SUNDAY, JUNE 2, 2013

Sorry for the silence

Good evening. 

I am sorry I haven't updated for so long. 

Our hearts are extremely heavy lately. I am sure you remember me asking prayer for Rachel (not my Rachel) who has been battling Osteosarcoma for many years. Well, she just couldn't fight any more, and she lost her battle 2 weeks ago; on May 18th. Please pray for her family as they struggle to go forward without Rachel. She was only 18. Then, on May 20th, we lost another Osteo warrior, Zach, another 18-year-old. IHATE OSTEOSARCOMA!!! It is so hard to hear about children dying from the same disease that lies dormant in your child's body!! We live every day waiting for the other shoe to drop. Yes, we cherish each day we have with David; but our days are still filled with uncertainty. We know that David is in God's very capable hands, but that does NOT mean he won't die from this disease. Please pray for the families of these two precious children. Thank you. 

On another note. Bryon and I took a road trip over Memorial Day weekend. We went to Colorado on the motorcycle! It was so much fun. It was cold in Nevada, Utah, and Wyoming......hot/warm in Colorado! We went to a friend's son's graduation party; and we got to see some of Bryon's family that we haven't seen in years!!We traveled 2240 miles in 5 days! It was so much fun. 

For those of you interested, David wrote his testimony of his cancer journey from his perspective. If you would like a copy, just email me (my email address in on the right) and I will forward it to you. It was very difficult for him to write; and equally difficult for us to read; but we are so proud of him for doing it.Everyone who has read it is amazed. It is very enlightening to read it from his perspective. Feel free to ask for it, I will gladly send it to you. 

Well, that is about all that's going on here. Again, please keep Rachel and Zach's families in your prayers. Thank you for visiting and checking in on David and the Koury Klan. 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, MAY 16, 2013

Belated Happy Mother's Day

Good afternoon. 

Belated Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there!! I hope you had a great day. 

Sorry it has been so long since I have written. I have a few minutes to updatenow while my beautiful granddaughter is napping. 

David's oncology appointment went well. He has been 'reduced' to just chest xrays and leg xrays. Not sure how often, however. Forgot to ask that!! We aren't totally comfortable with that; but we know we can't radiate him forever!!! CT scans have their own set of risks, and the radioactive dye they give him for bone scans also have their own set of risks. So.......we have to trust the doctors. Plus, we have to go with whatDavid is ok with. It's his body, he is an adult, and he is aware of the risks, so we abide by his decisions. Plus, the main thing is, he is in God's hands!! A funny thing happened at his appointment. Keep in mind Connie has been seeing David for 5 1/2 years. She again asked about his stamina (he has none) and his physical abilities. We told him that without the lower quad muscle he can't do much without getting really tired. She was checking out his leg, and squeezing the area above his knee and she had this 'a-ha' look on her face and said, "he has NO lower quad muscle at all!" It FINALLY dawned on her! We thought it was kinda funny. For us, if you push on your leg above your knee, you feel muscle. With David, you feel the implant. He has no fat deposits or muscle around the implant. his leg caves in on the sides (above his knee) because there is nothing there. Anyway, we thought it was funny that she finally 'gets it' where the leg is concerned. So his appointment went well. 

He is again working. He started April 30th, and this contract is through the end of September, so far. There is still the possibility of maybe it becoming permanent, but we'll see. He, of course, doesn't like working, but he does like the money.  His supervisors know he won't be working that week in July when we go camping, and it's all ok. He won't get paid for it, but I guess that's life. He's working for a different temp agency this time, Manpower, and he doesn't get benefits. So, no paid vacation! He is ok with it, tho. 

He still spends the weekends at the girls' house. Except last weekend, we went camping! We had a lot of fun. The weekend went by really fast, however. That was our old tradition, camping on Mother's Day. We did do the Great America thing for two years, but David would rather go camping. So we will go camping on Mother's Day from now on. It was fun. 

The great news of the day is......drum roll......we are going to have another grand baby!!! We are so excited! Because it will be a planned c-section it will come a wee bit earlier than due date. So, by Thanksgiving we will have a new life in our family!!! We are hopingfor a boy, but we know we will be over the moon with joy if it's another girl! We totally cannot wait! Please pray for a safe pregnancy and safe delivery. And, of course, a healthy baby!! Thanks! 

Well, that is all the news for now. Thank you for visiting and checking in on David. Thank you for your prayers. 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. 

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.