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July 15, 2010
3 years. At times that seems like an eternity...other times
it was just yesterday. We sit here tonight watching "Wipeout".
As we sit and laugh we remember how Kassidy would watch this
show and laugh so hard! It's a good memory.
Still makes me a little misty eyed...even the good memories
hurt sometimes. We know that it is a part of life now to have
"one of those days" or "a moment" when something triggers the
memories and the hurt seeps in. I get those alot on the way to
work in the mornings when I'm riding by myself and a song will
come on the radio that Kass liked or reminds me of Kass and the
tears start. Nothing like going to work with red eyes! But,
not always do they make me cry, sometimes I just smile because I
know Kassidy is sending me a message. Sometimes that is more
comforting...the pink sunrise, the songs, and then there are the
random memories when you wonder "what made me think of
that?".......it's Kass just saying Hi!
So, what have we been doing lately? Well, earlier this year
we were invited to speak at a church in Roanoke about Kassidy.
Kassidy's cancer doctor, Mandy Meck had gotten married and her
husband is a pastor at this church. She wanted us to come and
speak about suffering. Courtney had her last cheer competition
with the Rockers that weekend in Va Beach so Danny went and
talked. Mandy said he did a very good job, there wasnt a dry
eye in the church. Our feelings are that Kassidy did not really
suffer. God doesnt give you more than you can take.
Courtney finished the season with a competition cheer team
from Blacksburg, the Rockers All Stars. She enjoys it and she
can still keep her tumbling skills from gymnastics. She has
practiced with them this summer and they have tryouts in Aug for
this coming year. Also, she tried out for the JV cheering squad
at her high school for football season and she made the squad.
Her back is doing better but still hurts every now and then.
This summer for vacation we went back to Hershey Park, PA.
We had been there before with Kassidy. As we walked around the
park we remembered things that she did, the rides she liked,etc.
It was nice and made us smile to know she had fun there. Tara
Wheeler, Miss VA 2008, called us to tell us she would be in
Hershey as well singing the national anthem at the Hockey
Championship game. We met her on Tues and had lunch outside
Hershey Park. It was great to see her again and to see that she
still wears her Kassidy bracelet. We love you Tara!!
We just want to say "Thank You" to everyone that still goes to
Kassidyspage. And for all the comments on the guest book. It
still amazes us that people from all over the world is reading
her story. We still find it hard to believe how many lives she
has touched and how many people tell us what an inspiration her
story is and how it has helped them deal with their own
problems. She has given them hope and faith to keep moving
forward and take one day at a time. To make the best of every
moment. Please continue to check back as we will continue to
update. And please still keep us in your prayers. God Bless
you all!
July 16, 2009
Dear
Kassidy,
It doesn't seem
possible that you have been in heaven for two years now. Not a
day goes by that we do not think of you....we miss you so much!
In the mornings as I drive to work I tell you "good morning"
because you have helped God paint the sky a beautiful pink for
all of us to enjoy!
Everytime I see
anything with "sassy" on it, we remember that sassy attitude! I
miss your beautiful smile but most of all I miss hearing your
sweet little voice!!
Life has changed
since you have been gone. We don't take anything for granted
any more. Things that seemed important before, we realized
weren't all that important. When we get the chance to do
something or go somewhere...we do...for we may not get the
chance again. You never know where life is going to take you
next so we take advantage of every moment we can.
Courtney has grown
up so much! Can you believe that she will be in High School
next year?? She will definately need you to watch out for her
then. She is scared to go to High School...it will be the first
thing that she has had to do without you telling her what it
would be like. Court always had you to do things first and
assure her it would be OK. I know you will be with her helping
her along the way and helping her make the right decisions. I
hope you can help her have good friends and choose her friends
wisely. She continues to do gymnastics. She is a Level 8.
Tomorrow the gym is celebrating your life and your Heavenly
birthday with all the kids wearing pink and they are going to
have a little get together with PINK cupcakes! I know everyone
there still thinks about you and misses you too! At FlipFest
camp this year Courtney got to meet Nastia Luikin, 2008 Olympic
champion. She said that Nastia was very nice. Even previous
Olympians have come to remember you at the second annual
Kassidy's Rock Star Invitational meet. Terin Humphreys was the
guest this year!! The meet has gotten so big that we had to
hold the meet at Christiansburg Middle school. You would be so
proud at how much this meet has grown in just two years. John M
and John R (former Olympians) gave a scholarship to FlipFest to
the gymnast that had the highest Bar score for the whole meet,
since this was your favorite event! The girls did a Karaoke
routine and their shirts said Kassidy's Krew on them! Still
kept you part of the group!! I think that you will be a part of
their hearts and lives forever!
There is still
alot of people that remember you...Miss VA 2008 has one of your
Kassidy bracelets. During the pageant, she mentioned that
Courtney had told her your story and she will never forget it!!
She is raising money for pediatric cancer and in Sept. she is
planning to shave her head!! I know alot of the kids at school
and at gymnastics still wear their bracelets. And me, Dad and
Courtney wear ours everyday!! We never go anywhere without
them.
As we sit and
write this (and cry) we go back to day one when our lives
changed forever. You were so strong and inspirational through
your whole fight! We look at you and admire your strength and
faith! We will forever have a special place in our hearts and
you will never be forgotten!
We love you and we
miss you!!
Mom,Dad and Courtney
We will
forever....."walk in the foot steps of a champion... in our
sport and in our hearts". You will forever be OUR CHAMPION !!
May 10, 2009
Happy Mothers Day to everyone!! I hope that everyone has
enjoyed the beautiful sunshine and spent time with their mothers
and loved ones. We had a cookout and spent time with Tammy's
mother,father,sister,brother-in-law and their two kids. We had
a good time but bitter sweet as well. We took pictures of the
three girls outside in the grass...where we used to take
pictures of the four of them! And thinking today of
Danny's mom that passed away in 2001. I know that her and
Kassidy sent the beautiful sunshine for us to enjoy the day!
Last weekend we
helped at the SameFight golf tournament in Floyd. We enjoy
giving back to this organization for all that they did for us
during Kassidys fight. And we will continue to help raise money
to help the next child in Floyd county that has cancer...because
we know that there will be another. This disease will continue
to take our children when we least expect it! The number of
children with cancer is unbelievable. But we will continue on
to help others that may have to go through this horrific
journey.
School is almost
out and we will continue to busy this summer. Courtney will be
going to gymnastics everyday M-F from 8a-12p. She will get out
of school then have one week before she leaves to go to
gymnastics camp in Crossville,TN. Then the nex weekend some of
the team will be going to a Regional camp. So she will be busy
right after school lets out. She is learning new skills in
gymnastics right now and is very excited! The girls enjoy
learning new things and then they will have all summer to
perfect them before starting to compete again in the fall. And
then she will be going to High School. It doesn't seem possible
that our little girl is growing up!!
Just recently I
read on a caring bridge site from a lady that had lost her
child.....she said that it's something that you never get
over...it's something you learn to live with. We are
approaching the two year anniversary for Kassidy going to
Heaven. We have still struggled through the year and still shed
tears frequently. No one can understand unless you have been in
our shoes. The overwhelming grief that sneaks up on you and
hits you so hard. People look at us and tells us how strong we
are....that makes me want to laugh sometimes because inside we
are falling apart!! It is impossible to measure the pain we
experience or fully understand the difficulty of what we are
walking through.
Understanding the
loss can only come through the heart that has suffered the
same.
We continue to
pray for all those families that are still fighting and a
special prayer for the friend Kassidy had in the hospital,
Skylar, that is still fighting this monster!
Again, Happy
Mother's Day to everyone! God Bless you all!!
---Tammy
March 10, 2009
I'm sorry it has been so
long since we updated. We have been very busy with
Courtney's gymnastics competitions. We are almost finished
for the season. She has a competition this weekend and
then State finals in two weeks. I hope everyone got a
chance to see the newscast on the Kassidy's Rock Star meet
that was held at Christiansburg Middle School. This was a great
event and all went well. Kassidy would be so proud of our gym
and how much support the gymnastics community has given to us.
The reporter that did the story, Lauren Sisler, was a gymnast as
well. When Kassidy first started gymnastics at Roanoke Academy,
Lauren was her "big sister" there. So it was kinda cool that
she could now do the story about the meet dedicated to Kassidy.
VA Techniques gave out several "Kassidy" awards and even gave
out a scholarship to a week of gymnastics camp that our gym
attends at FlipFest in Crossville, TN. The meet was a great
success!!
Also, Miss
Virginia, Tara Wheeler is partnering with St. Baldricks
Foundation to raise money for Pediatric cancer.
She is an advocate
for the Children's Miracle Network and has worked with many
children with Cancer. She met Courtney when she came to Check
Elementary. Courtney gave her one of the bracelets with "Kassidy-
Our Champion" on it and told her the story of Kassidy. Go to
WSLS.com and go to the article that says "Miss Virginia goes
Bald for a cure". [Click
here for a direct link] She mentions meeting Courtney
and that she wears Kassidy's bracelet in her memory. Please go
to the St. Baldrick's website and read all that they are doing
to raise money!
This is a
wonderful gesture from someone that we have never met and that
Courtney must have made an impression on for her to remember
Kassidy.
I cant believe
that so many people are still being touched by Kassidy's life.
We feel this is the reason that we have gone through this
struggle and that God chose Kassidy. He knew others would be
touched and hopefully turn to Him more. Although we are pleased
and excited about all the things done in Kassidy's memory I cant
say that everything has been wonderful, just fine, etc. because
I think this year has been more of a struggle to be "normal".
It seems that this has been harder and we struggle more to cope
with the pain of her loss. We can remember her more and some
days that memory can bring a smile. And other days that same
memory can bring such sadness. The struggle is that you never
know when an object, place, etc. will trigger that overwhelming
sadness of loss. Not every day is sad, but not a day goes by
that we don't think of her. I Miss You Kass!!
God Bless everyone that
still thinks of and prays for our family. -- Tammy
My heart is still
aching like it was July 2007 but not every day. Some days I go
back to that exact day, hour and minute when Kass lost her fight
here on Earth. I feel like Kassidy wants and needs me to now
carry a smile and not show pain because though she was in pain,
she really never showed it to the extreme that I think she could
have. As the days without her still are challenging, I will try
my hardest to honor her bravery with a smile. Alot of people
still ask our family how we are doing. There are really no
words, and don't be surprised if we say "fine " or "OK" because
for so long I watched Kassidy mask her pain and we learn from
the pro how to do that.
When things are
going good in life and we don't have a care in the world, we all
too often forget about God. But at the first hint of trouble,
we are on our knees asking God for help. God uses time like
this to bring us closer to Him and to fulfill his purpose for
our lives. Our purpose is to know God and make Him known.
Tammy and I hope that God has used this trial in our life to
help us know Him better and to make himself known to others. We
have to rememeber that Gods promise never returns empty. His
words stand true forever.
I will be forever
touched by Kassidys life! I dont want to ever forget the wisdom
she received from Jesus, because of her simple child-like faith,
she has taught me how I should live the Christian life. I
remember when she was first diagnosed, she kept her eyes on the
cross....I mean literally kept her eyes on the cross. We have a
cross at home that is about a foot tall and it sat on our TV.
But when Kassidy was at home she would have us bring it closer
to her where she could see it better.
She told Tammy one
day that she thought cancer was just for old people. Tammy told
her that cancer didn't care about age. She said "that's OK mom,
I'm still smiling". If you ever have cancer you have to have
faith and talk to Jesus.
And talk to him
she did! In her suffering, Jesus held her close and revealed to
her secrets of Gods Kingdom. Many people talk to me about how
they prayed for my family and are still praying for us. I still
wonder why Kass was chosen. She knows why, when she got to
Heaven and saw her rewards, she found out. I have no answer to
why she suffered on Earth but I know that Jesus held her every
step of the way, carrying Kassidy and our family all the way
through the valley of suffering.
Children with
cancer are like candles. The danger of being extinguished by a
gust of wind from no where. And yet, as they flicker and dance
to remain alive, their brilliance challenges the darkness and
dazzles those who watch their
light. Kassidys
light will shine forever! --Danny
November 4, 2008
THE BRAVE LITTLE SOUL
Not too long ago in Heaven, there was a
little soul who took wonder in observing the world. She
especially enjoyed the love she saw there and often expressed
this joy with God.
One day however, the little soul was
sad, for this day she saw suffering in the world. She approached
God and sadly asked 'Why do bad things happen, why is there
suffering in the world?'
God paused for a moment and replied,
'Little soul, do not be sad, for the suffering you see unlocks
the love in people's hearts.' The little soul was confused.
'What do you mean?'
she asked. God replied, 'Have you not
noticed the goodness and love that is the offspring of that
suffering? Look at how people come together, drop their
differences, and show their love and compassion for those who
suffer. All their motivations disappear and they become
motivated by love alone.'
