Keeping Kolby

Kolby had another doctor's appointment on Wednesday. Her numbers were a little low but she was still able to receive her chemo treatment. Kolby is doing pretty good. It's always difficult for her to take all the pills for 5 days following the chemo treatment, but she is a trooper. I used to have to make Kolby take her pills, but now she gets up and takes them herself. She takes over 30 pills in one day. It sure is nice that Kolby does this all by her self. I admit, it takes away the stress. She is pretty tired today and she doesn't have much energy. So she is snuggled up on the couch, wrapped in her robe and watching tv today.

Today was another great day for Kolby . She went to church today and we brought Bentley, Kolby's nephew. She just loves Bentley, and she held him most of the time during the meetings. We are just so happy that Kolby is feeling so well these days. She has chemo again on Wednesday, and we hope she can enjoy the rest of her winter break.

I had a really good Christmas. It's weird when I think back at the last six months of having cancer, going to the doctors, chemo, scans, and sickness, and I can't help but to think of how thankful I am for everyone who has helped me through this trial. For Christmas, someone has dropped some kind of treat or present at my door for the 12 days of Christmas. It was so much fun. I loved each and every gift. I do not know why I deserve all of this attention, but just so everyone knows, it really helps me, especially when I am feeling down. I know that everyone loves and cares about me, even to the point of buying me presents and giving them to me and giving them to me anonymously. I am so thankful and I appreciate everything. I know I am still in loved ones prayers and even prayers of people I do not know and I thank you. I receive so much strength from everyone, and I want you to know, that you have made this journey of cancer much easier because of you. The best part of Christmas...

Kolby at her favorite place in Disneyland.....the castle! After a while Kolby's legs got really tired. She shared the stroller with Bentley. One of the workers told Kolby she was too big for the stroller...but Jeff set them straight by telling them she had cancer. He shut them right up! We tried to get her an electrical wheelchair but she had to be 18 to ride it. She was too embarrassed to get a wheelchair. She she walked as much as she could. The Family in front of Disneyland. Jeff, Kylie and Bentley Burr (Sister, Bro. in law, & nephew) Kolby, Kristi (her sister) and the Mom and Dad! Kolby couldn't believe that her folks had to use this type of phone when they were a teenager...instead of cell phones! Kolby after riding Soaring Over California! Her dad's favorite ride. Kolby's future job.....especially the way this economy is going! Kolby is having a great time at Disneyland despite the rain!

Here's a pic of Kolby and Kristi at Disneyland. Kolby's dad promised her in the hospital that as soon as she was well enough, and with the permission of her doctors, he would take her to Disneyland. We are so thankful for the 4 free hopper passes given to her to Disneyland for three days, so we totally took advantage of it, and took of to Disneyland for the holidays. Even though it is raining cats and dogs, we are still having fun. We are so blessed that Kolby is well enough to leave town for a few days and have some fun! She can hardly wait to go back tomorrow!!! Having Kolby feeling fantastic these days is absolutely wonderful! We are so happy. It is such a relief to have our daughter feeling normal with no side effects of having cancer. She looks and acts like a normal teenager. But at night when she takes off her cute hat and hair, we remember that she has cancer. Her hair is starting to grow back. It is coming in so dark too. Kolby's attitude is so positiv...

Kolby has had a busy week. She baked with her sisters and helped me make homemade strawberry jam. Kolby loves to bake. She just loves the holidays and everything about it. We can only listen to Christmas music and watch Christmas movies. Her favorite movie is Elf. Kolby told John and I that she was really happy because after her chemo treatment she hardly felt any side effects. Except fatigue. She had chemo a week ago. She went to the doctors yesterday and all her numbers were good. She is doing really well. She was told that she was going to have another round of body scans in January...so here we go again...a little nervous and excited to hear the results. We are just so lucky and blessed to have Kolby feeling and doing so well, especially during the holidays. I took Kolby to the mall today to get a few things for Christmas. She wanted Panda Express for dinner. She told me that she is always hungry and she cannot eat enough. (Kolby has always had a small appetite, especial...

