Keeping Kolby

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...