The little soul began to understand and
listened attentively as God continued. 'The suffering soul
unlocks the love in people's hearts much like the sun and rain
unlock the flower within the seed. I created everyone with
endless love in their heart, but unfortunately most people keep
it locked up and hardly share it with anyone. They are afraid to
let their love shine freely, because they are afraid of being
hurt. But a suffering soul unlocks that love. I tell you this -
it is the greatest miracle of all. Many souls have bravely
chosen to go into the world and suffer to unlock this love - to
create this miracle - for the good of all humanity.'
Just then the little soul got a
wonderful idea and could hardly contain herself. With her wings,
fluttering, bouncing up and down, the little soul excitedly
replied, 'I am brave, let me go. I would like to go into this
world and suffer so that I can unlock the goodness and love in
people's hearts!
I want to create that miracle!'
God smiled and said, 'You are a brave
soul I know, and thus I will grant your request. But even though
you are very brave, you will not be able to do this alone. I
have known since the beginning of time that you would ask for
this, so I have carefully selected many souls to care for you on
your journey. These souls will help you create your miracle,
however they will also share in your suffering. Two of these
souls are most special and they will care for you, help you and
suffer along with you, far beyond the others. They have already
chosen a name for you. Kassidy Jordan'
God and the brave little soul shared a
smile, and then embraced. In parting, God said, 'Do not forget
Kassidy that I will be with you always. Although you have agreed
to bear the pain, you will do so through my strength. And if the
time should come when you feel you have suffered enough, just
say the word, think the thought and, I will bring you home.'
Thus at that moment, the brave little
soul was born into the world and through her suffering and God's
strength, she unlocked the goodness and love in people's hearts.
For so many people dropped their differences and came together
to show their love. Priorities became properly aligned. People
gave from their hearts. Those who were always too busy, found
time. Many began new spiritual journeys - some regained lost
faith - many came back to God. Parents hugged their children
tighter. Friends and family grew closer. Old friends got
together and new friendships were made. Distant families
reunited and every family spent more time together.
Everyone prayed. Peace and love reigned.
Lives were changed forever. It was good. The world was a better
place. The miracle happened. And God was pleased.
This is our prayer that through Kassidy
and our suffering that others can learn faith and trust in God.
Glory be to God that Kassidy is in Heaven and free from
suffering and pain. She is walking on streets of Gold,no more
sadness, no more tears....only love.
October 4, 2008
What a beautiful fall day it was today.
I went to the Floyd County Craft show today and it was a
beautiful day to be out and visit with everyone. I talked with
Desirae while there and even bought several of her jewelry
pieces. One was a pair of angel earrings and I also bought 2
cancer bracelets.
They were bracelets with beads the
different colors associated with the various types of cancer.
She is donating part of the money she receives from them to
charity. It was great talking to her. We talked about ways to
help out locally for those children with cancer and even just
the kids that had to be hospitalized. We talked about all the
"crafts" that Chance and Kassidy had received while they were
sick and never had the opportunity to use. We would love to get
these donated to the pediatric/oncology at Roanoke Memorial.
That way other kids can enjoy them! I think this is a wonderful
idea!
Courtney also had a basketball game
today. Along with gymnastics she is playing Rec ball and me and
Danny are even coaching her team. We may not be the best team
but the girls are improving and learning alot of
fundamentals...most of all they are having FUN! Courtney even
scored a 3 pointer today! Amazing!
In the next few months Courtney will
start her gymnastics competitions. She will be competeing at a
Level 8 this year. The first meet we have is at Paragon
gymnastics. This is the meet that gives out the Kassidy Foster
Vault award to the Level 7 with the highest vault score. We are
looking forward to going back to this meet and seeing all the
coaches/parents there again. They are some of the nicest people
in our gymnastics family. Then we are going to West Va, Tenn,
Atlantic City, NJ and Clemson University, SC.
We are traveling more this year and look
forward to some exciting meets. Our gym is also doing the "Kassidy's
Rock Star Invitational" meet again this year. We are glad that
we still have things that are being done in her memory. It helps
us that people still remember her.......
It's still hard for us and we have come
to accept the fact that this is our life and we will always have
a certain sadness with us always. But along with the sadness we
have the happy memories as well and we have to keep going....Kassidy
would want it that way! She lived life to the fullest and even
through her treatments she lived life on the edge never knowing
when her last day would come. She had no guarantee for tomorrow
and neither do we. The fact is, we have no idea what lies ahead
for us. So we should just live life to the fullest every day!
Live the Kassidy way!
Living without Kassidy is sad, even
though she is gone ... she will always live. And she continues
to live in the hearts and minds of thousands of people. She just
went to Heaven earlier than we did and we know she will be there
when we get there. And until that day comes we will continue to
try to keep as much faith as Kassidy had and live a life that is
pleasing in the eyes of the Lord so that we will be assured that
we see her again.
August 28, 2008
Sorry it has been so long since we
updated. We have been trying to stay busy, we have to....we miss
Kassidy so much!
We thought the grief would be easier
now, but it seems to be harder to cope. We went through the
shock of her losing her battle and it was hard to believe what
had happened. Now the shock has worn off and we KNOW that it is
real. We had milestones to get to before, like her first
birthday without her, the first Christmas, and the first
anniversary of her heavenly birthday. Now we have reached the
year mark and we dont have any milestones to reach. Now the pain
of her being gone is even more real. We can fo places that we
have been with Kassidy and have those happy memories come back.
It's sad but we can smile also. We
thought going to new places would be better but we learned the
hard way that it's not. We went to Cedar Point in Ohio for a
weekend trip. We were standing in line and there were two girls
behind us about 15-16 years old. They had long blonde hair and
were playing with each others hair putting it up in ponytails.
They were sisters...even now it makes me
cry because we just looked at each other and I know we were all
thinking that that's what Kassidy and Courtney would be doing if
Kass were here. So, even the new things hurt. Just the smallest
things make us remember Kassidy, like the smell of chocolate,
songs on the radio, watching her favorite TV shows, the kids
going back to school, every day that we walk into
gymnastics...it never ends. We know time heals and it becomes
easier but it will never be the same.
Unless you have lost a child yourself,
you cannot understand real grief. You can lose a parent and it's
hard.
But God does not program us to lose a
child. God knows what it is like to lose a son. He is al loving
and caring but he grieved when Jesus died on the cross for us.
When a spouse dies, the other person is called a widow. What do
you call a parent when they lose a child?? There is no word in
the English language that describes that....because children
should not die first.
....Courtney has started back to school.
She is in the 7th grade. I can't believe how much she has grown
and what a young lady she is becoming. It's hard to believe that
she will be in High School next year. Where does the time go?
She is still doing gymnastics and will
compete this year as a Level 8 gymnast. I know she is healing
with time as well.
She talks more about Kassidy with the
other girls at gymnastics. This summer when she went to camp she
met a little girl from Northern VA who had Alapecia (she did not
have any hair). She was bald and looked like Kassidy did after
she lost her hair. Courtney took right to her and one night went
to her cabin and talked with her and her teammates. When she got
back she said that she had told them about Kassidy. This was a
first for Courtney and we feel like this was a huge step to her
healing. She talks alot about Kassidy and her memories of things
they did together.
She is reading a book that was given to
us "90 Minutes in Heaven". She reads a little bit at a time but
she takes it everywhere with her..even to school. At night
sometimes she will read to me in bed. What a great book and it
gives Courtney some peace and is healing for her and for me!
We finally have the memorial garden just
like we want it.
We have put landscaping lights in it and
at night it is absolutely beautiful. I hope any one that can
will come back and take a look. Our final piece for the garden
we have to order. We are getting a bench with Kassidys name made
into the back of it. Then it will be perfect for a beautiful
angel!
In closing, we will continue to update
her website. We thank everyone for continuing to check in. We
hope that her website will be inspirational to those
that visit.
Remember to hug your kids tighter, tell
everyone you love them. We all need to realize that our children
do not belong to us, they are gifts from God that he expects us
to take care of for him while they are here on Earth. Life
cannot be taken for granted. Each day is a gift to be used as
preparation for what comes next.....Eternity
God Bless Everyone!
June23, 2008
One year.....we can't believe that's it's been almost a year
since Kassidy was healed and went to live with Jesus. Many
moments were filled with worry, anger, frustration and grief.
You don't know absolute helplessness until you have seen your
innocent child withering away in a hospital bed....knowing that
nothing, no person, no technology, no amount of money or power
can keep her alive. No matter what the future held, we made the
most of each day we had with her. We made many memories
laughing, goofing off and just being near the amazing child that
we would come to call our hero and "our champion".
We believe that while this illness could have destroyed a
family, and many families are broken after losing a child, it
also had the potential to strengthen a family. Our family is
emotionally closer. We no longer take things for granted. We
see the value in living every day to the fullest.
Now learning to live after the loss of a child, we feel we have
learned a tremendous amount about life. You can learn more
about what's really important in life in a few short months on a
pediatric cancer ward than most people will learn in a
lifetime. Don't sweat the small stuff. Parents get upset for
some of the smallest and silliest things. Their child gets a
stain on their good shirt--SO...it's just a shirt. At least
they were able to eat, drink, play or whatever it was that
created the stain. Kids are kids...let them be kids...play,
have fun, slow down and really interact with your kids. Laundry
and house cleaning can usually wait a few hours while you spend
some quality time with your children. There are so many things
that we used to think were such a big deal, but now seem so
small in the big picture of life. Most important is to hug your
kids a little tighter, hug your spouse, parent, nieces, nephews,
cousins,etc. Tell them you love them. You never know what
might happen that you wont get that chance again.
Our family experience with childhood cancer has made us
survivors. We have lived through it and learned from it. It
has strengthened us in who we are individually and as a family.
As we reflect on this life changing experience it seems like
only yesterday though it has been almost a year. We've met many
people along the way that will remain in our lives forever.
Because of those strangers, friends, and our family we have
survived. And for that support we will forever be grateful.
Your laughter and your smiling face
That twinkle in your eye
Your sassy little attitude
And the clothes you loved to buy!
The jewelry and all the bling
The make-up and gymnastics
You were growing up so fast
We always called you "plastic".
Computer,cell phone and AIM
Never anywhere without them
Talking with friends, having fun
and being silly at the gym.
Beautiful on the inside and out
God called you to live in Heaven
You changed the world with the heart you had
And forever we will keep BELIEVING!!
Keep Believing...Kassidy did!!
April
13, 2008
The 7th grade class at
Check Elementary School dedicated this years Yearbook to Kassidy. We went
to the yearbook assembly and they presented the first yearbook to Danny,
Tammy and Courtney. On the back cover is a picture of the pink balloons at
the release they had at the school. The other picture is of Kassidy's
classmates sitting in the grass in the shape of a ribbon. This was
beautiful! Then you turn 2 pages into the yearbook to a two page layout of
PINK!! One side is pictures with Kassidy Forever In Our Hearts written in a
big heart. Also on this page Courtney wrote a note that said "Kassidy
Foster is my sister. She was the greatest sister in the world. I am sure
she was a very good friend. I know she is with me and my family too. She
is with you guys too! Kassidy will stay in my heart forever and ever. I
Love You Kassidy!" On the opposite page is the dedication page written by
Kayla Underwood...the friend that spoke at Kassidy's memorial service and
funeral. I know this is kinda long but I wanted to put down what she
wrote. We had a chance to preview this before the yearbooks were printed.
We didn't change anything because I know this came straight from the heart
and that's what matters. So here is the dedication:
What does it take to be a
champion? Will, determination, talent, drive, kindness? It is rare to find
all these qualities in one person. Our community was blessed to be in the
presence of a true champion: Kassidy Jordan Foster.
Kassidy was a 12 year old
girl, an active gymnast, honor student, loving daughter, and kind friend.
Kassidy aspired to be a great friend, to be understanding and trustworthy,
to be kind and not argue, Kassidy wanted to be the bigger person in
everything she did. Little did Kassidy know, or any of us know, what was in
store for her.
In January 2007, while
training in gymnastics, she fell and hurt her knee. Kassidy had been sick
over the past few months and gymnastics injuries were nothing new, but her
knee would not heal. Kassidy's parents, Danny and Tammy, and her sister
Courtney took her to the doctor at the end of March.
They finally found out that
she had osteosarcoma, a type of bone cancer. Kassidy and her family were
scared, but optimistic, their strength came from Kassidy, and she knew
whatever happened she was going to be happy. She had thousands of people
all over the world supporting her. Check Elementary and the whole county of
Floyd supported Kassidy and two little boys with brain cancer named Chance
and Joshua, through fundraisers and the website
www.samefight.org.
We had t-shirts, bracelets, held bake sales, walks and more. While we were
supporting them they were strong and fought, keeping Floyd strong and
bringing the community together.
For four months Kassidy
fought, she braved a leg amputation and chemotherapy, a fight only a true
champion can win. At the beginning of July she went to California on a
"Make-A-Wish" trip to shop at a four story mall. She told her daddy it was
the best day of her life. On the flight back home Kassidy started to have
difficulty breathing. The day she returned home they put her in the
hospital. The doctors said she had only a short time, Kassidy's lung had
collapsed and the other one was beginning to deflate. She fought, with her
family by her side, until her last breath. On July 16, 2007 at 8:35 she
passed away. Kassidy kept fighting until the time was right.