In the magazine 89123 there was an article published that featured the Silverado High School Student Council and all they do to give back to their community. We were pretty excited to see Kolby in the picture. (The only one wearing a hat! :o) Kolby loves being on the Student Council, especially since she was unable to try out for cheer again. She also made the dance team, but she had to drop out due to her condition. So, Student Council filled the gap, and the association of all her friends on the council sure has been a huge support to Kolby this year. She may not be able to attend all the meetings and activities, but her heart is there, right along with all her student council friends. They are an amazing group of kids, and we thank them very much for their love and support that they give to Kolby! Kolby had her chemo treatment today. So far so good (well, its only been a few hours) but she requested pizza for dinner tonight. So Kylie and Jeff took her to Little Caesar's Pizza ...

Dylan, Kolby and Cody hanging out! Fun times with Dylan, Kolby and Cody! Elf front yard decorations that Kolby and her family painted. Kolby has had an adventurous week. We finally finished painting all of the front yard characters of Elf for Christmas. Kolby and the family worked every night for hours. Over the weekend she hung out with Gabby and had a great time. Cody and Dylan also came over and hung out with Kolby Saturday evening. She just loves it when they come over and hang out with her. Kolby said she felt like a normal teenager all week. She wasn't sick at all and she had a fun week. Here are a few pics of Kolby's adventurous week. Kolby has another chemo treatment tomorrow. This new chemo hasn't been that bad on her little body. Her recovery seems to be quicker. Kolby sure has been blessed. She is doing so well and is able to live a pretty normal life. Except for getting tired. But if that's the worse side effect, then that isn't too bad. We are so ...

Kolby just told me that I haven't written on her blog since Thanksgiving and that I needed to update it. Kolby is doing good. I asked her how she has been feeling the last couple days and she says that she is feeling good, she only gets tired really easy. She went back to school today. We have been busy painting new characters for our front yard this Christmas. Kolby wanted a new theme this year, and she decided that the Elf theme would be great. So, for the last several days we have been busy busy workers trying to get them ready for the weekend. Here is Kolby painting the walrus. Ok Kolby.....next time it's your turn to write on your blog. :^) I am glad you are feeling so well. I love ya!

Kolby had a great Thanksgiving. She is feeling so much better and she is over all the side effects of the last chemo treatment. She is happy and was busy today helping put down the Thanksgiving decorations and put up the Christmas decorations. We had a great Thanksgiving dinner at Jack and Terry Mannion's house last night. It was delicious. Kolby filled up her plate and gobbled it all down. She even had some pumpkin pie. We just love it when Kolby is doing so well. She just loves the holidays and we are so thankful that she is feeling well enough to enjoy them.

Kolby has been feeling pretty good since her last chemo treatment (last Friday). She has stayed home from school because she has felt overly tired and she wanted to take it easy. One side effect from the chemo that has seemed to bother her the most this time is her taste buds. Nothing tastes good and it drives her crazy!!! Today was the last day of her chemo and steroid pills. She is thrilled about that. She goes again for another doctor's appointment tomorrow. It just seems like she went the other day. Kolby just told me that she is feeling good and we are so thankful for that!!!

Kolby is feeling pretty good today. I hate to say it.....I might jinx it! But, today she is in a good mood and she is having a great day. I read her status on her face book, and it says, "Life's a climb, but the view is great!" What a great motto. I love it. Kolby you made my day! I love you!

Kolby had a chemo treatment today. She also went from 105 pounds to 98 pounds. Already she is tired and feeling down. So were sitting here watching the Hanna Montana Movie. Kolby told me that she would love to meet Miley one day. She even said she wishes she could write Ellen and ask her to make her wish come true. Kolby...I wish I could make that wish come true too! Kolby had a pretty good week. School went good. John has been helping her a lot with her math homework. Christine Cox said she would come over a couple times a week and help her. Thank you, Thank you Christine! You are so sweet. Kolby's spirits are much better about her school work. She'll probably miss all of next week if she feels the same. She so wants to feel good for the Thanksgiving weekend. She is also bummed that her best friend Gabby cannot come over this weekend because of how sick Gabby is. Kylie and Bentley are also sick. It's hard but we have to remember that Kolby's immune syste...

