mean, remember I told you about that kid who has had the lung mets stable for 5 years; then with some kids it just spreads like wildfire in their bodies. It just goes to show how unknown this cancer is. There is no real rhyme or reason to it. It is so unpredictable. And that is what scares us the most. Please pray for Matt's family. And Sam has been needing oxygen all day today. Please continue to pray for Sam and his family. Thanks.

Thanks for checking in. Have a good evening, and a good day tomorrow. God bless you all. We love you. Thank you for your prayers. {{hugs}}

Kristi and the Koury Klan

All the beautiful sentiments in the world weigh less than a single lovely action.~~~James Russell Lowell

Friday, August 13, 2010

Good evening.

Today was an interesting day. I just mentioned yesterday about not hearing about the house. So, today we get a letter from our mortgage company, Ocwen. They say it is our 'final notice' to get some missing documents to them. They said they are missing Bryon's pay stubs because the ones they received were not legible. That is a lie. He sent his pay stubs as a computer printout; extremely clear and legible. Then (remember I got the letter TODAY!), they said we had until 8/12/10 to respond. That was yesterday!! So I looked at the postmark on the letter, guess when it was postmarked?!?! Yesterday! They didn't even mail it until the day we were supposed to have submitted the forms! Please, if any of you are using Ocwen, GET OUT!! Try to find someone else. They have NO customer service, and we are really tired of being jacked around by them. Anyway, Bryon emailed the forms (again), and then called them to let them know how incompetent they are!! They told Bryon to give them a week to process all the paperwork, and then call them again. We will see. Oh, they gave him a direct line to the agent handling our case~~~she didn't answer the phone and her mailbox was full so Bryon couldn't leave a message. Again, I hope and pray none of you have Ocwen carrying the papers on your house. They are a shyster company! They got their bailout money, and they don't care two beans about us, or anybody else for that matter. Ok, that is off my chest!! Our house situation is in God's hands, and that is all I can say. We are praying we keep it, but Bryon is so tired of working with these people that he is ready to walk away. I want to fight, I am tired of being played for a fool. I have been treated like I am stupid, and I don't know what is going on, too much in my life. Another thing I am done with!!

Bryon took David to LabCorp today to get his blood drawn. It was actually pretty fast! I stayed home with Emilee, of course. I didn't want to take Emilee because usually it is a 2 hour wait! They were only gone about 30 minutes!! David hates getting poked all the time, but we need to know what is going on with him. Hopefully, we will find out what is happening with his zinc levels; and hopefully everything else comes back great!! He is 'at risk' for leukemia; it is a side effect of some of the chemos he was given; so they have to watch out for that. I forgot to tell you that Connie said to put hydrocortisone cream on David's rash~~yes it is still there. The rash from the tape from surgery in June! He is so highly allergic to all adhesives, and he isn't healing very fast. It looks like blisters! Well, his leg is looking a tad bit better with the cream. He said it still itches really bad, but he tries not to scratch it. So that is good. He still isn't eating very good. We notice him eating less than he used to. Please continue to pray for him. Thanks.

That is about all that is happening with the Koury Klan. Please continue to pray for Sam, Matt, and Todd. Also, McKenna is having her second chemo as we speak. Please keep her in your prayers. Sara went to college; please pray that she will be able to handle the schedule, work load, and physical stuff that goes along with it. Thanks for your prayers for these people. They are continually on my list, and they need all the prayers they can get. Sara needs prayers as she goes to college and to stay cancer-free; McKenna needs prayer to get through the next 7 months (her course of treatment); Todd needs lots of prayers for his health; and Sam and Matt need prayers for peace as they lose their battle with this disease. Thank you so very much for your prayers. I really appreciate you guys!

Have a good weekend. Thanks for stopping by and checking in on David. God bless you all. We love you. {{hugs}}

Kristi and the Koury Klan


If children have the ability to ignore all odds and percentages, then maybe we can all learn from them. When you think about it, what other choice is there but to hope? We have two options, medically and emotionally: give up, or fight like hell. - Lance Armstrong

Thursday, August 12, 2010

Good evening.

Our weather has been so beautiful these past few days. I was able to turn off the cooler and open the windows! It felt so good. But.....I guess all good things must come to an end! It is going to be in the 90's tomorrow. Yuck! I am tired of summer. We really liked having the windows open!! Oh well. We enjoyed it while it lasted.

David is doing ok. He still isn't eating like we would like him to, but we celebrate every bite! He starts school on Aug. 30th, and he is NOT looking forward to it. I have to admit this summer went by really fast!!

We haven't heard anything lately about the house. The last letter we got from them was dated June 9th. That letter said they were reviewing our case. Don't know what is going to happen. But I will let you know when we hear anything.

Please continue to pray for Sam.

He is going downhill really fast. He is only 9 years old! He is scared, and that is hard on his parents; as if having to watch your child die isn't hard enough. Please pray for some peace for Sam. Thank you.

Thanks for visiting. Have a wonderful day tomorrow. God bless you all. We love you.

Kristi and the Koury Klan


In too many cases, the moms, the dads, the sisters and brothers of children with cancer must stand by a hospital bed and watch helplessly as this horrible disease consumes the life of an innocent child.~~~Michael McCaul

Monday, August 9, 2010

Good evening.