Everyone has a purpose and
I think Kassidy's was to show people how strong you can really be. To take
a look at what you have and be thankful for it. Kassidy was my best friend,
a hero and a CHAMPION! Kassidy will never be forgotten and we will always
miss her!
At the end of the assembly
they did a slide show and in it was some pictures in memory of Kassidy. I'm
glad that Kassidy had such an impact on these kids! It was amazing to see
the kids with KJ written on their faces and they were wearing their shirts
made to support her during her fight! I only hope that they remember the
strength and courage that she had and hold on to that when they go through
lifes struggles.
Please continue to check in
as we will be updating some things coming up.....like Danny will be speaking
at the 7th grade recognition service on the 23rd. We continue to do things
in her memory and still read the well wishes and guestbook and want to thank
everyone for keeping us in their thoughts and prayers. Please continue to
do so as we are coming up on the year anniversary of Kassidy going to
heaven. What a celebration she will be having on her first birthday in
Heaven!!
April
13, 2008
It's been
several updates since I have posted. Tammy has done the past several updates
so I ask her if I could post something this time. I have sat down in front
of this computer many times during the past several weeks with the
intentions of posting something, but I really had a hard time.
I
still find it hard to believe all that has happened. It is amazing the way
Kassidy's fight is still on people’s hearts. So many things have happened
since July 16th 2007. There have been blood drives in Kassidy's honor and
memory. A scholarship from Fredricksburg, VA, Paragon Gymnastics has
established to remember Kassidy. John Macready and John Rothlisberger... 2
former Olympians have started the Kassidy Foster Memorial Scholarship at
Flipfest (a 9 week camp). We also learned during one of Courtney's meets in
Knoxville, TN (Flipfest) that a gym from North Carolina started a "penny's
for Kassidy fundraiser" and they raised enough money to have 2 scholarships
at Flipfest in Kassidy's memory.
www.flipfest.com (search Kassidy Foster Memorial
scholarship). Kassidy and Courtney's home gym in Christiansburg, VA (www.vatechniques.com) held
Kassidy’s Rock Star Invitational and the State of VA board, called VAUSG,
they regulate all of the gymnastics teams in VA, chose Kassidy to receive
the Spirit Award. She was the VA Gymnastics "Athlete of the year in 2007".
Her coach said it took all of 5 seconds for the board to pass that vote to
honor Kassidy.
Kassidy
started her tough journey to heaven on March 29th and through it all my
family stayed the course and kept our focus on GOD and you are right it was
very hard to do that at times. A major crisis hit my family last year,
losing a son or a daughter at such a young age is the pinnacle of all
crisis..... nothing else compares. I lost my mother to cancer in 2001 and
thru it all the enemy would throw all kinds of bad news and he would use it
to push us away from GOD. Kassidy knew she was not going to win the battle
on earth but the comfort that GOD gave her was true. She faced knowing she
was going to die head on and never lost her sight on Jesus. He showed her a
glimpse of heaven and she was not scared to die. The same spirit that
comforted Kassidy and us is the same spirit that comforted Jesus Christ on
the cross. The enemy kept hitting us but he did not prevail.... GOD in us
did and that is how we keep going. I recently met a new friend and he had
lost his father and we were talking and he gave me a very powerful word that
no one else had. He told me that he believed that GOD will use certain
people to carry out his work in the form of angels. He said since Kassidy
faced death the way she did and won that she will go to people who are
facing the same thing she went thru. She will comfort them in her way and
tell them I have done this GOD will take care of you.
It is
amazing the way GOD is using children to draw the unbelievers to him. I saw
on TV where over 80,000 people where saved in Russia because of a
teenage girl. GOD used my daughter the same way and for that I know I will
get to see her again. Tammy told me she had a dream. She dreamed
that Courtney ,Tammy and myself were at an amusement park and I told
Courtney to go back to the park and get me something. Tammy said she got
scared Courtney would get lost so we started looking for her. Tammy dreamed
she was looking for Courtney and was very upset and Kassidy came out of the
crowd and hugged her, she said she could feel Kassidy squeezing her and
then she woke up. Tammy said that is Kassidy's way of telling her she is
ok.
We are
doing ok. I can honestly tell you that GOD's grace and comfort to us is
real and so is he. Kassidy knew more about GOD than some people do in a
lifetime. She was my daughter and I feel she died before her time. I always
wonder what she would be like now she would be 13, but GOD'S time is always
right. We have an "On Time GOD". Keep GOD the center of your life.... and
remember you are one step away from your miracle and be ready to take that
step. The love of GOD is like the ocean....you can see the beginning but not
the end.
I ask you
to come back to this site and read our updates from last year. Take care.
Thanks for your prayer and support you have given us and "Keep
Believing.....Kassidy did.March 8,
2008
Hello to
everyone! I know it has been several months since we updated but so much
has been going on. We are keeping busy with Courtney's gymnastics meets and
various functions in Kassidy's memory. First we would like to tell everyone
about the blood drive that was held in Rocky Mount in Kassidy's honor and
memory. We had 54 donors that day...16 of those were first time donors!!
That was wonderful!! We are still planning to do another blood drive this
spring/summer in Christiansburg as well and hope to get an even better
response to that one. We also had a meet at our gymnastics facility called
"Kassidy's Rock Star Invitational". They gave special awards to each level
gymnast that had the highest event score. For the Level 7 Courtney won the
award which was a plaque and it was called the Kassidy Foster Rock Star
Award. This was special to Courtney. Courtney also had her highest overall
score of the year at this meet...that was a fitting tribute to Kassidy!!
Check out the news article about the meet at
http://www.roanoke.com/news/nrv/wb/149508.
We have also traveled recently
to Atlanta,GA and Columbus,OH for meets there as well. So we have been very
busy and on the go lately. At the Kassidy meet the parents presented us
with a picture that was drawn by an artist. It touched us that the parents
would do this and it is a very special picture to us. It is 16X20 and is a
drawing of Jesus hugging Kassidy. You can even see the nail marks in Jesus'
hand. They both are looking towards you and there is a look on Kassidy's
face that makes you think that she is saying " I miss you all but I wouldn't
be anywhere else". It's a look of contentment and peacefulness. We will
try to get a copy to put on this site. Also please check out
www.kassidyspage.com
to see the video of Kassidy doing her gymnastics routines. We will try to
update again soon and add some pictures. Continue to pray for all those
that continue their fight.
January 9,
2008
We just wanted to let everyone
know about the upcoming events we have planned in Kassidy's memory. On Jan
29th, at Faith Fellowship Church in Rocky Mount we are holding a blood
drive. It will be from 12p-6p. You can call the church to sign up 334-3477.
We are trying to raise awareness about how much blood a cancer patient
actually needs during treatments. And to increase the donations in the state
of Virginia (which is the lowest state in blood donation). If you are able
to, please think about coming out and giving. Also on Feb 3, Virginia
Techniques Gymnastics is holding the Kassidy RockStar Invtational meet.
There will be more information on this coming soon and I will update as soon
as times become available.
We managed to get through the
holidays, and we are doing OK. We held the balloon release for Kassidy's
13th birthday in December. We had a good turn out and everyone came back to
the house for refreshments. The tombstone is a beautiful tribute to Kassidy.
With friends and family we gathered and remembered the happy times with
Kassidy. This was a good day for everyone. Then Christmas came.....we did
OK. We remembered Kassidy in the gifts that we gave...lots of Angel gifts
this year! We want everyone to remember that she is with us all the
time...right in our hearts! We kept our chins up through the new year and
are looking forward to 2008. We will never forget Kassidy...she is always
with us...even though we are doing better I guess we will always have those
moments that cause an emotional break down and shed the tears. I don't think
that will ever go away! But we have many happy memories also and not a day
goes by that I don't think of something she said or did and it makes me
smile. So right now it's still a little bit of an emotional roller coaster
and I'm sure it will be that way for awhile longer.
Here is the lyrics to one of my
favorite songs right now. Because God is the almighty one and we have to
keep praising his name so that one day we will be reunited with Kassidy.
God Bless You All...We Love You
Keep Singing
Another rainy day
I can't recall having sunshine on my face
All I feel is pain
All I wanna do is walk out of this place
But when I am stuck and I can't move
When I don't know what I should do
When I wonder if I'll ever make it through
I gotta keep singing
I gotta keep praising Your name
Your the one that's keeping my heart beating
I gotta keep singing
I gotta keep praising Your name
That's the only way that I'll find healing
Can I climb up in Your lap
I don't wanna leave
Jesus sing over me
I gotta keep singing
Can I climb up in Your lap
I don't wanna leave
Jesus sing over me
I gotta keep singing
Oh You're everything I need
And I gotta keep singing
December
16, 2007
We are still
going to be doing the balloon release at Wilson Cemetery today
to celebrate Kassidy's 13th birthday. Anyone that wants to
attend is welcome. The ice here is melting rapidly but I
know the wind is going to be getting up later. We will
release the balloons at the cemetery but will not stay too long
due to the temperature and wind. Kassidy's tombstone is
set and is our tribute to her. We welcome everyone to stop
and take a look at it. Also we have a memorial garden in
our front yard and we welcome anyone that wants to stop and look
at that as well. This spring it will be prettier as all
the plants will bloom...of course all are pink!!
Yesterday we attended the
Christmas Gathering for the gymnastics team. We love to attend these
events with our gymnastics families that have given us so much support.
But at the same time, this is one of the saddest times for us as well.
We have always attended these with both Kassidy and Courtney and these are
the times that we have to face the reality of a family of three now.
Courtney had a good time visiting with all of her friends! Also the booster
club is giving a Kassidy Foster Memorial Scholarship award. The
coaches nominate 5 girls and they have to write an essay about being a team,
being caring and giving, overcoming obstacles and what gymnastics means to
them. These were given to the scholarship committee as an anonymous
essay and they were voted on. They presented the award yesterday as
well. The recipient was Colleen Shang which is a level 10 gymnast.
It was a good essay and made me cry. Congratulations to Colleen!!
We know that the days ahead
are going to be tough but we will be alright with Gods help and grace.
We will make this the best Christmas we can for Courtney's sake and the rest
of the family. We have our Kassidy angel ornament at the top of our
tree and she will always be with us. Even though she is not here in
body she will be with us at Christmas and every day because she will always
be in our hearts!!
I hope that every one slows
down and enjoys the time that they have to spend with all their relatives
and friends!
I hope that everyone has a
very Merry Christmas and God Bless you all!
December
16, 2007
We are still going to be
doing the balloon release at Wilson Cemetery today to celebrate Kassidy's
13th birthday. Anyone that wants to attend is welcome. The ice here is
melting rapidly but I know the wind is going to be getting up later. We
will release the balloons at the cemetery but will not stay too long due to
the temperature and wind. Kassidy's tombstone is set and is our tribute to
her. We welcome everyone to stop and take a look at it. Also we have a
memorial garden in our front yard and we welcome anyone that wants to stop
and look at that as well. This spring it will be prettier as all the plants
will bloom...of course all are pink!!
Yesterday we attended the
Christmas Gathering for the gymnastics team. We love to attend these events
with our gymnastics families that have given us so much support. But at the
same time, this is one of the saddest times for us as well. We have always
attended these with both Kassidy and Courtney and these are the times that
we have to face the reality of a family of three now. Courtney had a good
time visiting with all of her friends! Also the booster club is giving a
Kassidy Foster Memorial Scholarship award. The coaches nominate 5 girls and
they have to write an essay about being a team, being caring and giving,
overcoming obstacles and what gymnastics means to them. These were given to
the scholarship committee as an anonymous essay and they were voted on.
They presented the award yesterday as well. The recipient was Colleen Shang
which is a level 10 gymnast. It was a good essay and made me cry.
Congratulations to Colleen!!
We know that the days ahead
are going to be tough but we will be alright with Gods help and grace. We
will make this the best Christmas we can for Courtney's sake and the rest of
the family. We have our Kassidy angel ornament at the top of our tree and
she will always be with us. Even though she is not here in body she will be
with us at Christmas and every day because she will always be in our
hearts!!
I hope that every one slows
down and enjoys the time that they have to spend with all their relatives
and friends!
I hope that everyone has a
very Merry Christmas and God Bless you all!
November 21,
2007
On Nov.17th, Tammy Courtney
and I went to Fredricksburg, VA to visit Paragon Gymnastics. As you may
remember from a previous update, the last time Kassidy competed there, she
won 1st place on vault in her age group. Paragon has been so supportive,
along with many other gymnastics clubs, they gave out the 1st Kassidy trophy
that was awarded to the gymnast that won 1st place on vault, a young lady
from Richmond Olympiad won the trophy. They awarded us with a plaque that
says "presented to the Foster Family......2007 Commonwealth Cup Level 7
Vault Champion Award is dedicated in memory of KASSIDY
FOSTER"--- "walking in the footsteps of a Champion... in our sport and
in our hearts".