Kolby went to school today. After sleeping most of Sunday away and taking it easy she was ready for the new week. Kolby is feeling a little overwhelmed with all her school work. I had to remind her of her 504 plan we set up at school and that she was allowed additional time to turn in her work. Most of the days Kolby comes home and sleeps all afternoon and into the evening. She'll wake up and eat dinner then zonk out again. Going to school takes a lot out of Kolby. We are proud of Kolby for going to school. She loves her social life, and we feel like that is the most important aspect of school right now. Kolby still wants to keep her grades up. We help her as much as we can. It looks like we will have to get her a Geometry tutor by her request. She is getting behind and it really upsets her. Kolby is feeling good today. She has 4 more days until her next chemo treatment.

Thanks to Kylie and her friend Whitney Bohl Rollins we received 4 free tickets to the So You Think You Can Dance Tour. So, we went to dinner and then the show and we had so much fun. It was so nice watching my three girls have such a fun time laughing, cheering and having a great time. Kolby was so excited to go out. She had a great time. Kolby is feeling pretty good these days. She is still having some back and leg pain, and as long as she changes her patch behind her ear every few days she feels great. Kolby loves looking forward to doing fun things. Her social life has decreased since she was diagnosed with cancer. So, when she has something to look forward to it is always nice. I am so thankful for Kolby's friends and the love and support they give to her. She always gets so excited when she receives a phone call from her friends and they invite her to do something. Kolby's friends.....thank you for your love, support, and friendship you so lovingly give to my ...

The last few days Kolby has been feeling pretty good. She went into the doctors on Tuesday and her numbers were a little low. She got another shot to boost her white blood count. But overall Kolby is feeling fine. I thought I would share a few fun facts and memories about Kolby . We talk so much about "cancer" and "side effects" and there is so much more to Kolby . You would never know it but Kolby used to be fat. We would call her fat baby. She obviously grew out of that chubby stage and turned into a beautiful young lady. I always did my girls hair when they were younger. Remember the big bangs and bow stage? Well Kolby never would allow me to do that it to her, like I did with her big sisters. That style had gone out by the time her hair was long enough for me to do the big hair styles. She had to be just like her big sisters, straightening their hair and all. Kolby used to love Winnie the Pooh. She went through a stage where every piece of her...

I am feeling so much better. I even went to seminary and school today. Being on the steroids and chemo pills is a killer. They take away all my energy and they make me feel so sick. I get sick and tired of being sick and tired. I feel so much better when I am done taking all those pills. I have a lot of make up work to do but that's ok. It is just so nice to feel better.

Well the side effects have arrived! Kolby has barely left the couch. She has no energy. She had a horrible night last night. We were up till almost 4:00 a.m. Between sharp stomach pains, throwing up, and tummy issues, Kolby barely got a wink of sleep. She took about 5 baths. She wanted me to let her sleep in the bathroom, but I wouldn't let her. John so graciously slept in the spare bedroom and Kolby stayed in mine, just 10 footsteps away from the bathroom. She finally fell asleep around 4:00, but then I heard the water running in the bathtub around 6:20. Poor girl. She is also starting to get mouth sores. She also doesn't have an appetite, and when she does eat, everything doesn't taste good. She doesn't even want ice cream. She loves otter pops though, and we go through a ton of them. Kolby was even invited to hang out with a couple friends and she turned them down. So, today Kolby isn't doing very well. We know that things could still be so much w...

I came home from work today to find Kolby still on the couch. She has rosy cheeks but not a temperature. She has no energy. She told me that she doesn't feel well, but not in the sick way, just in the "no energy" way. I asked her if she wanted to go to the movies and she could wear a snuggie (LOL) and she said, "no." I feel bad. Ever since she got chemo she has been wiped out. She has missed out on a lot of fun this school year because she hasn't felt good. She doesn't seem to mind. I think it bothers me more than her. I am so thankful that she isn't violently sick, but deep down I do wish she was well enough to do all the fun things she would like to do. Hopefully the weekend will bring some more energy and some fun times. Love ya Kolbsters!!!