David had his oncology appointment in Reno today. He is doing good. Connie said he has better color than she has ever seen him have. Yes, his color is better; he is still a bit pale, but not as 'gray' (her words) as he used to be~~yay! That is good. He will have scans in October, then we will graduate to scans every four months instead of every three. She ordered blood work done on him, we are still concerned with his appetite. He has lost a few more pounds, and we just don't like that. He is rarely hungry, and when he is nothing sounds good. He has pretty much no appetite, and is down to barely 130 pounds. His high was 137. So, we will have to go to LabCorp and gets his labs drawn, and go from there. We still have the Megace, so we will use it if we have to. Overall, it was a good appointment. Emilee was a perfect angel! She got a little concerned and clingy when Connie started actually examining David~~I was holding her and telling her that it was ok, this was David's appointment, and nothing was going to happen to her. Then when Connie just sat down to chat with us, Emilee wanted David to pick her up, so he did. Then she was playing with the paper on the exam table, and she was happy. Silly baby girl! So it was a long, but good, day. We are still keeping a close eye on David, and other than his appetite and weight loss, he is doing good. Please pray that his appetite picks up. I know I have been asking for that for a very long time, but we would rather him want to eat on his own, not because he is taking a medicine to make him want to eat! Thank you for your continued prayers.

Lucy is 16 weeks along today! I am so excited for this baby. I think I may be more excited than they are~~~~ok, maybe that isn't quite true :) But we are really excited!! Please continue to pray for the health of that baby.

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

Kristi and the Koury Klan

The growing population of childhood survivors is notable for its vulnerability to adverse health outcomes, many of which may not become clinically apparent until years after the completion of therapy.
Despite surviving their initial cancer, childhood cancer survivors continue to face considerable premature mortality as adults. The excess risk of dying from other causes that contributes most to loss of life expectancy is the increased incidence of chronic conditions among survivors of childhood cancer. We need to monitor the health of these survivors and to minimize the use of therapies with late toxicities in newly diagnosed patients.
Survivors also experience a higher prevalence of chronic conditions, with as many as two thirds of childhood cancer survivors reporting at least one chronic condition and one fourth reporting a severe, disabling, or life-threatening condition. Survivors of childhood cancer are 5 to 10 times more likely than their healthy siblings to experience heart disease. The incidence of these conditions increases with time, so the full extent of disease- and treatment-related late effects has yet to be realized. Survivors of childhood cancer are a new, large, emerging population at risk for acquired premature symptomatic cardiovascular disease.

Sunday, August 8, 2010

Good evening.

I just want to request prayer for my Osteo family. In the last couple of weeks we have lost 3 children. We lost Nicki, Soren, and Tyler. Matt is losing his battle, and it could be any day now. Please, please pray for the families of Nicki, Soren, Tyler, and Matt. Thank you. My heart breaks for these families; I know it could very well be us. Thank you for your prayers.

Kristi and the Koury Klan

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

Saturday, August 7, 2010

Good evening.

Again, thank you all so much for your love and support. You are all right, family isn't always about blood. In this case, it is by choice; my choice. Thank you for understanding. And thank you for being my family.

Well, we went fly fishing. And we had a blast!! David had SOOO much fun! He was able to use the rod that Bob Saintey (David's Sunday School teacher when David was 6) gave him, and he was so excited about that. The woman who was his teacher, Judy, said she has three rules~~~#1-have fun. #2-relax and don't stress. #3-don't have better equipment than the teacher. Then she said he failed rule #3. She was great!



They all were great. David said he had a lot more fun than he thought he would. We couldn't stay the whole time, we left after lunch (about 1:45); David was just too worn out. We hiked quite a ways to the spot where we fished, and David was very exhausted. His very first cast he caught a fish!!

It wasn't one of the bigger ones, but he still caught a fish! It is a 'catch and release' private reserve, so he didn't keep the fish. But he was pretty excited to have caught a fish on his first cast. I have posted pictures of the day. The place we went to was absolutely gorgeous! And it was a perfect day. The weather was beautiful! God blessed us with a wonderful day.

We are so glad that David had so much fun, we were just sad that he couldn't finish the day. He was just way too tired. I am so sick and tired of him still suffering the physical effects of this stupid cancer!! But, the trooper that he is, he just did his best and lasted as long as he could. I knew he was tired long before he admitted it. He really wanted to stay, he was having so much fun. *sigh*

Thanks for visiting. I so appreciate all of the support from you guys. Thank you for being there for me/us. I love you all! God bless you. Have a good rest of the weekend.

Kristi and the Koury Klan


Survival rates for children with localized osteosarcoma are at about 70 percent, compared to 15 percent in the early 1960s. Survival rates for children with metastatic disease are about 30 percent.

Saturday, August 7, 2010

Good morning.

I want to say thank you to all of you who support me/us during this time. I love you all. Thanks for being the ones who have 'stepped up' and been there for us.

We are heading out the door; we are going fly-fishing!! We are going with "Reel Kids, Real Living" a fly-fishing retreat for children with cancer and their families! David even has his own fly-fishing rod (thanks Bob!!).

Just wanted to say thanks, and I love you. Have a good day.

Kristi and the Koury Klan

Friday, August 6, 2010

Good evening.