That trophy will be presented
to to the level 7 champion from Paragon as long as they have that meet at
their gym.
On November 18th we went to
the Hotel Roanoke where the Old Dominion Eye Foundation has a Christmas tree
ever year. All the families of loved ones who donated some of their organs
are invited to hang an ornament in honor of their loved one on the tree. We
framed a close up picture of Kassidy that showed her beautiful blue eyes,
that is what we had donated. One set of her corneas went to Manassas, VA and
the other went to Sacramento, California.
Kassidy's birthday is on
December 10th she would have been 13. On Sunday December 16th, we are
meeting at the cemetery to release balloons for her birthday at 2:30. This
is an open invitation to you if you would like to attend, her headstone in
which we have some neat designs of Kassidy should be in place by then.
(Wilson Cemetery in Check VA)
Thanksgiving is tomorrow, it
will be a lot different this year without Kass but we have a lot to be
thankful for, we know Kassidy is in heaven with the one she loved so much.
Gods plan for her in 12 years was a legacy. What Legacy will you leave to
your family and friends when you are gone? Think about that. God made you,
you are not here by accident, He made you and put you on this earth for a
reason, and life's greatest joy comes when we discover his purpose for our
lives and we begin to follow it. If you had a choice to die young and change
a lot of people (or the world) or die old and change no one....what would
you choose? Kassidy had no choice, she discovered God's purpose for her and
she followed it. It is not too late for you to discover your purpose and to
follow it...." Keep Believing" ........Kassidy did.
Thanks for your prayers and
support We will update soon.
November 6, 2007
Over the past several months
since Kassidy went to Heaven, we have received cards, hugs, hand shakes,
phone calls, e-mails, anything that someone had on their heart to tell us
they where thinking about us. But recently we received a poem from Kayla
Underwood, and Chelsea Lambert signed kassidyspage.com, they went to school
with Kass ... these two touched Tammy's and my heart so I would like to
share it with you....word for word... they are to Kassidy not to us, this
is PRICELESS.
hey Kassidy
i really miss u, life is soo different since u left, i think of you often,
so does all my friends at FCHS. i try totalk to you in my prayers wondering
if you can hear me, hoping you can. i wish i could have seen you more,
gotten to know you better, and could have at least said goodbye. i am
extremely sad you are gone,but happy you are healed. if you can hear me tell
Jesus i said hi, i miss you so much. i saw a picture of u the other day, and
began to cry, it amazes me i still can, after all the tears came from my
eyes already, well bibi for now i miss you. Chelsa
My Best Friend, My Hero, My
Champion
is looking down on me
today saying I am ok.....
I'm right here with you
and miss you too.
I know you can't see me
but you can feel me.
I love you as much as you
love me,
Tell daddy I'm still his
baby girl,
Tell momma not to shed her
tears because I'm always going to be right here.
Tell Courtney she's not
alone she still has her best friend because its never going to be the end.
I'll be here everyday when
you feeling the pain
I'm your little angel that
wants you to have it all and more.
So Kassidy my blonde hair
blue eyed angel wait for me with JESUS at those gates of Pearl!!!!!
( Kayla Underwood)
Thank You so much, please continue to
pray for us, Kassidy's 13th birthday is Dec.10th... Christmas ... and her 40
weeks of chemo would have ended in Dec also. I will update with some more of
the words Kassidy wrote herself in her journal during her fight.
October 21, 2007
It's been a little over 3
months since Kassidy lost her fight and times are still hard. I still find
it hard to believe she is not with us any more, she will always be in our
hearts. Every time I close my eyes I see her face. I know she is home and
fully healed and that makes me homesick. We had the song "Home Sick" by
Mercy Me played at Kassidy's services, that song is different when you have
lost a loved one, you know they are home (Heaven) and being homesick is
truly what the song is about.
We prayed for Kassidy to be
healed on this earth, that was not GOD'S will. I received a letter from
Pastor Gary Martin(he was Kassidy's Children's pastor and now pastors a
church in Martinsville, VA), he was one of the pastors during the services.
The letter talks about a man who was 58 years old and had cancer. He got mad
at GOD because he would not be able to see his children and grandchildren
grow old. He was angry that this all-powerful GOD would not heal him.
His wife called a pastor to pray for him ,which he did the letter stated.
The lady called the pastor and thanked him for praying for her husband and
told him he had died. She also told the pastor that he was not mad at GOD
anymore after he had prayed for him. She told him they read the Bible and
prayed together before he passed. She told the pastor "My husband was not
cured, but he was healed". Think about it... we prayed for the healing and
that is what GOD did for us. Kassidy loved Jesus, she would defend him, she
would let no one do anything without acknowledging him. Kassidy told Tammy
to not worry about her, she was going to be ok. A pastor told me today...."
GOD showed Kassidy a glimpse of heaven so she would not be afraid". I feel
something happened to Kassidy to comfort her, I think back now about how
strong she was, the things she said, the way she acted, never really showing
how much pain she was in, she struggled some, but not the way people think
she did.
Scriptures in the Bible do not
support people in Heaven having knowledge about what we do on earth. I
believe that when Kassidy got to heaven, she was able to tell my mother and
Tammy's grandmother things we were doing. I believe every time someone goes
to Heaven they tell everyone there what they need to know. Kassidy will get
to meet the people whose life she changed and they will tell her all the
things being done in her honor. I hope that Kassidy remembers the way Tammy
and I raised her, as a Christian, I hope she says "My mom, dad and sister
are right ...there really is a heaven!" I hope she remembers all the
conversations she and I had about Heaven. I know she will be waiting for me
when I get there.
There are people who will read
this.....young or old, single or married, rich or poor, some who have lost a
parent, brother or sister, husband or wife....but if you are reading this
and you have lost a child, one of your own, you understand, that losing your
child to a horrible disease like cancer and watching them die and it is
nothing!!!! I mean nothing!!! You or anyone else can do, if you can face
this and get through it, nothing else compares to it, anything else you face
in life, you can get through it. First Thessalonians 5:16-18 says " Be
joyful, pray continually no matter the circumstances, give thanks always for
this is GOD'S will in Christ Jesus"
Thanks for your continued
prayers and support . Share Kassidy's story with someone and please continue
to check in on her website We will update soon.
September
26, 2007
People have ask us "how we are
doing" or "how are we feeling " since Kassidy lost her fight. We tell them
we are doing ok, but on the inside, we are not doing good at all. Tammy and
I have often wondered how Kassidy was doing....think about it, she was 12
years old and we ask her was she feeling and she would always say ok, but
deep down inside she had to be "feeling" horrible. That is one of he things
we are struggling with right now, we never knew"how she was feeling". Her
attitude and the way she acted told us the way we think she felt. As I said
on my previous updates, I said I have some cool things to share about
Kassidy. We were going through some of her things that she had while she was
in the hospital, we found a teen book that she had to write down her
feelings. This is written by Kassidy...I will not add or change any
words.....
I WANT.......The days and
years go slow so I am very close to my family.
I NEED.........Nothing but
faith,, Bravery and prayers from friends and family that care.
I FEAR..........The thought of
cancer causing death. But I KNOW I'm not going to die!!!!and also losing my
hair.
I WISH..........I understood
why and when. I didn't have questions on how it started.
I HOPE..........I DON'T loose
my hair The doctors(s) said I may or may NOT loose it. So I hope I don"t
lose my hair.
I EXPECT......to get through
this. And when I do have children I can tell them my story of when I was 12
and had cancer.
I AM..............HEALED IN
JESUS NAME!!!!
I LOVE..........My family and
friends and everybody else whos praying for.
But most of all I love Jesus!!
Those words were a blessing to
us, we found that book after she passed away , we know she wrote that down
when she first found out she had cancer.She always was my rock even when she
was down mentally as far as she could go.We were at home with Kassidy and
she was taking a shower. She was in the shower and she could see herself in
the mirror, she had one leg... no hair, I ask her was that the first time
she had saw herself that way , she said "yes". Then she said "dad I still
think I am beautiful".... I told her I thought she was beautiful too. Then
she gave me a hug and got me wet and she laughed real hard about that. Think
about what she was thinking, a 12 year old seeing herself like that in the
mirror but she thought she was beautiful. I think that was amazing. She ask
Tammy one night.. Kassidy said "mom I thought cancer was for older people",
Tammy told her that cancer did not care about the age of people.Kassidy said
"Thats alright I am still smiling"We think back now and wonder how was she
feeling. Finding the things she wrote and some of the things she said, maybe
she was not feeling that bad, we believe that GOD himself was with her all
the time comforting her and telling her she was going to be ok. That helps
but the days are not getting better,we knew she was not feeling well after
she passed....but right now the emptiness is deep. I wonder why Kassidy....
why Kassidy.. she already knows, God has told her and he has showed her.
Just think of all the people that will come up to Kassidy in heaven and say
..."I am here because of you... because of the faith and strength you had, I
am in heaven TODAY".......how cool is that !!!
Since Kassidy passed away I
have had 2 pastors that told me , They thought Kassidy had ministered to
more people in her 12 years than some pastors do in there whole mnistery. I
know she impacted alot of people. I ask one of our pastors if he thought it
was possible that some of the people that changed their life because of
Kassidy if they could have been someone who was going to do something real
bad to society, he said maybe they would be the next Billy Graham
Thanks for your continued
support and prayers. Share Kassidy's story with some one whom you think
could benefit from her story......keep checking in and GOD BLESS...
September 10, 2007
Hey everyone! I've let
Danny do the last few entries and I guess I'm ready to come back and talk
for awhile. Writing everyday to let you know how Kassidy was doing was easy
for me, to be able to share her strength and faith with everyone. Since she
went "home" it has been hard for me to want to come to this site and
write. I thought that everyday would get easier, emotionally, but instead it
has gotten harder. I miss her more today than yesterday and I think I will
miss her even more tomorrow. I know she is better off in heaven but here on
earth my heart is breaking. I wonder if there will ever be a day that I can
get through without crying. Everyday driving home from work by myself is
the worst time. It seems that every song on the radio I can relate to her,
and I have time to think about her life and remember....and miss her even
more!! I wonder if she knew how beautiful I thought she was, how proud of
her we were, how much I loved her hugs and kisses, how her little smile just
made me light up inside, how very much we loved her.....and how I now miss
ALL of those things. I know that time will let us heal and the
memories will make me smile...I know that God will help us get through this
tough time. He hasn't left us through our entire journey and I know he will
be with us now.
This past weekend we went
to Fredericksburg, VA to Paragon Gymnastics. Their Parents Association held
a sleepover in Kassidy's name. Danny and I took some of Kassidy's team
mates that wanted to go. Everyone there was wonderful. They coach (Craig)
explained to the kids that were there (128, one of the biggest crowds they
have had for a sleepover) about Kassidy and that she had lost her fight with
cancer but they still wanted to remember her because of her love for
gymnastics. Every year their gym has a meet called the Commonwealth Cup.
Last year, Kassidy won first place on vault at that meet. So from now on
the gym is giving the girl that wins vault in level 7 at that age group a
trophy that is in memory of Kassidy. How wonderful is that? She will be
remembered every year! They gave our team t-shirts from their gym and I
think the girls had a blast at the sleepover. They played games, climbed
the rock wall and got to know some of the other gymnasts from Paragon. They
gymnastics community is so giving andWell, I've rambled enough for one day.
this gym has a BIG heart!!
In the next few weeks there
is a horse show in Salem in Kassidy's memory....this idea came from our
neighbor, Mr.Tuck. I'm looking forward to this event and we plan to attend
at least some of it. I have never been to a horse show before! Kassidy
always said she would love to have a horse but knew that we didn't have
enough time to take care of one. But she loved to see them and I know she
will be watching and smiling.
I know Kassidy is with us,
all the time. I'm sure she would be touched by everything that everyone has
done and everything that is still being done in her memory. I know we can
not begin to thank everyone for everything, prayers, letters, cards,
fundraisers, hugs or just being in your thoughts.
We will be updating on
SameFight still and updating the journal pages and thank you page. We are
also in the process of changing Kassidyspage.com so please keep checking
back. We will also try to post some more pictures. Please continue to send
your thoughts...it's good to still log on and see that people are checking
her page. If you have a memory, a story, how she touched your life or her
situation has changed your life we would love to hear from you.
Courtney has her first
night of basketball practice tonight so we better run and get her there on
time. Please keep Courtney in your prayers also...she is only 10 and
doesn't express her feelings. I know she is missing Kassidy but she doesn't
talk about it...so pray for her that God is helping her to get through.
God Bless you all!!
Tammy
August 22, 2007
We received a letter from
the Old Dominion Eye Bank , the letter said......Take comfort that both of
Kassidy's donated corneas were transplanted. Two people are now able to see
a sunset, a mountain range, or a loved one's smile because of this difficult
decision your family made. One of her corneas went to a recipient in
Mannassas, Virginia and her other cornea went to a recipient in Sacramento,
California. I hope this knowledge will ease the pain by the loss of your
loved one during this difficult time.
