Keeping Kolby

Well, here I am at the doctor's office having a consultation appointment to have my port removed. My port is where my chemo was administered. I am having it removed! Yay!!! I am having my port removed on August 3rd! I can't wait. This port has been with me for over a year, and I will not miss it one bit. I still have to have my blood drawn once a month and they will just have to draw my blood the old fashion way (through my arm). I also have to have scans every three months for the next 5 years to make sure that I stay cancer free. But parting with my port is a good thing. I will be able to do anything I want now. I wanted to have my port removed before I go on my Make a Wish Cruise this month. Even though I do not look forward to the surgery....I am so thankful that I can say goodbye to my port!

This year our ward had Ward Camp. So we went to Provo, Utah and stayed in one of our leaders condos. It may not sound like camping....and we didn't sleep in tents, but everything that we did was amazing, and we couldn't have experienced what we did if we were camping out somewhere in the wilderness. We felt the spirit so strong everyday several times. It was an amazing girls camp, and one that I will never ever forget. Here I am climbing Mount Timpanogos. It was a pretty strenuous 3 mile hike up to the caves. It was breathtaking, hard, and worth the climb. I did it! (Oops, I forgot to change the date on my camera...my bad!) Here we are, we had just climbed Ensign Point. The Warm Springs Ward Girls at Temple Square. "This is the Place" where Brigham Young told the saints where the Lord wanted them to settle and build the Salt Lake Temple. Ensign Peak. Just about to go down the Provo River with my bestie cousin Drew. Warm Springs Ward girls and leaders about to go ...

Jeff, Bentley, Kylie, Dad, Kristi, Me, and My Mom. My sisters and I! The Whole Fam Damily! (Mannions, Thorntons, Burrs, and Cramptons) I am so glad to be here for another 4th of July! Last year I was so sick, and this year I am feeling great. My family and I went to the Las Vegas Country Club (thanks gramps!) for a BBQ and a great firework show. Here I am with my amazing family celebrating another great and healthy year!

Kolby has finally decided that it was time for her to hang up her wig and start going out with her real hair. Kolby's hair loss was very emotional and private. She would not like to talk about it and she never ever wanted to leave the house unless she was wearing her hair piece and hat. Her hair is growing back so dark and just darling. She is feeling confident enough, so we went and had some professional pictures taken and now she is finally allowing me to post some pics of her new hairdo. She is just adorable. I am so proud of you Kolby!

Today we learned that I am cancer free. I had my first body scan after not receiving chemo and I am officially cancer free! I feel so good. I have been going to the gym every day and eating healthier than ever and I feel wonderful! I am so thankful to my Heavenly Father for allowing me to stay on this earth a little longer with my family and friends. I so appreciate my healthy body more than ever. I know that for every three months for the next five years I will have to have more body scans to make sure this sneaky cancer doesn't return, and I know there is a chance it may come back, but for now I am going to celebrate each moment that I have living a good and clean life. I am so thankful for the gospel in my life, for my family, friends, nurses and doctors who played a huge role in my life this past year. I know that bad things happen to good people to make them better and I am a better person because of this trial. I will never give up hope, and I know there is always a rainbow ...

Today was Kolby's Happy No More Chemo party that Diane and the office staff threw for Kolby. We are so thankful for the office staff, nurses and Dr. Rashid for all they have done for Kolby this past year. Each appointment Kolby was greeted with huge smiles and tender loving care. Our family will forever be indebted to each and every one of them. Diane..thank you so much for the delicious ice cream cake. Kolby had her blood work done today...and everything came back normal. YAY!!! Kolby goes for a full body scan for the first time since she hasn't received chemo tomorrow morning. Keep your fingers crossed! We just know that these scans will come back clear and that this cancer scare is in the past. Kolby is doing great. She is even going to the gym each day to build back her strength and muscle. She is enjoying her summer and having lots of fun with her friends and family. She feels back to normal, and it so nice to see Kolby enjoying her social life once again. A year ago she ...

Dear Cancer, I am not even sure why I am writing this letter to you at all. Personally, I don’t think you deserve to have a letter written to you especially one that starts out “Dear…” But today is a pretty special day for me, so I thought I would write one anyway. The reason it is a special day for me is that today I received my last chemotherapy treatment to get rid of you once and for all! It has been nearly a whole year since we first met. Some days it seems as if it was only yesterday. I have so many mixed feelings about our “association”. It has been a tragic and horrible year with you. But along the way I did find some shiny moments. For example, all of the amazing people, friendships and help that I received through this awful experience. You wouldn’t believe all of the caring people who have done so much for me personally. I get overwhelmed with emotions just thinking back on all of them and all of the things they did for me. I love all of the moral support and financial help ...