For those of you who have children, have you thought of what it must be like for those mothers and fathers out there who have a child suffering with a critical illness? To have a child who stares death in the face every day?!? I can't help but feel abandoned by people who I would have never guessed would ever let me; or my child; down, and I am so angry and frustrated about it. So I want you to ask yourself, what if this were you? What if you had to hear the words, "your child has cancer?" It's been almost 3 years, where were you 3 years ago? Now imagine the time since then being filled with doctors and surgery and hospitals and poison and pain and anxiety and travel and financial devastation and lots more surgery. Now imagine your friends and family almost completely vanishing from your everyday life. Think of what it would feel like to be avoided by the people you needed most. Imagine the stab of pain in your heart as you look at your other children and realize that the fight to save one child has taken you from your other children. Imagine the pain in your heart as you watch your other children watch the sick child; with pain in their eyes. Now imagine the fear that freezes you when you think about the worst happening, and wondering if you will be alone when it comes. I can't stand to hear the words, "If you need me I will be there." I didn't need you 'there' - I needed you HERE. I know I have said those words, and I didn't realize how empty they are. Those of you who say those words, and know how awful it is to hear them; shame on you the most!! You should know better.

I wish I had the option to turn my back, and wait for that update in my email or facebook, then say how much I care.... but in reality be so detached that I can choose to just forget about it until the next update. Maybe post something like "stay positive" or "keep praying" or "it will be ok" or "everything happens for a reason" and that makes me feel better, and it is ok for me to really not be involved at all. I get that from people who live 3000 miles away, from people who don't even know us (and that's ok from them), why would you think that is enough from close friends and family?? People who don't know us have shown us far more love, support, and concern than close friends and family. People who don't know us never once questioned whether or not we were 'faking' this (as if we would; how sick and twisted is that?); never kicked us when we were down; never betrayed us; never sent mean, nasty, selfish, vindictive letters; etc. They understand our need to vent, and they accept us for who we are. They understand that cancer is a FAMILY diagnosis, and they continue to read my posts. They didn't stop reading because THEY (their opinion) felt it was all about me. I have felt more love and acceptance from them than I have from close friends and family. They have reached out to us far more than close friends and family have. Some of the nurses, technicians, and doctors at the hospital reached out to us more, and showed more love and compassion, than close friends and family have. I find that very sad, and all too common. I have read about that happening several times, on other caring bridge sites. However, I also read on a caring bridge than one family was brought together by their child's cancer diagnosis. They said sisters (who hadn't spoken in years) put hard feelings and differences in the past and began talking to each other; the family rallied around and supported the parents (of the child with cancer) like never before. They said, "That is what happens when a child is diagnosed with cancer." Really? I only wish that were true. One of the biggest regrets I have in my life is telling my family that my son has cancer. I wish I would have just stuck to a committment I made to myself before he was diagnosed and just not told them. But I can't go back; though I wish I could. But I can go forward, and that is what I am doing. I will continue to post; the good, the bad, and the ugly. And I will contiue to tell about the whole familly, and how we ALL are doing.

If you don't like my post today, too bad. I am angry and frustrated, but more than that - I am done. Done pretending that its ok when its not. Done with people who don't care about me or my family.

This was one of those 'venting' posts. Thanks for listening. Do NOT post any criticism for what I have said~~~it WILL be deleted!


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

Sunday, August 1, 2010

Good evening.

Sorry I haven't updated sooner, it's been a bit busy around here. I talked to Connie on Friday; it was her day off. She said she would look at the report from Radiology on David's bone scans on Monday and call me. I said that was fine. Well, a little while later she called me and said that she called Dr. Hastings and the bone scan looked good. She also said she didn't want me waiting all weekend to find out the results. I told her we weren't expecting any surprises, but I really appreciated her calling me. She is great! She said that she knows that no matter how far out we are from chemo, scans are still REALLY scary. She totally understands that. I really apprecicate that about her. So, the results are in. Bone scan clear, lung nodules stable! We can now breathe for the next almost 3 months. Thank you for all the prayers.

Please continue to pray for Nicki and her family. Also, please pray for Matt, he is losing his battle with this monster, too. Also, another child, Tyler, lost his battle this morning. I HATE OSTEOSARCOMA!! Please remember all these families in your prayers. Thank you.

I am tired. Thanks for visiting. Have a great evening. God bless you all. We love you.

Kristi and the Koury Klan

Every Child's Smile is Beautiful; The Smile of a Child With Cancer is Inspirational.

Thursday, July 29, 2010

Good evening.

Urgent prayer request~~~please pray for Nicki. This Osteo monster is rapidly taking her life from her. She is only 20 years old, and has been fighting this monster for 4 years. Please pray for her and her family. Thank you.

Kristi and the Koury Klan

Osteosarcoma (osteogenic sarcoma) is a highly malignant tumor. It characteristically presents between the ages of 10 and 30 years and has a male predominance. The tumor is usually treated with wide tumor resection and adjunctant chemotherapy. Despite treatment the prognosis is poor and a fatal outcome is the rule.

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Good evening.

We are really ready for Fall!! We are tired of the hot weather. It has been in the low 90's with around 11% humidity. We pretty much stay in the house where it is cool, David just doesn't handle the heat well. We are ready to have the windows open and let the cool, fresh air in. We know Fall will be here soon, we just can't wait!