This does help because this
is something we prayed for to happen. We thank GOD those prayers were
answered. It is cool because Kassidy is helping people from VA to
California, we hope there will be a time that we can meet these people or at
least talk to them on the phone.
Courtney has gone back to
school and is doing ok, she is still doing gymnastics also now she wants to
play basketball. I have returned to work. Tammy will return on Monday, she
wanted to make sure Courtney was ok in school. Friday at Kassidy's school,
each student will release a pink balloon (400 of them) and then they are
going to plant a pink dogwood at the school. They are doing this in
Kassidy's honor. Tammy and I are going to attend along with some members of
our family.
We have been going through
some of Kassidy's things , we have alot of cool stories to share so keep
checking in for future updates .We miss her so much, it is still times when
we say something about "the girls"... it is still hard to believe she is not
here with us. I have always thought that she was at camp, spending the night
with one of her friends, or she will come home tomorrow, well I got up one
morning last week and I realized she was not coming home. But that is
ok ,we know she is not hurting anymore and having the best times in heaven.
Keep checking in.....Kassidy's
page will continue to be updated for a very long time .You guys are our
family and we love each and everyone of you, please continue to pray for us
and especially the ones who do not know Jesus. We don't know when our life
will change , In January, our family was healthy, going places, visiting
family and look how that changed. So love your loved ones
unconditionally....tomorrow may not be here, make the best of the time that
you have. I will update again soon!
Sunday, August 5,
2007
Just a quick update
to let everyone know how we are doing. We had a fairly
busy week .We spent time at home,going to gymnastics with
Courtney, spending some time with my family and Tammys family.
We went to church Wednesday night, it was emotional for us
because we have not been to a Wed. night service in a while, but
also we had not been there since Kassidys memorial service. We
went to Blacksburg to the "Stepping Out" where Courtneys
gymnastics club got to put on a performance for the crowd.
Thanks to some of my officiating buddies Amy and Rob Morrow for
stopping by just to visit Tammy and myself. After we left there
we went out to eat and then went bowling with my sister and her
boyfriend,we had fun but it was tuff because we have always had
Kassidy with us at both places. I also went to work Thursday for
meetings all day.
We got to spend 4
months with Kassidy and we have so many stories with her during
that time so on my future updates I want to share some of those
stories with everyone, some of them will be sad but they will
also make make you well like I hear on a radio station ..."warm
and fuzzy". We want to encourage everyone to keep visiting same
fight and also.....kassidyspage.com . She has over 60,000
hits on there we will continue to update there to. Also keep
doing the donations although Kassidys fight is over... samefight
has a general fund that is helping other families so there is a
need there to. We are in the process of starting scholarships in
Kassidys name at Floyd County High School(where she would have
attended) and also my family is going to have one at Franklin
County High School(where I graduated) ..so we have alot of cool
stuff happening so keep checking in especially for the stories
we have to share with you guys about Kassidy during her fight.
We have received so
many cards from people that has told us stories about how
Kasssidy has changed peoples lives. I am going to put our email
on here. I want you to email us and tell us your stories
datakaco@swva.net
Thanks so much we will update soon
Tuesday,
July 31, 2007
We got home
yesterday.We left gymnastics camp with Courtney and went to
Pigeon Forge.We had a good time at camp, Tammy and I just hung
around,ran some errands and took it easy.Those of you who know
something about gymnastics can appreciate the current and former
gymnastics that was there.... Courtney Kupets 2004 Olympic
silver medialists...Kip Simons 1996 Olympian ...2004 olympic
Silver medialist Jason Gatson and Brett McClure.... many current
college gymnasts and of course camp directors 1996 Olympian John
Macready and 3 time Olympian John Roethisberger. John and John
are such great people. They have visited Kassidys and Courtneys
gymnastics club, Virginia Techniques in Christiansburg also.
They came to do motivitional speeches and trained all the team
there also. They started a scholorship in rememberence of
Kassidy at there gym in Crossville TN. It is called The Kassidy
Foster Memorial Scholorship, you can read about it at there web
site at Flipfest.com. We took pictures that is on there web page
with the olymnpians.We have been told that Kassidy is gone but
not forgotten...as long as Flipfest camp is open ,that
scholorship will be given to a young gymnasts every year.
Courtney (Kassidys sister) won it this year.Kassidy has touched
many peoples lives and it will continue.
We spent some time
in Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg , every store we went into
brought back so much memories of Kassidy because the last 3
years that is what we did after camp,shop, ride go-carts, play
mini golf, just walked the streets in Gatlinburg and we had to
get the air brushed shirts for the girls also ,everything we did
this year we done the last 3 years, oh the memories.
Before we came home
,Tammy, Courtney and I stopped by the cemetery, we had not been
there since the funeral, we knew Kass was gone but when you get
home and she really IS NOT there that is when you know she is in
heaven with Jesus.As we where reading the large amount of cards
from the week, Tammy said that it will humble you, the words of
encouragement from you guys will humble you. (and made us cry
even more) but it is all good.
We realized God had
a plan for Kassidy before her life began, he knew she would be
on this earth for 12 years and during this time tell
her about God , he had to find a family that would fullful his
plan for her,he needed a family that would stay strong, believe
and trust in his son Jesus and I am thankful that we had that
opportunity to fullfill his plan. We still have alot of work for
him and we are committed to continue Kassidys fight.... but in a
different way.Kassidy past that Monday morning at 8:35, we were
at her beside . At 837 I told everyone that right then 2 minutes
later....Jesus had Kassidy by the hand and he was leading her
before God , Jesus said "Father this one is with me......God
said"Kassidy I am proud of you,you fullfilled my plan for me"
....Then Jesus took her into heavens gates. I know this
happened I am so thankful and I believe with all my heart that
she is in heaven because of our families faithfulness and love
for Jesus. I will continue to fight the new fight for Kassidy
and one day I will see her again and this time it will be me
standing before God with Jesus.Then I will see my Kassidy again.
Thanks for your prayers,cards and for your love for Jesus I will
update soon.
Danny Tammy Courtney
and our Champion "Kassidy"
Monday, July
23, 2007
Hello everyone. We
will continue to update - maybe not day to day like the past. We
...as well as you (our prayer warriors) will need to continue to
lean on our GOD for help and direction, so we will update you
guys so you will know how to pray for us.
Kassidys funeral
was great. We were able to see again how Kassidy's fight touched
people and changed there lives. There were about 20 people that
accepted Christ in their life at the funeral. When we met with
our Pastor to discuss the arrangements , we talked about this.
You probably remember from a previous update I posted.
When we were in the hospital with Kassidy, she and I talked
about Jesus. She told me she knew she was going to go to
heaven but she wanted to make sure herself, so we all held hands
and we said the sinners prayer as a family. So I knew she would
be ok having the same thing done at her funeral. After the
funeral, Pastor told me he thought it was around 50 people that
publicly raised their hand and said the sinners prayer.... GOD
IS GOOD!!!!!
SO NOW WHERE DO WE
GO FROM HERE..........
Today is Monday,
we are in Crossville, TN at gymnastics camp with Courtney.
.....John Macready and John Roethlisberger are two former
Olympians that have about 8 weeks of camp for young gymnasts
from all over the U.S. Kassidy and Courtney have been coming to
this camp for the past 4 years. Courtney still wanted to come
to camp for her scheduled week, but she wanted Tammy and I to
attend also, so here we are .The staff here is wonderful!
John is in New York commentating on the Pam Am games so he is
allowing us to use his cabin. There are about 250 plus gymnasts
here so that will help keep Courtney busy for a while. Tammy and
I will just hang out and enjoy the day and run a few errands for
the staff. I told Tammy this morning it is funny being here with
no responsibility at all but we know that will change soon. So
at the end of the week will keep up with our normal family trip
after camp and go to Pigeon Forge and Dollywood... this is
something we also have done for the past 4 years. Courtney got
one of her friends from gymnastics to go with her. Then we will
return home.
Boy how fast does
your life change! 2 weeks ago (Monday), we were on our way
to California with Kassidy, 1 week ago to this day (Monday) we
were crying because she lost her fight on this earth, and today
(Monday) I am telling you guys what we are doing without Kassidy
in our lives..... life does go on. Please continue to pray for
our family and remember your life can change in an instant also.
Get your heart right with God, don't wait......... Kassidy did
not want to wait and now she is living with her Lord and Savior.
THANK YOU for
attending the services...thank you for the cards and flowers.
and a big THANK YOU for the ladies of Havens Chapel in Check for
the meals after the grave side service. We love you guys
.......we will update soon.
Saturday, July
21, 2007
We had another
great day. We started out going to the funeral with Tammy's mom
and dad to see Kass. It went pretty good. Then those who
visited got to saw the pictures we had to set up. We want to
thank Becky Sallie for her hard work on the pictures. I also want
to thank her so much for the development and for managing of
kassidyspage.com. After we set the pictures up, we came back
home and my family came. We had lunch, then arrived at the
funeral home. My family, including my father ,(mom is in
heaven) was able to to see Kass. At the memorial service I got
to see alot of my past friends and of course our church family,
but in Floyd Tammy got to visit with alot of her family and
friends she had not seen since high school and of course the
kids from school. We got to meet not only kids from Check
Elementary and all the other schools, but also we had some high
school students too. Kassidy's age was different from Chance
and Joshua. God used Kassidy's fight to reach not only
elementary students or high school, but also college students.
We have seen ourselves and have been told stories from people
who go to work or to school and realize their problems were not
that bad. They thought about Kassidy and this disease she had
and knowing what she was going thru was nothing compared to
thier problems. We knew from the beginning that ever one goes
thru a life changing experience and I want to thank GOD for
being with my family and this county during the last 7 months.
Today is a day everyone
will face, the burial of a loved one. I know this will be
difficult for us because if you told me in January we would be
doing this to our Kassidy we would not have believed you.
She will be gone, but not forgotten. She not only changed
you in some way, but she changed me. Yes, she changed me a
lot, she taught me how to love unconditionally and to forgive
those who had a negative impact on my life in my past. We were
able to tell Kassidy how much we loved her in the last 4 months.
I want every person reading this to take your last 30 seconds
with your loved ones and tell them you love them in that 30
seconds the way we did with Kassidy over our 4 months with her. Once you
lose that time you can't get it back.......We love you guys!
Thursday, July 19,
2007
Wow what a day.
It is 11:10 pm and we just got home. We started off this morning
and went to the funeral home to see Kassidy. It was very
emotional, but knowing she is in heaven with our Lord took the
pain away. I forgot to mention on my previous updates that we
were able to donate Kassidy's corneas. Their is a waiting list
of 933 people in the state of VA that is waiting for that
transplant, please pray that who ever receives her eyes that
their body accepts them. We should know in about 60 days.
After that we went to my dads house to have lunch and get ready
for the memorial service. We started receiving friends at 5:00
and at 7:00 when pastor started the service people there were
people waiting to see us. The service was very good and at the
end pastor gave an altar call and around 30 people got saved.
Praise God! We knew that Kass had a impact on peoples lives and
we saw it tonight. To the people that we got to talk to
....thanks for coming, thanks for your words of encouragement
and prayers. To the people that we did not get to speak to
thank you for visiting and we are sorry we did not get to meet
you. We love you. Pastor Josh said he thought there was about
700 people that showed up and 500 stayed for the service. That
was truly amazing. You guys showed up to see a 12 year old who
lived her life for Jesus; you guys are awesome. Tomorrow we are
going to go to the funeral home, get the pictures setup and take
Tammy's mom and dad to see Kass. We hope to see you guys
tomorrow night in Floyd at the funeral home. Remember we love
you guys and thanks for your prayers and cards. Our Champion,
Kassidy, would really be proud of this community. We love
you!!!!!
Wednesday, July
17, 2007
Yesterday was a
busy day. I have often wondered why people wait until the last
minute to make arrangements for their lost loved ones ...but now
I know. We first went to the funeral home to make the
arrangements for Kassidy. We were choosing the casket for
Kassidy and we had decided on two, so we chose the least
expensive one. Tammy spoke up and said "Kassidy is looking down
at us from heaven and saying....mom and dad you know I am high
maintenance (daddy calls her plastic), you had better not put me
in that cheap casket"....so of course we choose the expensive
one, (and of course it is pink). So we laughed about it. Tammy
said people probably think we are crazy being happy right now
when we are out making these tough decisions, but when you have
the joy of the Lord in your heart, trust and love him as much as
we do and know he had us by the hand (and a lot of times
carrying us) thru this battle with Kass, knowing she is in
heaven with him; you can't help but to make a joyful noise with
the inner peace he has given us. Then we headed to Franklin
County (my hometown) to the flower shop (Flowers by Jones) to
choose the flowers (yes they were pink). Then we went to Faith
Fellowship Church to meet with our Pastor (Gary Hoffman) to make
the arrangements with him and Pastor Josh about the music. After
that we went to Blacksburg to the gymnastics club to speak to
some of the parents there, and of course Courtney ended up
spending the night with Katie Sallie (one of Kassidy's best
friends). So Tammy and I left and went home for the first time
in many, many, many months without the 2 kids. We finally got to
talk about Kassidy's passing on the way home and we cried so
much. I had to get up this morning and run a lot of errands.