Well...just when we thought we were getting close to the finish line...we had an unfortunate setback today. Last night Kolby had a terrible cough all night long and she got very little sleep. Today she spiked a fever of 100.8 degrees. Both of those things combined usually mean you have a cold. But with cancer patients, it typically means something more dangerous could be going on. We placed a call to Dr. Rashid to find out what she thought since it was the weekend and her office was closed. Dr. Rashid felt that those signs were significant enough that we needed to admit Kolby to the E.R. right away. (Is it just us or do other peoples kids get super sick or need urgent care only at night or on weekends when the doctor’s office is closed?!) We (Jeff and I) gave Kolby a Priesthood Blessing and then raced her over to the Emergency Room. We got there at 5:00, and after blood work and chest x-rays, the diagnosis came back that she has Pneumonia. With Kolby’s weakened immune system, that is o...

I took Kolby to the doctors today. Everything was great. We were a little worried because Kolby said that she had felt a lump in her left arm pit. Yep....we were freaked out. The doctor said it was nothing for us to worry about. Whew!!! I think we are always going to worry about Kolby. After this last chemo treatment Kolby hasn't felt very good. She is slowly but surely starting to feel better. She is just relaxing this Spring Break. She has rested and slept alot. We did go see the movie Soul Surfer. She loved it! Very inspiring and makes you really appreciate what you have even if you have challenges. Kolby sure has had enough of her challenges, but when you see someone else going through a tough time, it just reconfirms how important it is to count your blessings and to be thankful for everything that we have, even our challenges.

Well, Kolby has her 2nd to last chemo treatment tomorrow. She is actually excited about getting her chemo, because then after this one, she only has one more left! (These are her exact words!!!) She also tells me that she is feeling, "tired as heck!!!" She is too, as soon as she comes home, she goes straight to the couch and zonks out! Sometimes she is so tied that we cannot get her to move and go to her bedroom. She is so funny, she says that common phrase, "just five more minutes!" over and over again, until John and I just give up and let her sleep in the family room. Oh and then in the morning, she thinks that John is her alarm clock. Bless his heart, he literally wakes her up 5 times before she gets in the shower. It's actually pretty comical. We would have never allowed this from Kristi and Kylie. But you know how it is with the youngest, and then especially with everything she has gone through this past year....John would do anything for her. Kolby is doi...

I just caught Kolby updating her sticker chart. I cannot believe that it is almost filled in. She is so excited, and she is in such a good mood. Her spirits are high and she is feeling fantastic. She only has two more chemo treatments left, and seven more weeks of weekly doctor appointments. Kolby hasn't been missing as much school, and life for her seems to be slowly but surely going back to normal. There are even days that we do not talk about "cancer"! She is busy right now coaching Powderpuff Cheer. She has been a busy busy girl. I just love seeing Kolby so active and wanting to do more and more. Woo-Hoo!

I haven't written on Kolby's blog for quite awhile. I just love it when John writes on her blog. He always does such a great job. I have been waiting for all of the pictures from the Talent Show to put together and load up onto Kolby's blog, and I just haven't had the time to sit down and put together a slide show yet. It was such a wonderful evening . We cannot express enough appreciation to all the students from Silverado High School who spent hours and hours putting this exciting event together in honor of Kolby. All of the talent was wonderful.....we did not want it to end. It was such a fun night, and so many people were there to support and show Kolby their love and friendship. Thank you all who attended and participated! We are so lucky, fortunate and blessed to have so many wonderful people in our lives. Even though Kolby is ending her treatment, she still needs her friends and family and all the support they so lovingly give her. We forget sometimes that Kolby...

Hi...this is Kolby. My high school is having a Keeping Kolby Benefit Talent Show for me on March 17th @ 6:30 to 9:30 p.m..@ Silverado High School theater located at 1650 Silver Hawk Ave. Las Vegas, NV 89123. This is the shirt they are selling to promote the event! They are $10 and the week of March 7-11, you can receive a free ticket for admission with the purchase of a shirt! (: After that, the tickets and shirts will go on sale separately- $10 for the shirts and $3 for the ticket. If you would like to buy one and come to the talent show I would appreciate it so much. It is going to be so much fun and there is going to be so much amazing talent. I am so thankful for everyone who is participating and working so hard to make this happen. Thank you....Thank you.....Thank you! ♥ If you would like to purchase a shirt and/or a ticket please contact Miranda Groh @ 702 592 2453 or Erin Rochetto @ 702 556 7536. THANK YOU!!!