I neglected to tell you all something. I am VERY happy that the nodules in David's lungs are stable. But what I forgot to tell you, is just how good of news that is. We were told of a young man (19 years old now) who has 6 or 7 lung mets. They are 100% osteo (they have been biopsied), and they are VERY visible on the bone scan. We saw the bone scan, and we saw the mets. There is one that is quite large. The thing is, they have been there for 5 years; unchanged. We don't really understand that, but I guess anything can happen. He does NOT want any more treatment, so they are just sitting there. He had his right arm amputated due to osteo, has had at least one thoracotomy, and all the nasty chemo that all our children have had. He is done, and wants no more. Even though he was a minor when he made the decision to have no more active treatment, his parents allowed him to make that decision. I am not sure I would have allowed that. I want my son to fight this blasted cancer until he just can't fight it anymore. I guess we all just make that decision when we get to it, we have no idea what we would do ahead of time. Trust me, I am not criticizing his parents, I respect them for being able to let their son make a decision like that! And he is doing well, at this point. So, I know just how fanstastic it is that the nodules in David's lungs are unchanged!! I will take that news!

I didn't hear from Connie today about the bone scan. Like I said yesterday, we are NOT anticipating any surprises; it is just nice when you get the 'official' news!! Hopefully tomorrow.

Please continue to keep Sam in your prayers. He is on hospice, but he still has breakthrough pain. It is sooooo hard to watch your child be in pain; and the pain that this cancer causes is indescribable. Please pray that the family can make some wonderful memories, and that he can be pain free and peaceful. Thanks.

Thanks for checking in. Have a great evening. Thanks for all the prayers, we appreciate it. God bless you all. We love you. {{hugs}}

Kristi and the Koury Klan

'Nothing is permanent in this wicked world--not even our troubles.'~~Charlie Chaplin

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Good evening. They say no news is good news~~how about 1/2 news? I talked to Connie today; she said that the chest CT shows 'no change.' So those nodules are still there, but they are stable. That is good news. As far as the bone scan; she said the report isn't up yet, and she will notify me as soon as she gets the report. We don't anticipate a problem, but it will be nice to hear the official word. I will keep you posted. Thank you for your prayers so far. Please keep the prayers coming!!

We had some not so exciting excitement today. We found out my debit card has been used fraudulently. Somebody in the UK used it to buy shoes from a company in Canada~~~to the tune of almost $800!! Our bank froze my debit card (unusual usage from out of the country), and now I need a new one. Bryon talked to the shoe company, and they had already shipped 2 of the orders, but they were able to cancel the third. This person did rather 'small' charges, but did them so close together that two orders were shipped before we knew about it. Our account will be credited back the money, but that just means we have no money until it does!! And who knows how long that will take? Oh well, such is life. Like I said a couple weeks back, if it wasn't for 'bad luck' we would have no luck at all!! *sigh*

David is feeling ok. I think he might be coming down with something; he says his head hurts, and his eyeballs hurt. I don't know if there is anything going around or not. But he is just 'laying low' for now. I have to get him back into PT, just haven't done it yet. Please pray that he will feel better soon. Thanks.

Well, gotta run, it is late. Have a good evening. Thanks for stopping by. Please keep praying for the bone scan to come back clear. Thank you for everything. God bless you all. We love you. {{hugs}}

Kristi and the Koury Klan

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

Monday, July 26, 2010

Good evening.

We are home!! Woo-Hoo!! We left rather late. We talked to McKenna's dad and step mom, and had a great time with them. Then we waited for Connie. She wasn't supposed to be in Oakland today, so it was great that we ran into her. Our appointment in Reno is on August 9th. She is going to call me tomorrow with the results from David's scans. So I will post tomorrow what we find out. The appointment in Reno is for a check up. We will be discussing David's overall health. We don't think the zinc is working, so she is going to look into how to get his levels back up if an oral supplement doesn't work. She is going to find out if David's bowel resection is the cause of the zinc deficiency. She told me I gave her a lot of work to do! I will keep you posted on what we find out.

The weather in Oakland was my kind of summer weather! It was cold and windy. Cold being 62*! I loved it! It was wonderful. Then we got home to nice weather, 74*. It rained and hailed here today; and we missed it!! We always seem to miss the best weather here. When David was in treatment we always missed all the snow. Well, not all the snow, it was still here when we came home, but still. It just seems like we miss the best storms when we have to go to the Bay Area. Oh well. The weather is nice here now, not too hot. But I don't know what it is going to be like the rest of the summer. I am already sooo done with hot!! 90's is just too hot for me!

That is about all that is happening here. Please continue to keep Sam and McKenna in your prayers; along with all our other Osteo family members. I will let you know tomorrow what I find out about David's scans. Have a good evening. God bless you all. We love you.

Kristi and the Koury Klan

I borrowed this from a friend...It is great... "To me, "Hope" is small. Sometimes it has two legs, sometimes not. Sometimes it has hair and sometimes it is bald. It can laugh and cry in the same breath. It doesn't have to talk. Its very presence is enough to change the course of your life. It has a name. It is called a child fighting cancer."~~~Dr. Burton Grebin "to lose a child is to lose a piece of yourself."

Sunday, July 25, 2010

Good evening.

Well, we made it to Emeryville. We went to church, then we had lunch, then we were on our way. We got to see a great light show as we left. There was a lot of lightning! And thunder. And rain. And a cloudburst with HUGE raindrops!! It was very nice. Then the sun came out (bummer) and it was a rather hot ride. We had the air on, but Bryon and I were sitting in the sun. We were driving west, so the sun was coming in the windshield. Then as we got closer, the weather changed. When we got here, around 5:15, it was only 63 degrees!! It is absolutely gorgeous here; weather wise. I could definitely summer here in the Bay Area; weather wise! After we got here we walked across the street and had dinner at Fuddrucker's. It is a place David will eat! He likes the buffalo burgers. Then we walked back, and here we are. We are settled in for the night. We have to be at the hospital at 9:30am for check-in. We are being held hostage by 'scanxiety' right now. We are praying the spots in David's lungs are stable and have not grown, or multiplied. Please join us in that prayer. Thank you.