Tammy stayed here and her best friend from high school spent
the day with her. We have the arrangements set up so anyone came
come visit us. We do not have any private services because it
is very important for us to meet as many people who prayed for Kassidy.
I know she touched many people her age and the parents that have
kids her age, so come say hi. Tomorrow morning will be
difficult because we go to the funeral home to see her, then we
are going to go to Rocky Mount to my dad's house and then leave
for Faith Fellowship for the service there. Again come visit
say hi. We love you guys and thank you for your prayers and
support and remember we are family and like Kassidy
did.................Keep Believing! Kassidy is our Champion!!!
Monday, July 16,
2007
Hello everyone,
this is Kassidy's father, this is this first time that I have
posted anything about Kassidy's fight. As many of you know, we
have been in this battle for many months. We have basically
stopped our life to be with Kassidy. We have not worked in
months. When Kassidy was first diagnosed we made the decision to
stay with her every minute we could. The doctors told us that
the survival rate with bone cancer was very slim. After Kassidy
received several treatments, she had her amputation and also
more spots appeared on ct scans throughout her body. We knew
that time was limited. This made it very tough for us because of
her age - she knew when things were wrong and we think maybe she
kept it from us because she did not want us to worry. We took
advantage of that time by going out with her when she was able
to go. I cannot tell you how many times she would tell us she
was sorry that we had to miss work just to stay with her. She
hardly ever thought about herself. One night in June we were at
home, we all held hands and Kassidy led our prayers that night.
She prayed for the other kids she knew were sick, but she did
not pray for herself. She was always thinking about others!
Going to California was something she wanted to do. I was very
scared to take her that far away from home but she was
determined to go. I prayed and asked GOD to get us to
California and back and when we got back to VA he could do what
he had to do. That is exactly what happened. Kassidy got her
wish, she pushed herself so hard to do her trip, she was hurting
the whole time and she never once admitted it. The last several
months I knew Kassidy was not improving. She told us she wanted
to know everything. When she asked if she getting better we had
to tell her no the chemo was not working. We talked to her about
doing experimental drugs. She told me not to worry, it was not
going to come to that. She knew she was going to get to go to
heaven. We never thought it would end this quickly but when I
saw the xrays Friday I knew it was over. Kassidy did not ask
this time because she knew her body was not right. We took her
to the 10th floor knowing it was almost over - broken
hearted,
numb, sick, scared speechless, any feeling you could have
knowing your child was gonna die and nothing could be done. BUT
we know who Jesus is... Kassidy's whole life was for him, she
was my prayer warrior... oh to sit here and remember how she
prayed makes me cry. She fought very hard before she passed.
It is almost
midnight and we are home without Kass. We will decide tomorrow
about the arrangements. We want to meet you guys and get to see
the people whose life Kassidy touched. We will make this a
celebration for Kassidy. I know this is long, but Kassidy is in
heaven right now. I thank GOD that he allowed me to be the
father of the most beautiful girl I know. Thanks to everyone who
signed her page, prayers and cards we hope to see you at one of
the services. We are all family!!!
Remember to slow
down....love your loved ones unconditionally...enjoy life, live
for Jesus ....Things can change in an instant...I know...it
happened to my family. We will update soon.
Sunday, July 15,
2007
Kassidy has shown
what a fighter she can be. She is still hanging on and
fighting. She is getting pain medicine that helps her breath
better but lets her rest also. If we let her wake up she gasps
and struggles because she cannot get enough air in her lungs.
We have told her that it is OK to go and be with Jesus and oh,
how many times we have told her we love her and will see her
again in heaven. It just breaks our hearts to have to sit and
wait for Kassidy to decide when it will be time to go "Home".
We know she will be in a better place, free of sickness and
pain, and being a beautiful angel ! So, we just sit and wait for
the right time to come, for only God knows when that is.
Continue to pray for peace, for Kassidy to have no fear about
dying, and strength for all of us during this time.
Saturday, July 14,
2007
Dear Lord, please
give me strength while writing this. Yesterday we came back to
the clinic for OP chemo. Kassidy had been complaining that she
was having difficulty breathing. We were giving her oxygen just
to keep her comfortable. They did a chest x-ray and the right
lung has totally been taken over by disease and her left lung is
filling up also. She talked to us for a little while yesterday
and then went to sleep. They are giving her pain medicine every
two hours for pain and to help her breathing. We laid in the
bed with her last night and read her a book about Heaven. She
had told us she was scared to die because she didn't know what
Heaven was like. This book gave scripture and told her how
wonderful Heaven will be. We told her it was OK to go with
Jesus. That she could close her eyes and when she wakes up she
will be able to run to God. That she will be totally healed and
will run to God on both legs. I'm so glad we got to go to
California and she enjoyed herself so much!! It was like she
knew and used all her strength she had left for the trip and
when we got back home she let go. She knew something wasn't
right but was so brave and strong. She has been an inspiration
to us all! Right now we are just saying our goodbyes and letting
her know that Joshua and Chance will be waiting for her to show
her around, and Grandma Ruby and all our other relatives that
are in Heaven will be there to meet her. Dear Lord, this is the
hardest thing a parent can go through. Please pray for peace
for Kassidy. Please pray for strength for our family. Right
now we are just waiting for her to go "home". It's hard just
waiting for her to take her last breath. Dear Lord.....we give
her to you...please take good care of her.
Thursday, July 12,
2007
We are home!! I
love to go places but love it even more to come back
home!Kassidy had such a good (but long) day yesterday that today
she has slept a lot. She has been complaining that she is short
of breath and she even had oxygen while on the plane. We
thought it was because of the flight but even after we were
driving home she wanted the oxygen because she felt like she
couldn't get enough air. I called the doctor on call and
Kassidy is suppose to go in for outpatient Chemo tomorrow anyway
so she is going to get a chest xray then to see what is going
on. Her foot and ankle also swelled during the plane ride....I
guess from lack of movement to keep the fluid moving...I don't
know. She says that she just doesn't feel good, and we are
hoping it's just that she is worn out from all that shopping
yesterday! I guess we will wait and see tomorrow...that's how we
live minute to minute! Pray that her breathing will get better
and that she will feel better all over. Thanks for all the
prayers for our safe journey and return!
Wednesday, July
11, 2007
We had an
excellent day today!! Kassidy said it was the best day of her
life. We were met at the mall entrance today with a red carpet
with people lined up on both sides and balloons all the way down
to the door. This brought tears to our eyes! The Make-A-Wish
rep, Karla, met us and some other staff from the mall (Sofie).
Also, Sandy, one of the owners of the mall met us as well. She
presented us with a gift bag and was super nice. From there we
were taken to Abercrombie at 9am. Kassidy got to shop in the
store a whole hour before the mall even opened. The sales
people there were great and they really got into helping Kassidy
pick out outfits!! She spent most of her money in this store.
Then we headed to M.A.C for her makeover. Her make-up was
beautiful! Then we headed to her favorite store, Limited Too.
We spent the rest of her alotted money there. For such a short
time she definitely made a whirlwind of shopping!!! From there
we went to lunch at the Quattro Cafe. Kassidy had actually
gotten hungry (Thank God!) and we had got her and Courtney some
Chicken Nuggets from McDonalds. So here we sit in this fancy
little restaurant and they are eating from McDonalds! HEHE! The
CEO of the California Make-A-Wish foundation came and met us at
lunch! His name was Mike and he was such a great guy! The chef
there prepared Kassidy a special cake and it was delicious!!
After lunch we went to Tiffany's to try on jewelry. We got to
go into the private room (with a guard outside the door) and
Kassidy tried on jewelry that was worth more than our house!
The last ring she tried on was a rare pink diamond and was worth
$998,000...almost a million dollars! WOW! We took lots of
pictures and that's the only way we will see those rings again!
We had several hours so we had some other stores that had gift
bags for Kassidy, including Nike, Colors of Benneton, and
Dounney Bourke (hope that's spelled right). This was so nice of
everyone. At 4:30pm we had our last appt at a salon for Kassidy
and Courtney to have a manicure. They loved this. It was
almost 6pm and Kassidy was still going! She had done so good,
stayed awake except for a short nap at noon, and she enjoyed
every minute. I asked her when we were leaving if this had been
a good day and she said it was the best day of her life! And
said with that million dollar smile. No matter what, this day
and seeing her so happy has been priceless! We are almost all
in bed now. We have a very, very early morning when the limo
picks us up out front at 5am to go to the airport. Our flight
leaves at 7:25am. So I better head to bed myself. I just want
to say that this trip has been wonderful. The hotel, The Westin
at South Coast Plaza, was great. The staff was incredible, with
special thanks to John (Valet) and Daniel. All of the staff was
wonderful!! The mall staff was incredible and also the
Make-A-Wish staff!! We could not have been asked to be treated
any better. Kasidy has definitely been treated like a movie
star!! Well, better get to sleep. We praise God that he gave us
such a good day for some wonderful memories!!
Tuesday, July 10,
2007
Today has not been
such a bad day. This morning we woke up and got ready and went
out driving. We drove up to Huntington Beach and went out on
the pier. We watched the lifeguards/jr. lifeguards doing some
training, some beach volleyball, kite flying and the SURFING!
Kassidy got tired very quickly so we got back in the van and
drove down the Pacific Coast Highway and just enjoyed the
drive. Then Kassidy wanted to come back to the hotel and lay
down. Her leg is still hurting where we think she pulled her
muscle so we went back to the hotel. Me, Connie and Courtney
went over to the mall and checked out the stores to see where we
thought Kassidy would enjoy shopping. We came back in time to
take pictures of Kassidy having her "spa facial". This was
arranged with the spa next door and they came to the room to do
it. That was great and Kassidy enjoyed it. They left a lot of
products for Kassidy to use and we can do more facials on our
own later!! Danny and Courtney went to the pool and went
swimming for a little while. We got out and went to a few
stores this afternoon and picked up some fruit for Kassidy to
eat. She still is not eating real well, but at least starting
to and trying hard....she's just nauseated...not throwing up but
just doesn't want food....but she has to eat to keep up her
strength....so she is trying. Tonight we have just relaxed
around the room and are ready to go to bed. Tomorrow is
Kassidy's big day to go shopping. We are getting room service
with breakfast in bed in the morning and then the limo is going
to be here at 8:30am to take us to the mall. She gets a red
carpet entrance to the mall before it opens and gets to shop at
Ambercrombie for 1 hour before it opens to the public. Then she
is suppose to go have a makeover at M.A.C. She has several other
surprises for the rest of the day but I don't want to ruin it
for the update tomorrow. So I will leave it a surprise for you
all as well! Off to bed now, early morning and busy day...will
update late tomorrow. Please continue to pray that Kassidy's
leg will feel better and the pain will go away. Also that she
continues to try to eat a little more each day. Thanks for
everyone's thoughts and prayers. God Bless You!
Monday, July 9,
2007
We have made it to
California!! It was such a long day for everyone! We drove to
Richmond last night and got up this morning to be at the airport
by 6am. Our flight left at 7:15a and we had one layover at
Charlottte. When we got off the plane at Charlotte Kassidy did
something to her rt hip and it has been very painful ever
since. When we boarded the flight to Los Angeles she asked for
medicine to help her relax and sleep for the flight. So, I
think because she hasn't been eating it affects her much more
than usual. She has been asleep ever since. She wakes up and
is in pain so we are just taking it easy tonight and letting her
(and everyone else) relax. I hope she will feel better tomorrow
and be more awake and alert. She doesn't go on her shopping
trip until Wed and she should feel a little better by then
(hopefully, please pray that she wll feel better and can enjoy
herself). Well, we are going to try to find something to eat
and then we are just chillin' for the rest of the night.
Tomorrow is a free day for us and we have not decided what we
want to do....Sea World, pool, ???? California is definately
nothing like home!!! We may drive down to the beach tomorrow
and watch the surfers, that's something we can't see in
Virginia!! Danny is upset that we came all th way to CA, our
room is on the 10th floor with a beautiful view of the park but
across the street is the mall and we are looking at SEARS!!
Danny says he came all this wa to look at Sears!!! Well, better
go and find something to eat since we haven't eaten since around
8:30a and the clock says 3:45p but our bodies tell us it is
almost 7p so we have missed lunch and are now getting a late
dinner. SO, the natives are restless and wanting food so we
better go....we will update again tomorrow!