On Tuesday Kolby went in for her Chemo treatment. Her white blood cell count numbers were still really low even after getting the shot to boost her system. The numbers were high enough that she could go ahead and get her treatment this week. Leading up to this day, we have been really nervous and anxious to see what side effects she was going to experience from the new chemotherapy drug she would be starting on. It is pretty significant because this new drug “Methotrexate” is going to be one of the major drugs she will be taking all the way to the end of her treatment. Whatever the side effects she experiences now, will most likely be common every time she gets treatments for the next 7 ½ months. One thing we noticed off the bat was that the dosage size is a lot smaller compared to the size of the dreaded Doxorubicin that she had been taking over the last 5 months. The nurse however dashed our initial perception by saying not to be fooled by the size. Each drug has its own dilution/con...

Kolby talked us into letting her go to our ward's Trunk or Treat at our church Saturday night. She justified going because she would be outdoors and she wouldn't be touching items that have other people's germs on it and she would stay away from people. So, John decorated the back of his truck and we went. Kolby and Drew (her cousin) dressed up as fairies and they had a good time. (Oh by the way, our truck won first place! :^) Kolby is feeling much better and she has more energy. She has worked through the headaches, nausea, and throwing up and we are sure her white blood count has gone up because of the shot she received instead of chemo on Thursday. Kolby goes for her chemo treatment on Tuesday morning. We are still anxiously waiting and hoping the side effects are minimal. Fortunately, Kolby has had a pretty good weekend. Happy Halloween Kolby! And yes.....you can pass out the Halloween candy tonight!

Kolby loves Halloween. She wouldn't leave me alone until we decorated the house and carved pumpkins. Here is the pumpkin Kolby carved and the family carving pumpkins. As usual, we all had a really good time. Hopefully teenagers will not come in the middle of the night, steal the pumpkins, and smash them on the street (like they have in past years!) Kolby went to the doctors on Thursday for chemo and when they checked her blood levels her white blood count was at .3 Her count is usually around 7.0. Because her level was dangerously low she was unable to receive her chemo treatment. And she barely dodged going into the hospital. If her count was at 0 she would not have an immune system. Kolby received a shot to boost her white blood count. The side effects of the shot includes head aches and nausea and throwing up, and Kolby got them all. Kolby has to stay home all weekend and take it easy, and hopefully she will be well enough to receive her chemo on Tuesday. Kolby is pretty tired ...

I called Kolby after school and I woke her up. She said she was sleeping on the couch and she was extremely tired. She even missed a Student Council activity. Got home a couple hours later and she was still sleeping. And she is still sleeping and it is 8:30 at night. So today....Kolby went to seminary, school, and then came home and slept. Kolby....sleep all you want. You are our sleeping beauty and we love ya!

Kolby has felt good all weekend. She even hung out with some friends and went to a pumpkin patch on Saturday night with Kylie and Gabby and went on the rides. Kolby loves Halloween and all the decorations. She even asked her dad to buy some big pumpkins so the whole family can carve pumpkins for Family Home Evening next week. Today at church I was called to be the assistant camp director in our ward. Kolby (and I) are really excited because that means she is definitely going to Girl's Camp with me this year if all goes well with the finalization of her treatments. Speaking of treatments, we are all nervous for this upcoming Thursday and the new chemo drug. Especially Kolby. She realized that Thursday was the day to dress up for Halloween at school, and she'll have to miss it. I told her I could change her day to Friday since I have that day off too, but she is worried that she is going to be sick and she wants the extra day to re coop before Wednesday of next week sinc...

Kolby's dad took Kolby to her doctor's appointment today. Dr. Rashid is Kolby's doctor. John and I are very grateful for her and for her tender care with Kolby. She has genuinely cared for Kolby and has gone beyond what we ever expected in a doctor. Kolby's positive attitude has a lot to do with Dr. Rashid's positive attitude and caring disposition. We will be forever in debt to her service as a doctor and a friend. Kolby's appointment went pretty good. Kolby's numbers were almost low enough for her to have to have a blood transfusion. That girl lucks out....she beats the odds and ends up not having to have to endure that dreaded blood transfusion. Although, surprisingly Kolby has commented to John and I a couple times that if she feels any worse she may want one. So we'll see...maybe one day. Kolby is doing pretty good in school. She has never really struggled before, but she is a little concerned about her math class. She even asked me if I would find ...