Thank you for visiting and checking in on David. Have a great evening, and a good day tomorrow. God bless you all. We love you.

Kristi and the Koury Klan

'Real friendship is shown in times of trouble; prosperity is full of friends.'~~~Ralph Emerson (trust me, I know this to be true.)

Saturday, July 24, 2010

Good evening.

Today was a VERY busy day. We spent the better part of the day in Gardnerville at the Relay For Life. David had the honor of being the youth survivor carrying part of the banner. He was extremely tired about halfway around the lap, but he sucked it up, as usual.

It was pretty hot earlier in the day, then a thunderstorm came in and cooled it off quite nicely. It didn't rain too hard, but it was quite windy! It was a very nice day, just extremely busy. David had a headache, the heat gets to him, but he had a great day overall. He didn't eat anything to speak of, but that is nothing new. We had a really great day. The leaders for the Bible study he goes to were so sweet to him. Thank you Dana, Meredith, and Sandy. You guys are the best. A mom just loves to see other people love her kids; and I love to see them love David. Thanks!

We leave tomorrow for Oakland. David wants to go to church, so we will be leaving immediately after church. Then we have to report to the hospital at 9:30am on Monday. David has the injection for the bone scan at 10am; CT scan at 11am; and bone scan at 1pm. It will be another long day in Oakland Children's Hospital.

I have a couple of prayer requests for you. One; we are losing another of our precious Osteo family members. Sam, who is only 9 years old, is on hospice. His cancer has spread throughout his body. Please pray for this family. Thanks. Two; there is a girl from our area who was just diagnosed with Ewing's Sarcoma~~~a cousin to Osteosarcoma. Ewing's is the other primary bone cancer. She will be admitted on Monday to Oakland Children's Hospital. Her stepmom works with my son, Jeremy. We hope to meet up with them on Monday at Children's. Her name is McKenna. Please keep her and her family in your prayers. Thank you.

Well, I am tired, it has been a very long day. Thank you for visiting and checking in on David. Please keep us in your prayers as we drive to Oakland tomorrow. Thank you for your prayers, love, and support. Have a good evening. God bless you all. We love you. {{hugs}}

Kristi and the Koury Klan

For every six research dollars per patient with AIDS and every one research dollar per patient with breast cancer, a child with cancer receives only 3 cents.

Thursday, July 22, 2010

Good evening.

We are home from S.F.! YAY! The trip yesterday was uneventful. The day was long. We stayed in Berkley, and didn't get there until around 10:00 or so. We just kinda vegged a bit before we went to bed. I didn't sleep well at all. Actually, David didn't either. We had breakfast in the hotel, and then went to UCSF. We got there in time, but David had to go get an xray of his leg before his appointment. So, we were technically 15 minutes late to his appointment. But we got in there pretty quickly, and Dr. O'Donnell took out the staples. He noticed that David has quite a rash on his leg. He was wondering what caused that, and I told him that it is from the tape we used to keep the dressing on. David is allergic to ALL adhesives!! So, now the rash will go away because we don't have to have a dressing on it! Anyway, the staple removal went ok. David said a few of them hurt, but it was quick; there were only 8 staples. Then Dr. O looked at the xray and said that everything looks good. And, the best news, we don't have to go back to see him for 6 months!!! (unless this prosthesis fails or something) David hasn't had a 6 month break from doctors in almost 3 years!! So we don't have to go back until after New Years!! That seems so far away. Anyway, then we got a disc of his xray and then were were on our way home!! Well, because we go through Sacramento, Bryon wanted to stop at Fry's electronics. David and I relented, and let him stop. So we spent a bit of time there. Then we ate lunch (quite late). David did NOT eat much all day. We didn't get home until almost 5:30. So then we had dinner, and here I am. It was a busy day, as it always is when we have to make these trips. We are SO happy that everything looks good with David's leg. We will leave it the way it is until we decide to install the adult/permanent implant. We got a new prescription for PT; so now I have to start taking him back to PT again. My life just got a bit busier, but that is okay. I will do what I have to do for my son.

Thank you for your prayers for our safety; but we aren't done yet. We have to leave again on Sunday for scans on Monday. Grrrr. But that is the way it is in the life of the Koury family. If it isn't one thing, it is something else! Please don't stop praying yet!! Please pray for our safety, and please pray for clear scans. Thank you for being there for us.

David is so happy to be able to take a 'real' shower, and scrub that leg! He can't wait to get all the dried blood, dead skin, and junk off the incision. The doctor was very pleased that David is not in any pain (just itchy from the rash). His legs are almost the same length. The reason they aren't is because of the flexion contracture in the right knee. Dr. O said that if his leg was straight, they would be the same length. So that is why the PT. Please pray that when he starts PT again it will go well for him. He is not looking forward to going, but he is a trooper, and he will just suck it up and go. I am so proud of him; and extremely proud to be his mom.

Thank you for visiting and praying. Please continue to pray for the Koury family. Thank you for being there for us. Have a good evening. God bless you all. We love you.

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

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Good morning.