In the mail yesterday I received this letter... I really wish I knew the whole story behind this little boys fight with cancer. I wish that there was some way that I could have helped him in that fight. I wonder what happened to him and his family. I hope it turned out good. I would have been eager and excited at the opportunity to give of myself and help someone in need…because I think it is the right thing to do…if you can donate. But more importantly for us…to give back in any small way, especially because…of all the support we have received from others who stepped in and offered help when we needed it. Maybe one day I could be somebody's hero!

Okay…okay!!! So it has been a little while since we posted on Kolby’s blog. But don’t they say that; “no news” is usually considered to be “good news”? Well besides the usual side effects with the chemotherapy…the good news is…that lately Kolby has been doing pretty well. The worst side effect now is from the shot of “ Neulasta ” that she gets the week following her chemotherapy injections, because it causes some deep bone pain. It is prescribed to reduce the risk of infection in cancer patients who are receiving strong chemotherapy (which unfortunately decreases the number of infection-fighting white blood cells). When she has her “Neulasta” shot, she ends up missing a few days of school here and there, but for the most part she has felt amazingly good. On this past Thursday, she underwent her next chemotherapy treatment and a new 21 day cycle filled with pills, shots, blood work, and doctor’s appointments. (YA AA Y!! ) If you happened to notice the big smile on her face in the pic...

Kolby had a wonderful birthday! She was feeling great and you would never know that she was undergoing chemo and battling cancer. We had her party at the Haycock's house. It was so much fun. The Haycock's decorated and were so kind and generous to let us celebrate her birthday in their home. It was so much fun, and Kolby had a blast!!! Over a hundred friends showed up. Everyone ate pizza, listened to music and socialized all evening. Water pong was a big hit too. It was a great tribute to Kolby and everyone made her feel so loved. Thank you everyone for coming and for being so kind to our Kolbsters. Your friendship means so much to Kolby. It was the best birthday ever!!!! For the first time in a while Kolby had a bad night last night. She was so sick. She couldn't keep anything down. She stayed home from school and slept most of the day. Kolby also went to the doctors today and her numbers were good. She is feeling much better tonight.

Kolby officially turned 16 on the 9th. She had a great birthday. Friends at school spoiled her and made her feel so loved. She gets to take her driving test on the 10th, and she hopes she passes. Kolby's 16th birthday dinner at the Olive Garden (her favorite restaurant) with her whole family. She loved every minute of it. She got chemo the day before her birthday...so the food didn't taste as good. But she had a nice time. Here is Kolby with her cousin Drew, and her friend Dillon, along with her Dad, Kylie, and Bentley (and me taking the pic) at a Wrangler's Hockey game. She had a ton of fun....even though the Wranglers lost. Kolby had another round of chemo this week. She is doing very well too. She still hates taking all the meds, especially the evening ones. She gets sick, and so she waits till the last minute, takes them, and then goes right to bed. Other than feeling extra tired and not much energy, she is feeling great. Kolby also passed her driving test! She is s...

Silverado High School Student Council is putting together a "Keeping Kolby Talent Show" on March 17th. A meeting for the auditions for the Talent Show will be held tomorrow, Feb. 10th, after school in room 402. Tickets for the Talent Show will be sold for $3.00 per person. And, "Cancer Sucks" T-shirts will be sold for $10.00 also. T-shirts will be available to purchase coming soon. If you have any questions call either Becca Mohler @ 702-809-1877 or Erin Rochetto @ 702-556-7536. Thank you so much for all your support in Keeping Kolby!!!

Friday, February 4TH, 2011, John (Kolby's dad) planned a whole evening full of surprises for Kolby and her dear friends. He wanted to plan an extra special and fun evening for Kolby to start off her 16th birthday. It's really hard to surprise Kolby....and John successfully pulled it off. It began with a surprise dinner at the Olive Garden with her friends, Cody, Mariah, Taylor, Dillon, Kolby, Lexi, Becca and Gabby. Kylie, Jeff, Bentley, John and I were there too. When John brought Kolby to the restaurant, the expression on Kolby's face was priceless. I couldn't believe that we actually pulled off the surprise. Kolby kind of wanted a surprise party, and I basically told her that it would be too hard to pull it off because I really needed her to help me plan it. (Hee-Hee!!!) Then right after dinner, John told the gang that he had an additional activity for them. No one but Dillon and Cody knew what was going on. He took the kids out into the parking lot, walked t...