Kolby gave her talk on Sunday and it was very heart felt and touching. I wanted to share a few of her comments that really touched me and reconfirmed to me how strong and faithful Kolby is to her Heavenly Father and her outlook on her trial. A man was mountain climbing when he accidentally stumbled and fell over the edge of a cliff. He grabbed onto a tiny tree branch and hung there in midair. He has never been a praying man…but now he was frightened, and he looked up to heaven and called out…Is anybody up there? A peaceful voice came to him “Yes, my son. Let go of the branch, and I will save you.” The man paused for a long moment, then asked, “Uh…is anyone else up there?” God does not always perform miracles when we ask for them. He knows everything and will only allow miracles to happen when they are best for us. For the last few months my faith has really been tested. As all of you know I was diagnosed with cancer only 4 months ago. I have to admit that when I first heard those words...

I came home from work today and found Kolby Kay sound asleep on the couch. My heart always melts a little when I watch her sleep. She has been doing so good the last few days. I just love Kolby so much and I am just so proud of her. She is such a good girl. Kolby really is such a good example to me. I am so thankful for her and I am so thankful that Heavenly Father allowed me to be her mother. Kolby went to the doctors on Thursday. Numbers were good. She is doing just fine and life is good these days. Kolby has been busy preparing her talk for church on Sunday. Our family has been asked to speak on faith and fasting. Kolby has such a sweet and strong testimony. I am anxious to hear her talk. Kolby is very quiet and does not like to be the center of attention, so I know this is going to be difficult for her. She has never been an emotional girl, until she was diagnosed with cancer. When Kolby speaks of her illness, she is very positive, and she just amazes me. She streng...

The last couple days Kolby hasn't felt well enough to attend school. Her energy level is pretty low and she hasn't felt very good. Actually, I am kind of glad to see Kolby want to take a few days off and rest. I would hate for her to push her self too much and then crash even harder. I know she doesn't run on a full tank of gas, like the rest of us, and I have to remember that. She slept better last night, and that means so did I. There were a couple nights when we saw every hour. She seems to be doing a little better this evening, and I can hear Kristi and her laughing in the other room. Thank goodness for her sisters. They are so good to her and they watch over her like a hawk. Kolby mentioned to us that she will probably go back to school tomorrow because she is feeling better and she doesn't want to make up anymore make up work than she already has to. She took the last of her chemo and steroid medication tonight. Because she gained a couple pounds, her ...

This round of chemo hasn't been as kind as the last few. Days seems to be pretty easy, but the nights have been rough. Between her chest hurting, nausea, and her legs killing her, she was able to sneak in a few hours of sleep here and there. I am still just amazed at Kolby's desire to do all the things she wants to do. Even her doctors and nurses are amazed that Kolby is as active as she is. We have even talked to other parents who have had children with cancer, and they too are amazed that Kolby is so active. Usually kids going through cancer and chemo hardly every want to leave the comfort of their home. Home schooling is usually their choice too. We have noticed with Kolby that she is either really good or really bad. There really isn't too much of the "middle". Kolby doesn't complain that much, but when she does, she deserves too. We just let her and love her through the tough times. She tells us that life is too precious, and she wants to live it to the f...

This week has been a pretty monumental week in Kolby’s treatment. It was significant for for a couple of reasons. First she underwent a very important series of body scans to restage her cancer and evaluate her future treatment protocol. The tests that she took this week were the PET/CT scan as well as an EKG/Echo scan for her heart. The PET/CT scan was to evaluate the effectiveness of the chemotherapy on her cancer and the EKG/Echo scan was to determine if there was any damage on her heart caused by the chemotherapy drugs. PET/CT imaging is a type of nuclear medicine imaging. The PET/CT imaging scans use radioactive materials called radiotracers, which is injected into a vein and it eventually accumulates in organs or areas of your body being examined, where it gives off energy in the form of gamma rays. In this picture Kolby is waiting 1 hour while the radiotracers travel through her body. We can be in the room with her as long as we stand behind a lead shield. The radioactive ions l...