Quick update before I need to make lunch for sweet Emilee. We will be leaving for San Francisco tonight when Bryon gets home from work. We have discovered that we can't do the leaving at 5am to get there on time; so we need to go the night before. Anyway, please pray for us to have a safe trip. I will be driving the first part of the trip; David wants his dad to sit in the back with him and watch a movie. Crazy kid. Then Bryon will be driving the rest of the trip. David's appointment is at 10am tomorrow morning. Please pray that the staple removal goes easy for David. He is pretty nervous about that. Also, please pray that we are able to get in on time, so we can get home. We are looking forward to getting those blasted staples out, but not looking forward to the trip. We are REALLY tired of making trips to the Bay Area; and we will be making them for many years to come. *sigh* We will do whatever we have to do for our son, though. Thank you.

Thanks for your prayers. I will update tomorrow evening and let you know how the whole thing went. Have a good day. God bless you.

Kristi and the Koury Klan

'I would rather lose in a cause that will some day win, than win in a cause that will some day lose.'~~~Woodrow Wilson

Sunday, July 18, 2010

Good evening.

Sorry I haven't updated for a few days~~~VERY busy. I will try to catch you up on what's happening.

Jeremy and Lucy went to the doctor on Friday; and they got to hear the baby's heartbeat! They are so excited! I remember those days, it is very neat to hear your child's heart beating. So they are pretty jazzed.

Friday night David and Rachel went to Jennifer's place to watch a movie. Bryon and I were alone, so went to Starbucks for an iced coffee. Then we decided to do something really fun~~~~we cleaned the fish tank!!! Oh, joy. It was soooo dirty! The fish are doing fine, but cleaning the tank was no fun. The water still looked cloudy........so on to Saturday.

We took some water to Petco to have it tested. They said the water is fine; just VERY soft (go figure, we have a water softener). So we got some sort of drops that should clear the water; it is made for soft water. Then we had to go grocery shopping; I haven't done any since before we went camping! So we had to do some shopping. We didn't have that much to get, we only have to get to Friday (payday). We had a few other errands to run, then we had to come home and make potato salad for church today. We were up pretty late making the salad.

Then today we went to church, and after church there was a BBQ potluck. It was fun, and yummy. We had BBQ'd burgers and hot dogs. And a LOT of yummy sides. They we had to go back to Walmart because I forgot to get David's multivitamins yesterday. Then we finally got home around 2:30. I was so glad to finally be home! I had a lot of cleaning to do, and I am really tired.

Thursday is the day David FINALLY gets the staples out of his knee. We can't wait. For some reason we have to keep the wound covered this time. So it is very time-consuming to be forever changing the dressing and re-wrapping his knee. I can't wait for the staples to be out!! Please pray for our trip on Thursday. Thanks.

I want to say a HUGE "Thank You" to the person who gave us all the gift cards. We appreciate them more than you know!!! Your thoughtfulness and generosity means a lot to us. Thank you so much.

Thank you for visiting and checking up on David. Thank you for your prayers. Have a great night. God bless you all. We love you.

Kristi and the Koury Klan

'The good you do today may be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway.'~~~Mother Teresa

Monday, July 12, 2010

Good evening.

We are back from our camping trip. We had a great time. All 5 of us were there July 2-5; the girls went home on Monday, the 5th. They had to go to work on Tuesday. Then Bryon went home on Tuesday. Actually, he went home Sunday night around midnight because he got called into work. then he came back Tuesday for the day. Fortunately, Lake Davis is only 1 1/2 hours away!

Then Bryon left on Tuesday afternoon, and it was just me and David. We had so much fun. The weather was perfect! Thunderstorms rolled in on Thursday and Friday. It wasn't real hot, and we had a great time. Our trailer has an outside shower, and Bryon made a shower stall thing with PVC pipe. Then we bought 3 shower curtains and Rachel sewed them together. The shower worked perfect! David took showers! He says that showering isn't camping, but he took some anyway. He said it was cool to take a shower and look up and see pine trees!! Then on Thursday night we had another 'visitor' to our campsite. No, not a bear this year. We think it was either a deer or a raccoon. The critter was trying to get into the dog food and treats. David was pretty scared, but we got through that excitement! Nothing like that EVER happens when Bryon is there!! It is always when David and I are alone!! But we still had a lot of fun. Then Bryon and the girls came back Friday evening after work.

The one tragic thing that happened was that about a mile or so from camp, Jennifer hit a deer. Bryon was following the girls and saw the deer jump from a ditch right in front of Jennifer's car. She never had a chance to brake! She saw the deer as it was already in the air, and she hit it! Praise God both my girls were not hurt; can't say the same for the deer, or Jennifer's car!! She was pretty shaken up, and a bit distraught about the possibility of having killed a deer. Bryon was pretty freaked out; knowing it could have been a LOT worse~~~he could have watched his daughters killed right in front of him! Again, praise God they are safe. I feel bad for Jennifer; it is going to cost her some money to get her car fixed.

She cannot open her front passenger door more than about 3 inches. Please pray for her; she has furloughs, too. Just as her furloughs start, this happens! That is the way life is in the Koury Family! We sometimes feel that if it wasn't for 'bad luck' we wouldn't have any luck at all!! Of course I don't believe in 'luck,' that is just an expression! I am thankful that my daughters are safe, and we had a great time camping.

We got home Sunday afternoon, and had dinner with Jeremy and Lucy. It was bittersweet to be home. David and I absolutely LOVE camping! I am trying to make as many memories with him as I can; one never knows. We played a lot of Scrabble, Yahtzee, and Boggle; listened to music on my ipod; and watched the deer walk past our campsite. We took the dogs on two walks a day (David needed to walk and loosen up that leg). So that is how our camping trip went.