Sunday, July 8,
2007
We are still
waiting to make a decision about California.....Kassidy is more
awake today but still does not feel like eating. That worries
her about going because she is not hungry. We are making her
some strawberry ensure shakes trying to get some calories into
her and hopefully that will perk her up. She wants to go but is
scared also. We just don't know what is the right decision..go
or not go??? So we are waiting and will let Kassidy decide
later. We have a few hours before we need to get on the road to
Richmond so we will update again when a decision has been made.
Saturday, July 7,
2007
We are waiting
till tomorrow to see if we are going to be going to California.
The last three days have been challenging. Kassidy has not
eaten and has slept most of the time. She is talking very
little and at times not responsive. We are hoping this is from
some of the medication we are giving her. She has not received
anything since about 1pm and she is still sleeping. The good
thing is that she does not seem to be in pain. That is a
blessing. We are not sure she is taking a turn for the worse
but we know we may not have much time. So, we will wait and see
what the morning holds......please continue to pray for our
entire family.
Friday, July 6,
2007
Our hearts are
heavy as we write this tonight and our thoughts and prayers are
with the Harman family. We have shared in their emotional
roller coaster as we are traveling that same path ourselves. It
is comforting to know that Chance is completely healed beyond
any healing he could receive here on earth. We are at a loss
for words..... We will update tomorrow as we begin to pack for
Kassidy's trip.....but for tonight we pray for strength, comfort
and peace to be with the Harman family. (Read more about
Chance here)
Wednesday, July 4,
2007
Well, we returned
to the hospital last night because Kassidy had a slight fever
and she cried that she did not feel right. She knows her body
and and she knows when something is not right so we were
admitted to PICU and then transferred to the floor late last
night. She did receive 2 units of blood and we were discharged
this afternoon. She even wanted to go to the mall before we
came home. Then we went and bought fireworks for tonight.
Kassidy's Grandma and PaPa, Aunt Cathy,Uncle Paul, Sarah and
Nichole and her friend Nikki all came to the house and we set
off our "fireworks". They all had light up necklaces and
bracelets on that the Rahmes family had given Kassidy as a
present. Kassidy and all the others loved them lighting up in
the dark!! This was a good 4th of July! Kassidy also received
the gift that the Lynchburg Academy team and coaches had made.
It is oragami paper cranes...1,000 of them. Each containing a
special get well message. This is a Japanese tradition to help
cure sickness. They are all connected together and have a ring
so they can be hung up. We came home and hung it over her bed.
She loved it and went to the nurses station at the hospital just
so she could show all the nurses and tell the story about it and
who made it for her. Thanks so much to Sasha and Lynchburg
Academy!! Kassidy is already asleep tonight and resting
peacefully. Tomorow we will try to start getting all our stuff
together for out trip....she is so excited!! While she is asleep
we better get some sleep also. Thanks again to everyone for all
the cards she received this past week....it is amazing how many
cards she is still getting. Please continue to pray that her
counts improve and she is ready to go to California!! We praise
God for letting us have this time together!
Monday, July 2,
2007
Can you believe
it? We are still at home!!! Kassidy had lab work today. Her
white blood count and platelets are down but her hemoglobin and
AGC look great! We are just being cautious to make sure she
doesn't catch anything to get an infection. She had a pretty
good day yesterday and was doing good today until we got back
from Roanoke. She has been asleep since we got home and
complains that she doesn't feel well. We are hoping to hold off
fevers and then we go back on Thurs for more labs. Hopefully
then if her counts are still low we can get some platelets and
blood to boost her up for her Make-A-Wish trip. They called
today and we are going to go to Richmond on Sun to spend the
night and catch a flight leaving on Monday morrning!! Kassidy
is so excited!! We are going to be shopping at South Coast
Plaza in Costa Mesa. We are going to be staying in Orange
County California. That's all we know right now....we just hope
Kassidy can continue to feel well so that we can have a good
time! We know there's a chance she can still end up in the
hospital this week but hopefully she would only have to stay a
few days to get fluids,blood and platelets....again we live
minute by minute and just wait to see what happens. Kassidy was
concerned about when her next Chemo would be because her knee is
hurting....she does have tumors there but somdays it is swollen
and some days not.....We will have the next chemo treatment when
we get back from California so that won't be that long off.
Please pray that everything will go OK the next few days and we
can continue on our trip as planned..and Kassidy feels good and
has the time of her life!!
Saturday, June 30
2007
Sorry I didn't
update yesterday but we were just enjoying not being in the
hospital. I think this is a record for us of number of days
that we have gotten to stay home!! Yesterday morning we went to
have Kassidy's blood counts done and they actually turned out
good!! She did not need any blood or platelets!! God is good!!
Her platelets are getting low but we go back on Monday to be
checked again and I'm sure she will receive platelets then. But
her Red blood count (hemoglobin) was excellent! We were so
excited and thanking God all day!! We also went to VA
Prosthetics and picked up Kassidy's leg again. Rusty had been
making some adjustments and the smile that was on Kassidy's face
when she was walking at the office was PRICELESS!! We haven't
seen her smile that big in a long time. That made our day so
much better. Then when we got home the Make-A-Wish person
called and said that we are going to be flying out either the
8th or 9th, she had to make the final arrangements yet. And
Nurse Connie is going to be going with us. So we called her and
she had to make sure it was OK with work. She called back
singing "California here we come!" Thanks to Leah on 10th floor
at Community for allowing Connie to make this trip with us. The
nurses on 10 are great anyway and we feel like they are just
part of the family! But this will give Kassidy (and Danny) a
peace of mind to enjoy ourselves while we are gone. We have
finished painting Kassidy's room and spent yesterday trying to
get the furniture back in order. We are still waiting on the
quilt set to come in from JCPenney but it should be here early
next week and her room will be complete. Then we have to start
working on Courtney's room. So we have been keeping busy. Also
last night Corrine Bookout (friend of ours, originally from
gymnastics) brought an electric wheelchair for Kassidy to use.
Hopefully we will be allowed to take this with us to California
(on the airplane - I'l have to call to make sure because with
security the way it is you never know) because that would be so
nice for her to be able to just go where she wanted without
having to get one of us to push her and it wouldn't tire her
arms out either. She hates to be dependent on everyone else and
this will give her a little bit of control. Plus she will have
her leg but she gets very tired walking with it so I know she
will need the wheelchair there also. So, we have been having
some busy days. Kassidy has been feeling pretty good but gets
blah feeling where she just doesn't feel right...probably her
counts going down and she just doesn't feel her best. But we
still make the most of everyday! We have no plans for today and
are just going to enjoy our Saturday at HOME!!!
Wednesday, June
27, 2007
Kassidy has been
sleeping most of the day. She came in to watch us painting her
room for a little while but the rest of the day has been spent
asleep. Her teachers from last year, Mrs. Murphy and Ms. Aaron,
came by to visit today. Kassidy was asleep most of the time but
woke up long enough to talk to them for a little while. They
brought her a scrapbook, with California stickers and other
stickers , to keep track of her California trip. We are looking
forward to her trip, even though we are scared about how her
health will be during that time. Tonight we had to wake her up
to give her medicine to her and she fought us a little on taking
them! We told her that she couldn't give up now!! We were
doing everything we could to help her but she has to help
herself also by taking her medicine. She has been hurting in
her rt side today. Dr. Fisher did the chest xray to check for
anything going on there but nothing obvious to suggest any bony
abnormalities but she does have some atelectasis....she is using
a breathing apparatus to try to inflate her lungs more. That
should make the pain less in that area. We laughed last night
because she is like a newborn baby and has her days and nights
mixed up....she sleeps during the day and then will be up
several hours during the wee hours of the morning. And of course
one or all of us is up with her. But these are precious moments
as well. Kassidy hasn't felt like getting out and we know her
counts are probably going down after the Chemo so that is
understandable. We pray that the Chemo is working and that she
will feel better in the coming weeks to be able to go to
California. Kassidy is sitting here and wanted to thank
everyone for all the cards, emails, and prayers and to let
everyone know that she is continuing to fight!
Tuesday, June 26,
2007
Kassidy asked me
last night if we would get to go home today. I told her there
was nothing to keep us there...she was feeling pretty good and
actually wanted to leave the hospital. Most of the time she
will tell us she is not ready to leave. But this time she
wanted to go home. So Dr. Fisher came in this morning, wanted
to know how she was doing, said her counts were great and we
could go home. Hallelujah! Her counts actually were better
today then yesterday..and that is after the Chemo! Right now she
is in her recliner and sleeping peacefully. We continue to
cling to hope but also know that God is in control. We rejoice
in every moment we have together as a family. We are waiting to
hear from Make-A-Wish again for a final date. We also are going
to be taking a nurse with us on our trip...just in case we need
it. Danny is very nervous about going that far away from home
right now but with Connie (the nurse) with us it gives us a
little bit of peace of mind. We continue to receive cards and
well wishes and want to thank everyone for these. It's amazing
how supportive everyone has been. Right now we need all the
encouragement and prayers we can get. Again thank everyone for
everything and we Praise God for everyday!!
Monday, June 25,
2007
We didn't get to
stay home long....Saturday evening Kassidy started complaining
of her chest and under her arms burning. There was nothing
there that you could see but she was in terrible pain. We tried
everything, cold rags, pain meds, creams, etc. Nothing seemed
to help. Finally she got to sleep around 4am and at 7am was
back up and hurting. Only this time she did have some red
patches on her skin. We called the doctor and were admitted to
1014...again! The doctors thought she might have shingles...so
we have been in isolation since we have been here. Today she
has no sign of the patches, no rash, so they went ahead and
started Chemo like we were suppose to have as an outpatient
today. She has done well with it so far, no nausea. She woke
up around noon today and was like a different kid! She sat up
and ate a kids meal from Wendy's (chicken nuggets of course!)
she even played some on her Nintendo DS. SO she was feeling
much better. She still has some episodes of the burning pain
and the doctors think it may be a form of virus. But right now
all her counts are excellent so we are proceeding on with chemo
plans. So by the end of the week she will probably be back for
low counts but maybe we can stay out of the hospital and have
them treated in the clinic....that is nothing we will worry
about right now. We will just take it one day at a time. The
doctor today said she felt like Kassidy's wrist looked better,
her knee wasn't as swollen and the lymph nodes that was swollen
at the top of her amputated leg did not seem to be so swollen
today either. This is good news and we hope that this Chemo is
a least making a little bit of a difference. We have to keep
trying and to keep fighting. We are not ready to loose this
battle yet! Continue to pray for Kassidy and for Chance to
continue to fight and for good results.
Saturday, June 23,
2007
We were discharged
from the hospital late yesterday evening. Kassidy has not ran a
fever since we have been home! She is hurting more these days,
but we can control the pain with medicine we have here. We are
scheduled to go back for outpatient chemo again on Monday. We
know we will be back in the hospital by the end of the week
because her counts will be low and will probably need blood and
platelets. Then hopefully when we get out of the hospital we
will be scheduled for our California trip. We are still waiting
to here from the Make-A-Wish people for a definite date. We got
Kassidy's prosthetic, but it is going to take lots of
practice..and we might still need some modifications to be made
for it to be comfortable. We hope to get out some this weekend,
hoping Kassidy feels like it.
It seems that both
kids on samefight are struggling right now. I know they are in
everyone's prayers and they need prayer more than ever right
now. Continue to pray for Chance and Kassidy, for continued
healing and favor, understanding, strength and peace.
Thursday, June 21,
2007
We are still
in the hospital. Kassidy again had a fever this morning.
Not as high, but high enough to keep us here some more. The
doctors are going to do a chest xray to check for pneumonia
but hopefully it will be OK. They seem to think that the
fever is coming from the tumors so I'm not sure what we can
do about that and if we can't just treat this at home
instead of coming back in to the hospital every time.
Kassidy's disease is still progressing and we have had to
face reality this week about that. We continue to keep our
faith and to talk to Kassidy about not giving up. We will
do everything in our power to keep her going. We are trying
to keep positive and continue to hope for a miracle. Please
pray for that miracle, that we have the strength to keep
going, that she can go to California and enjoy herself, that
we have the strength to keep remaining positive and wisdom
and strength to make the right decisions in the coming
months.
Wednesday,
June 20, 2007
Yesterday
started off very exciting. We went to the hospital to do
our outpatient Chemo, that went very well, and we left. We
had to run some errands in Roanoke and then we were going to
meet Rusty at Va Prosthetics to hoepfully get Kassidy's
leg. But Kassidy started feeling bad so we went home. Her
back has been hurting and her doctor thinks she may have a
pinched nerve in her neck and her muscles are really tight
in her back. She has given her some muscle relaxers and we
hope that will start to help. After we got home yesterday
Kassidy feel asleep. She woke up screaming to call the
ambulance!! She was hurting real bad and she had a fever of
103.5. We called the docotr and we brought her back to Comm
Hosp and she was admitted to 1014. She received antibiotics
last night and is still receiving those today. They suspect
she has an infection somewhere but so far her blood cultures
have been negative. Her lab work has looked OK as well.