Hey there everybody...it's Kolby. So many people are so nice to me that I just want to thank everyone for all of the thoughts and things that everybody does for me. Sometimes I can't believe how amazing people can be. I just wish I could tell everyone how grateful I am for all you do for me and my family. Having cancer has been really hard on me, but people I know and people I don't know, have been really really sweet and amazing. I just wanted to write a quick little note to say thank you to everybody. I recieved a card and a letter in the mail this week and I wanted to share them. Kay Hettinger, who is like my favorite Great Grandmother sent me a special "caring about you card". What makes it so special is that she has sent me like a hundred cards already! Even though she isn't really family, it feels like she has always been related to us because she is so thoughtful and giving and she is the sweetest Great Grandmother in the whole world! Next a letter came...

Kolby had another good weekend. Friday night was the Homecoming game. Kolby did not make Sophomore Dutchess, but her dear friend Mariah Weber made it. Kolby was thrilled for her, and a little relieved and a tad disappointed, but she was so honored to be nominated. Her dad helped pull the Sophomore float, which turned out to be darling. It was the Little Mermaid theme. The game was fun, but she only stayed for half of it, then came home and went straight to bed. She was wiped out. Then on Saturday, she slept in, visited with a few of her friends that came over while her older sister, Kristi, did their hair for Homecoming. Then she went over to Gabby's house to help her babysit. She then came home and zonked out again. On Sunday she slept in, watched conference, and hung out with her cousin Drew. Kolby had a nice weekend full of fun and relaxation. This upcoming week is going to be a busy one for Kolby. She has her heart scans and body scans....PLUS chemo on Thursday. We...

Today turned out to be a pretty AMAZING day. You wouldn’t have guessed it by how the day started out though. Last night Kolby went to bed exhausted as usual. Yet she seems to bounce back each morning as she wakes for a new day. Today there was no bounce back. Her body said enough is enough and she went into shut-down mode. Nothing serious…but exhaustion from trying to keep up with her normal daily activities took their toll. She couldn’t wake up this morning and slept straight through for thirteen hours. Unfortunately she missed school and woke up barely in enough time to attend what turned out to be one of the most touching and memorable events she has ever experienced in her life. Today a couple of really kindhearted and wonderful middle school teachers from Schofield Middle School…where Kolby attended…put together an incredible fundraising event, on behalf of Kolby. Both Mrs. Wick & Mrs. Edwards heard about Kolbys battle with cancer and as Kolbys former teachers they wanted to ...

Kolby had another doctor's appointment today. Her numbers were up and she is doing just fine. She is keeping up with her busy schedule and then she comes home and crashes! Lots of going and lots of sleeping. She is managing well and we are just so very thankful that she is feeling well enough to do the things she wants to do. When Kolby was in the hospital there was this young boy (George) that she met and saw everyday. He was the cutest little boy. He was actually 5 years old but because of his illness we thought at first that he was only 3 years old. He was the funniest little boy. He would sit at the edge of his bed and watch Sponge Bob every day. We would walk by his room and try to wave at him...but Sponge Bob was too important for him to even glance away and wave. He would crack us up. He also would go for walks in the hospital hall way and pull along his IV and he would wave to everyone. He also loved riding around in his wagon. Just looking at him made you smil...

Kolby had a great weekend. She is feeling really good and her attitude is positive! We love these days. She even went to church today and attended all three meetings. After church the Stake Young Women's Presidency came over and delivered the scrap book they made for her with letters that other Young Women wrote to her while they were attending Girls Camp. Kolby wasn't able to attend this year due to her illness and treatments. The scrapbook is absolutely darling. It has pictures in it and lots of heartfelt letters to Kolby. Kolby loved it. Kolby is so blessed to have so many friends and people who care about her. We are so thankful for all of the girls and leaders who took the time to write Kolby a letter. She will treasure this book forever. Thank you! Well Kolby has another busy week ahead of her. She has a jewelry party that is being thrown for her in her behalf, lots of Student Counsel activities, including the Homecoming Assembly where they will announce the winners. Ko...

Kolby had another great week at school. Honestly, I was surprised she went today. She had a difficult time waking up and she told me that she hardly had any energy. She said she would try and go and call either her dad or I if she needed to be picked up. But she was a trooper and ended up staying all day. Kolby went to the doctors on Wednesday and everything went great. Her numbers were up and everything is on schedule. Kolby also has to have another PET Scan, CT Scan on her body, and an EKG and an EEG scan on her heart to make sure the chemo hasn't damaged it. We always look forward to the results hoping that her tumors are still shrinking and that there are no more new "spots". It is always a scary thing. Kolby and I have been following another blog "Sweet and Sassy." This is a blog about a girl who lives in Utah and has cancer too. She was also a cheer leader and such a darling girl. She too was doing so good and looking so good, and then all of a ...