David's leg is feeling ok. He still feels the staples pull, but he is doing his best to walk and get that leg straight. When he gets it lengthened, it does cause a bit of a flexion contracture and he has to work to get it straight again. He really hates the staples! Can't say that I blame him. I mean, between the 5 surgeries he has had on his leg, he has had close to 200 staples!! Oh, he has 8 this time. I would be pretty tired of staples, too!! But he has absolutely NO pain (unless the staples pull) right now. So, yay for that! Thank you for your prayers, that is what is getting us through this.

Well, Lucy is 12 weeks pregnant today. She goes to the doctor on Friday. Please continue to pray that everything continues to go smoothly for her. She is due the day after Jeremy was due (he was a week early); she is due on my and Bryon's anniversary! Wouldn't that be cool if the baby came on due date? I have been waiting for this for so long, so I hope she isn't late!! All 4 of my babies were early, so it would be great if she were early, too. Please continue to keep them in your prayers. After having one baby die, they are almost too scared to be excited. But having got to 12 weeks; past the first trimester; has helped them relax. But they still need your prayers. Thank you so much.

David's next scans are July 26. We have to make an extra trip to the Bay Area, though. David's post-op is July 22 in San Francisco; so that is trip one. Then the scans are at Oakland Children's Hospital; so that is trip two. We were hoping to have the scans the same day, or the day after the post-op~~~but it doesn't always work out in our favor. So, we are looking at the extra expense of an extra trip to the Bay Area. *sigh* Oh well. God will provide.

Well, that is about all that is happening in our lives right now. Scanxiety is kicking in for us. Please pray for clear scans. Thank you for visiting and checking in on us. Thank you for all your prayers, you have no idea how much we appreciate them. Have a good evening. God bless you all. We love you.

Kristi and the Koury Klan

'Live your life while you have it. Life is a splendid gift--there is nothing small about it.'~~~~Florence Nightingale

Thursday, July 1, 2010

Good evening.

Well, tomorrow is the day we have been waiting for all year!! We are going camping! YAY!! Today was a very busy day. I did most of the laundry, and Bryon and I did the shopping after he got home from work. Then Rachel and I baked cookies. I have the bins almost totally packed with the food we will be bringing. The cold stuff has to be packed tomorrow in the ice chest. I am so ready to go camping and be in the beautiful woods that God created. And, if I remember correctly, we can see the lake from our campsite! The kids are ready and excited to go, too.

Today while Bryon and I were shopping, David called me to tell me that my cat, Princess, gave birth behind his bed! His bed is at an angle from two walls, and she went in the far corner to have her babies. So I had to crawl under his bed (he can't do it) and get the kittens out and put them in a box. Now they are in the spare room, in a box. They will be safe there from the dogs and the other cats! Princess is a beautiful light gray and white, very fluffy cat. Her babies are: black boy, almost totally black girl, tortoiseshell girl, and orange boy! They are soooo cute! The orange boy is already spoken for! Yay. Bryon was NOT happy when he found out she was pregnant! Usually we lock the doggie door at night, but clearly we forgot to a couple of months ago. David was excited, tho. He loves baby kittens. So we will just keep them in the spare room until they are ready to go to their new homes. That room just has the box they are in, a dog bed, a litter box, food and water, and a cat tower in it. So it is perfect for them! So, if anyone wants a cute kitten, just let me know!

David is doing better today. I told him that he will feel better every day. He has not had even one pain pill today! Not that he hasn't had any pain, it is just that he has been able to bear it. So that is good. He is sometimes walking with just one crutch, but he really isn't that stable yet. He is putting a minimum of 50% weight on that leg, so he is doing well, all things considered. Thank you, again, so much for your prayers!

Well, I probably won't be posting for awhile. I am not sure if we get internet at the campsite. We will see. Please pray that we have a safe trip, and a safe week, and a fun time. I know we will have fun, but I want us to be safe, too. Please pray that it isn't too hot; I don't want David to be sick because it is too hot. Thanks.

It is late, and we are tired. Thanks for visiting. Have a good night, and a great 4th, and a wonderful week. Take care and be safe if you do fireworks. God bless you all. We love you.

Kristi and the Koury Klan


Teenagers and young adults aged 15-22 have the lowest cancer survival rate of any age group.

Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Good evening.

First off, thank you to all of you who posted your words of encouragement. I appreciate all of you. Thank you for being there, and knowing when I need to vent. The stress is so high right now, that if I don't vent I just might explode! And I know my family doesn't want to clean up that mess!! LOL.

David is doing about the same. He is running a low-grade fever, but he usually does after surgery. He isn't as achy today, but he is still somewhat achy. He is having a bit of trouble sleeping; he can't get comfortable. I think he is tired of being on those blasted crutches again. And he tries to avoid too many trips up and down the stairs! He comes downstairs in the morning for breakfast and all his meds, then he goes back upstairs and stays until lunch. Then he comes down for lunch, then goes back up until dinner. He goes back up after dinner for pretty much the rest of the night. He just lays in bed and plays games. His pain goes anywhere from a 2 up to a 6. He refuses pain meds, for the most part, but I make him take some at bedtime. He is just so sick of taking medicine! I can't say as I blame him! Poor kid. Thank you for your prayers, please don't stop.