Well......now that we are breathing a little easier these days knowing that Kolby is beating the battle.....we sure are enjoying watching Kolby build back her strength and grow back her hair. LOL! Her hair has grown back in about an inch. It's pretty dark too. It sure will be interesting to see what her hair will look like after it has grown a few more inches. Kolby has pulled out her scrap books and she figures her natural hair was always a little bit darker...but thanks to Kristi, her sister who is a hair dresser, the high lights definitely made her hair blonder. Kolby had another round of chemo last week and she finished all her meds on Tuesday. We are so thankful that the side effects are minimal. Although, on Friday she woke up with absolutely no energy, so she stayed in bed and slept all day. I have to remind myself that Kolby is still undergoing chemo for the next 5 months, and that she is going to have those "under the weather" days. She never complains, and she ...

We always get so nervous when we go to Kolby's doctor appointments. The doctors are pretty confident that the chemotherapy is working, but with the scans spaced 3 months apart, you can't help but wonder what has been going on in her body with the cancer during that 3 month span. It only makes you more anxious and worried as you get news that someone else that you know of...has lost the battle with cancer...and now is "in a better place". That is not the news you want to hear. What you really what to hear is that they are in complete remission and they beat the battle with this deadly disease. Unfortunately...and sadly...that isn't always the case. Your heart sinks and you just feel so bad for those who have lost someone that they loved so much. On Thursday we went to Kolby's doctors appointment and had her next chemotherapy treatment. (There are only 5 more 21 day cycle treatments after this cycle.) We sat and talked with Dr Rashid about Kolby's body scans...

Kolby has a doctor's appointment tomorrow. We'll get the results of her scan and she will receive a chemo treatment. Her spirits are high and she is feeling good today!

When Kolby went for her last doctor's appointment last Wednesday her blood count was so low that her doctor told her she wasn't allowed to go to school or out in public. So, on Thursday after her scans we went back to the doctors and she received a shot to boost her white blood count. Here's Kolby getting another one of her scans....and we are still waiting for the results. Kolby is feeling great these days. We are just anxiously waiting for her results from her scan. She plans on going back to school tomorrow.

I know that this has very little to do with Kolby and her battle with cancer...but I thought it was important enough that I wanted to share it with many of you that know us. It has been really difficult and challenging as parents to find ways to express our appreciation for all of the love and support we continually receive for Kolby...especially from all of our friends and family. I wish we could somehow find a way to repay all the favors and kindness that we have been privileged to receive. I don't know that we ever can! So many...have done so much! Hopefully we can find a way to simply..."pay it forward". And then at the end of this week...I received this very urgent email; Dear John, You've been identified as a possible marrow match for a 4 year old male patient in need of a transplant. The patients doctor is trying to determine treatment options as quickly as possible. Please call me immediately to tell me if you're willing and able to become a donor. When ...

Kolby had a nice relaxing weekend. She hung out with her cousin, Drew, the whole weekend. They had so much fun Friday night, that at 2:00 a.m. I heard them out in the family room giggling, so I went out and told them they needed to go to bed, and they told me that I needed to go to bed! Drew spent the whole weekend with Kolby keeping her company watching movies, playing the WII, and Drew even helped Kolby clean her room. (Thanks Drew!!!) Kolby has also been busy doing a lot of make up work. But, Kolby is feeling great. She just gets tired easy. Other than that, Kolby had a great week and weekend, and now she is off to a brand new week, and hopefully it will be just as wonderful as last weekend.

Kolby went to the doctors today and her numbers were high! Those steroids she takes after chemo always keep her numbers up. She is feeling good and today is a great day. Gabby, her bestest buddy invited her to the UNLV / BYU game tonight. She text me and told me she was having a blast. I just love it when Kolby has a great time. I love it when she smiles and genuinely has fun. So, cheers to another good day!!!

Kolby did not want Winter break to end. She wasn't ready to go back to school. But she was a trooper and she got up, went to seminary and school. I came home from work and found her sitting on the couch doing her homework and makeup work. But she was exhausted. Thankfully, this chemo treatment didn't make Kolby sick, just tired. Her low energy level gets the best of her. But she is feisty and she does what she wants to do, and then again, she doesn't do what she doesn't want to do too. LOL Kolby is also counting down until she turns 16. 36 more days! Yikes. She is excited about that...but me, I am not in any hurry. Doctor's appointment tomorrow, and they will tell us when her next scans are.