Kolby just finished her last pills for this chemo treatment! Yay Kolby!!! You survived another round of chemo and all those pills. You sure are a trooper. Your family is so proud of you and your positive attitude. Going back to school on Monday shows your dedication to school and your responsibilities. You so could stay home and take advantage of the fact that you have cancer, but no, you get up each morning at 4:15 a.m., go to seminary with your dad at 5:15, then school and come home, sleep for a few hours, and then get up again and do homework for a few hours. We never have to tell you to do anything....you just do it. Your amazing Kolby. The last few days have been difficult because our sweet 10 year old dog, Kosmo, has developed serious health problems and is in a lot of pain. The girls have been discussing the fact that we may have to put him down. Kolby's sisters were telling me that it wasn't good to let him be in pain, and that we needed to really consider putting him d...

Well Kolby is back to taking all the meds that she dreads. The chemo is bad enough...but taking all these meds three times a day is just horrible. She downs her meds with chocolate milk. And, really she doesn't complain that much anymore....she is used to it. But it is just such a pain. I really feel like I am in a complaining mood today. Kolby isn't feeling as well as we would like, and she isn't in that good of a mood either. I guess it's better that all us girls are in a bad mood all together and to get it over with in one day, right? When Kolby went to the doctors one of her doctors asked if she wouldn't mind being photographed with him. She said sure. The Review Journal was there writing a story on Dr. Kline, one of the doctors and they needed a picture of him. So, she took the pic with him and we thought that was pretty cool. Fortunately I was able to take a couple days off of work and the whole family is home this weekend to spend time together...

Today Kolby had chemo. So far...so good. She wanted a bagel on the way home since she has to fast until the procedures are over. Her appointment went great. Her nurses and doctors are so nice and going to the doctors is always a pleasant experience, thanks to them! Kolby is feeling good these last couple days. She does get very very tired, especially after school. She loves going to school, and she was even nominated for the Sophomore Homecoming Dutchess. I asked the doctor today when her next scan is and she said it will be the first of October. I look forward to her scans to see the progress, but then I also get nervous. I just hope and pray the cancer is still shrinking and disappearing, and that there will be no more new spots. I am so proud of Kolby and her desire to go to school and to continue to live life to the fullest. She knows her limits and she is very responsible with her health. She knows when she has had enough and she knows when to slow down. She wakes up each morning ...

I haven't written on Kolby's blog lately because I wanted to leave up the Bone Marrow Drive information. I have talked to many people who are still surprised to find out that all they have to do is put 4 swabs into their mouth one at a time and swirl them around on the inside of their cheeks. That's it. Then, if your tissue is a match, the registry calls and requests that the donor comes in a gets their finger pricked to make sure they are a match. If found to be a bone marrow match, the process of donating your marrow is as simple as donating your blood. It used to be that bone marrow donating was an operation, and could be quite painful. This whole experience with Kolby has been quite an educational experience. There are so many children and adults waiting for bone marrow transplants. And now that I know how easy the process is I am willing and hoping to help someone in need, especially if Kolby needs a transplant. The Bone Marrow Drive was a success, and Kristi...

Be the One – To Save a Life! Sept 10th & 11th - Galleria Mall Front of Kohls & Gap 11:00 am – 6:00 pm “ Let me know if there is anything I can do ” has been one of the most kind and thoughtful statements that we have heard from family, friends and acquaintances. You will never know how much that means to us because we truly believe that there are people out there who really mean that…and if asked to do something significant for our daughter, like being a bone marrow donor…they would not even give it a second thought. As many of you know we are still not “out of the woods” with Kolby’s treatment and she may still need a bone marrow transplant before her treatment ends. There is also a chance that when her cancer does go into remission, and if by chance it returns in the future...then her rescue treatment would definitely include a bone marrow transplant. 36 children a day are diagnosed with cancer. This weekend is an opportunity for those who are willing and healthy to become a ...