You know, our sermon on Sunday was about suicide and Christians. A young man (32 years old) who was a friend of a church member committed suicide a couple of weeks ago. That is so sad to me. We struggle with that because we know a lot of people commit suicide, and even more attempt it (and even more have thought about it!); and we are fighting so hard to keep our son alive! People are just throwing their lives away, and I would give just about anything to have my son live!! It is just a struggle for us. Life is so precious! And suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem. Please remember Meghan in your prayers as she learns to live without her fiance. Thank you.

I have yet another prayer request; wrapped up in a praise!! We were informed a couple of weeks ago (but were sworn to silence) that Jeremy and Lucy are going to have a baby! YAY! For those of you who remember, they lost a baby a year and a half ago (that baby {Amelia} would have been a year old now). Please pray that this baby stays healthy and Lucy is able to carry it to term. Again, I know I can count on you guys! Thanks for being there for the whole Koury Klan. And the Koury Klan will be growing by one more! We are so excited! I can't wait to be a grandma! I have been waiting for so long~~~they have been married for 6 1/2 years!!! Thank you so much for your prayers.

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

'Those who enjoy such freedoms as we enjoy forget in time that men died to earn them.'~~~Franklin Roosevelt (in honor of the upcoming holiday)

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Good evening.

I am sorry I didn't update sooner. At the hotel I was unable to connect to the internet, so I couldn't update before David went into surgery. I did post on Facebook what was going on, however.

We left around 3 on Sunday afternoon, and got to Emeryville at 6:30. Yup, Bryon sped. It was beautiful in the Bay Area, 68 degrees! Of course, it was 102 in Sacramento when we went through! It was soooo hot! I am so glad we didn't have to get out of the car. I can't even tell you how many broken down cars and tow trucks we saw on the trip! But it was really nice in San Francisco. David had a good dinner of an Elk burger at Fuddrucker's across the street from the hotel. Then before midnight he ate Triscuit crackers with pepperoni and an apple. We brought those from home so he could eat up until midnight. I actually brought the apple for me, but I gladly relinquished it to him!! Then we went to bed. I didn't sleep so well; too much stress! But then when we got up we got ready, checked out of the hotel, and went to UCSF. We didn't eat, we don't eat if David can't eat. We feel it would be rude to eat in front of him, or just have him know we are eating, when he can't eat. So we just talked and tried not to think about being hungry. They called him back about 2:00. They did all the pre-op stuff~~~vitals, questions, undressing, yada yada yada. They said surgery would start at 3:15 and he would be done by 3:45 and Dr. O would be out to talk to us at 4. David was feeling pretty nauseous before surgery; partly from nerves, partly from hunger. They took him back at 3. I am here to tell you; it NEVER gets any easier watching my baby be wheeled into surgery!! I am so very sick of it! I am tired of seeing the fear in his eyes, and he tries so hard to be strong. Anyway, we went to the waiting room to wait for Dr. O to come talk to us. 4:00 came and went. Then at 4:15 they told us the surgery was over; and Dr. O came to talk to us about 4:30. We don't know why it took longer than expected, but sometimes that happens. We got to go see him at 5. He was awake and itchy!! The dilaudid makes him itch. So we were able to talk him into a half dose of Benadryl. It took the edge off the itchiness, but it did make him pretty drowsy. But the itch is better than pain, and the fentanyl just doesn't work well enough. Anyway, we finally left San Francisco at 7:17! Late night. We got home around 11:15 or so. It was a very long, emotional day. Thank you for all your prayers.

Today David is doing so-so. He is in pain, even with the pain meds we can't get the pain lower than a 3 (on a scale of 1-10), but he says that it is tolerable. That's because he is a tough kid!! He is also achy all over. He thinks it is because he didn't sleep well last night, and couldn't get comfortable. I am SO glad this is the last lengthening! The revision won't be for a year, so we don't have to 'worry' about surgery on his leg for a whole year! He hasn't had a year break from surgery since this whole journey started! Please pray that he feels better soon. We are leaving on Friday to go camping, and I want him to feel good. Thanks for your prayers.

I have another prayer request. Isn't it interesting how some people take no initiative to find out what is happening in your life; then think that they should be told everything? I mean, the phone works both ways, the USPS delivers mail both ways, etc. Since I don't have the energy, or time, to do all the corresponding, it would be nice if others would show some concern. Well, they don't. But they expect to be able to be 'in the loop' about all the happenings, and get plenty upset if they aren't. Yet, they don't care enough to pick up a stupid phone, or write a stupid letter. I have done it ALL, and I am not doing it anymore. Please pray that I can just let go of all that, and focus on my family. There is a LOT of stress, change, and hardship happening here, and I just don't have the energy, or the time, to always be the one making all the phone calls. Anyway, thank you for your prayers, I really appreciate it.

Please continue to pray for David's recovery. I hate seeing my baby in pain. I just want him to feel better, and get better, and move on. I can't wait to see him walking with even legs again! Dr. O says he is pretty much even; at the most a millimeter off. Again, we can 'make up the difference' in the permanent implant if need be. I know David will still limp, but his legs will be even! YAY! Can't wait to see that!

Well, I have chatted your ears off enough for tonight! Thank you for visiting and checking in on David. Thank you so much for your prayers. Thank you for your love and support, and for being there for us. Have a good night. God bless you all. We love you.

Kristi and the Koury Klan

'Character can not be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved.'~~~~Helen Keller