She has not had a fever since we got here but she just feels
really tired and achy. I hope she is just worn out from
this past weekend when she did more than usual. Plus she
worked more trying to walk the other day also. I know we
need to pace ourselves, but when she feels good and wants to
get out we do...because you never know when you might have
that chance again. At this stage in the game you don't want
to be able to miss a single moment that might be a memory
forever! Everyone should live like it's their last
day...you never know when it might be. Kassidy has
tolerated this Chemo well and so far has not been sick at
all and not even feeling nauseated. We hope this will be a
short stay and that we may get to come home tomorrow
(Thurs). Pray that this Chemo is attacking the cancer
cells, that the pain will go away and that her body will
start to be healed. Pray that she will feel better and be
pain free. And hopefully we can get her leg soon and she
will be walking soon.
Monday, June 18,
2007
Well, we have been
having some great days!! Kassidy has been feeling good so we
have been out and about the past few days. Saturday we went to
the motorcycle ride/car show/Kevin Sharp concert. Kassidy got
to meet and talk with Kevin and that was great!! We didn't get
to stay long because the girls had a birthday party to go to for
their friend that moved today to JAPAN!! So that was fun but
sad as well, because we will miss them A LOT!! Katie took
Kassidy around the skating rink in her wheelchair. She had so
much fun but got really tired from being gone all day. Then on
Sunday, we went with Aunt Cathy, Uncle Paul, Sarah, Nichole,
Grandma and PaPa to Smith Mountain Lake to go out on the boat.
Kassidy had so much fun being with her cousins, dancing and
enjoying the boat ride. But again she got very tired from being
out all day! Today (Mon) we went to Roanoke to VA Prosthetics
to be fitted for her prosthetic. Kassidy was excited but she
got very disappointed that the fit was not exactly right so we
could not leave with the leg today. The prosthetist, Rusty, has
been great. Kassidy enjoys giving him a hard time...he makes
her smile!! We want to thank him for all that he has done and
continues to do to see Kassidy walk!! Everyone at VA
Prosthetics has been so nice and helpful!! We hope that after
Kassidy's chemo treatment tomorrow that we can go back and her
leg will be ready, but we will have to wait and see. The
Make-A-Wish foundation called today to talk about Kassidy's wish
and we may be going to California around the week of July 8th,
that's not definite yet, we still have to wait for the final
date. Kassidy is really excited that she will have her leg and
be walking by then so that she can enjoy it more! Please
continue to pray that the chemo stops the cancer cells from
spreading and Kassidy's healing continues. Pray for peace and
understanding and strength through these difficult times.
Saturday, June 16,
2007
We finally got out
of the hospital on Friday. Kassidy just has not been feeling
very well. But we were finally ready to come home. She must
have been feeling better when we left because she wanted to go
to the mall shopping!! So we did. Then last night we went to
the gym for the Laua party and sleep over. Courtney stayed all
night but Kassidy just went to visit for a while. She enjoyed
talking to all her friends!! Today we are going to go to the
Kevin Sharp concert and then we have a birthday party to go to
in Christiansburg. Hopefully Kassidy will not get too tired.
We have been
talking to the make-a-wish coordinator and I think we have it
nailed down to what Kassidy wants to do. She wants to go to
California and be taken in a limo to go SHOPPING! We think the
trip will be 4 days and 3 night in California and then the plane
ride out and back. So one day will be spent shopping and then
the other 2 days we can decide what else we want to do...maybe
go to the San Diego Zoo or something! We are very excited and
Kassidy was just smiling when she was talking to the make-a-wish
people! These will be memories that we will treasure forever!
On Monday,
hopefully we will be going to Virginia Prosthetics for Kassidy
to be fitted for her leg. How exciting!! Hopefully everything
works and fits well...if so she can walk out on her own...if not
it will be ready by Tues or Wed. It will be great to see
Kassidy up and mobile again!!
Pray for a good
day today and continued healing! God Bless You!
Wednesday, June
13, 2007
No fevers! YEAH!!
Kassidy is doing OK. She still complains that her body does not
feel right but right now all her labs are coming back good. I
think that she is just tired but if she gets out and about she
will hopefully feel better. We did get some reports from her
scans and I think that she is a little upset that things had not
improved like she thought they would. But stable is
good...especially in her chest and lungs...the tumors have not
grown any more but are still there. Her left knee has improved
and shows signs of new bone forming...that's good. But on the
flip side there are two new lesions ...very small...on her rt
shoulder and left wrist. She is definately worried about them
but we have to keep believing that the Chemo will get rid of
them and nothing can heal better than the power of GOD!! Please
keep praying that the Chemo will continue to stop the spread and
start to heal and get rid of the cancer that is in her body!
One good news
is the next round of Chemo will be outpatient...we will go in to
the clinic, have the Chemo(3-4 hours) and go home. We will
return a week later for the next round the same way. Her counts
are not suppose to go down until after the second round, so
maybe we will get to spend some time at home!! That would be
great!
Thanks for all the
continued thoughts and prayers! And thanks to Ocean Tumblers
Gymnastics for the great blanket signed by the team!! Kassidy
loved it!! You all ROCK!!
Tuesday, June 12,
2007
Kassidy has
continued to spike fevers so we are still in the hospital. Her
white count went down again today so we are watching that again
and she is still getting antibiotics. She is just really tired
and says she doesn't feel right. Dr. Fisher came in today and
wanted to get xrays to compare with the ones done at MCV, so we
spent time today down in Radiology getting xrays of all her
bones. We still do not have all the results from her scans
yesterday, but hope to have some reports tomorrow.
This morning I
attended the Chance Crawford Scholarship presentations. It was
very emotional for me, to be able to share Kassidy's story and
hear about the other families situations, and know what a
blessing it was to be included in receiving this for Kassidy.
Travis and Laura Cantrell and Alan Harmen was there as well,
along with our new friend Kaley, who has leukemia. Even the
people who I had never met came up to offer support and a
shoulder to lean on. What a great thing this is, not for
finiancial support but for the emotional support from others
that know what you are going through. I thank everyone involved
and to Chance Crawford for keeping this event going all these
years. You all are a blessing to us and our communities.
Again, today I
just want to say that you never know when your life will change
and you never expect it. Praise God everyday for
everything. And make sure to hug your kids/family/loved ones,etc.
an extra time today!
God Bless!
Sunday, June 10,
2007
We are still in
the hospital. Today Kassidy's white blood count is going up
which is great!! Her hemoglobin and platelets are going down
though so she is going to get a unit of blood and platelets
today. Hopefully we will be discharged tomorrow. In the
morning we were scheduled to have our scans here at Comm. Hosp.
anyway so we will get those done and then hopefully be
discharged and go to Crystal Spring for the MRI tomorrow
afternoon. After that if Kassidy feels OK we will be going to
Va Prosthetics for her to be fitted for her prosthetic leg!!
And her leg might be ready in about a week. She can't wait to
be able to walk again!! Something so simple as balance and
walking we don't even think about but when you don't have that
ability it certainly affects your whole life and everyone around
you! Be thankful for everything that you can do and have, you
never know when it will be taken away. That's God's plan and we
have grown stronger in our journey and learned to appreciate
even the littlest things in life! Kassidy is doing well and has
even been on the computer. Luckily, she is old enough to know
when things are different with her body. She said she still
doesn't feel like things are right and I hope that the blood and
platelets will help today. Then maybe her body will be more
balanced and she will be able to tell the difference by feeling
better. Again, please continue to pray for good scans tomorrow
and healing.
Thanks to everyone
that came out to the walk for Kassidy at the High School Friday
night. We were told it was a big success. We want to thank
everyone who organized this event, walked or donated. Thank you
all so very much!
Friday, June 8,
2007
Yesterday was a
good day. Kassidy played at home with Courtney, made brownies, and played the Wii. Then, around 9:30pm she started running a
fever. She was admitted around 11:30pm last night and recieved
fluid and antibiotics. Today she is doing well. No fevers until
about 3pm and it was 101.6 so they did blood cultures and she is
getting a unit of blood. We hope the fever goes away and this
will be a short hospital stay. We got good news today that
Kassidy is ready to be fitted for her prosthetic. She is so
excited that she will be able to walk again soon!!! Continue to
pray for no fever and healing.
Tammy, Danny,
Kassidy,and Courtney
Thursday, June 7,
2007
We had a good day
yesterday. Kassidy didn't feel real well yesterday morning but
we had to go get blood counts anyway so we went to Roanoke to
the Hem/Onc Clinic. Her counts were OK, except her white blood
count being down which is normal. She just needs to wear a mask
when she goes out. They did give her 2 liters of fluid and she
perked up, apparently she was a little dehydrated and the fluids
made a big difference. When we left there we went and picked up
her wig!! So exciting for her that she feels like she fits in
when she goes out now...she was so excited that she could pick
it up before the fundraiser event at Copper HIll Daycare last
night!! We then went to the event and at first Kassidy did not
want to get out of the van...people were coming up talking to
her and lots of her school mates came by...she talked to
everyone and eventually decided to get out in her wheelchair.
She stayed the entire time and got to watch the tug-of-war
between the fire departments...she even handed out the trophys
at the end. She said last night that she "had a blast". It was
good to see her out and so excited! She had a good night last
night and we are still praying that the fevers stay away. If
she does not get a fever then we will actually get to stay home
till Monday when she goes to have scans done. Then she wont have
to go back for Chemo till the following Monday (18th). Pray
that we can stay at home that long! Continue to pray for good
results for the scans on Monday. Thanks to everyone at Copper
Hill Daycare for making that event such a success and fun
evening for Kassidy! God BLess All of You!
Our condolences go
out to the Patricia Sawyers family of Rocky Mount. She was
Danny's teacher in High School and lost her battle with cancer
on Tues. The family has asked in lieu of flowers that donations
be made to Kassidy at Medical Charities. It's amazing to us how
people from our past, and really don't know our family now,
would make such a gesture and think of Kassidy at their time of
loss. God Bless this family and our prayers are with them!
Thank You!
Tuesday, June 5,
2007
Well, we are home
again...for how ever many days we can stay at home. We left the
hospital yesterday morning and was planning to go to the
Science Museum. BUT change in plans...the science museum is
closed on Mondays. So, we spent some time down on the market in
Roanoke and went to the market building and had lunch. Kassidy
was already tired by then so we went on home. She wasn't
feeling real well last night and slept alot, but that's
understandable. Today she didn't wake up till 11am and then I
woke her up so she would take her medicine. The phantom pain
has increased and comes more frequently but we are still able to
control it and make it bearable. We did get some good news
before we left the hospital yesterday. Dr. Meck told us there
was a lab test that Kassidy has been having done since we
started and they can tell if there is bone deterioration from
the lab results. Kassidy has always been sky high from the
tumors destroying the bone......BUT now her results are almost
to a normal level!!! PRAISE GOD!!! That means that at the
least the tumors are at a standstill or slowing down!!
Hopefully the scans we have on the 11th will show improvement.
We are very encouraged by these results!! We return to Roanoke
tomorrow for blood counts and hope for the best that they are
not down too low yet. Please pray for good counts tomorrow and
no fevers so we can stay at home for a few days. And most of
all, we thank God for showing us improvement and giving us more
hope that we are going to beat this disease!!
Sunday, June 3,
2007
Kassidy is still
doing good. She has complained about some blurry vision and
some shaking in her arms. The doctor came in this morning and
looked up her medicines and those are all common effects from
these two Chemo drugs, but hopefully that should be going away
soon. She gets her last treatment for this cycle this morning
at 10am. We will be finished by tonight and if all stays well
we will be discharged in the morning. Kassidy has decided that
when we leave she wants to go to the Science Museum downtown.
So that's our plan. We have to do whatever we can these first
two days before her counts drop. She is sitting up on the couch
with me right now and doing well! Again, we thank God for every
day!
Saturday, June 2,
2007
Kassidy had a
surprise visitor last night...gymnastics olympian Dominique
Dawes!!! I'll send pictures soon!! Kassidy was very excited
and Dominique was very nice. Thanks to Pete Lampman and Amy
Morrow from Virginia Amateur Sports for setting this visit up!
Dominique hugged Kassidy and talked with her, very nice, loving
and caring person. Thanks again to everyone for arranging this
and also to Dominique for taking the time to come and see
Kassidy. That was a moment she will never forget!
Saturday, June 2,
2007
Kassidy had a good
night last night. She had Chemo yesterday afternoon and again
did great with that. She sleeps most of the time that the Chemo
is running but then wakes up in a good mood. She says that most
of the time she doesn't even realize she's getting the Chemo.
I'm so thankful that these drugs are not making her sick. She
slept well last night and woke up this morning, ate breakfast
and is feeling good. Thank God for all the answered prayers to
take away the nausea and sickness. Please continue to pray that
the Chemo is working. We go on the 11th to have more scans to
compare with the ones from MCV. Please keep us in your prayers
that those tests will show improvement of the cancer cells that
have spread. We praise God everyday for the all the things he
has done and continues to do.
Friday, June 1,
2007
Yesterday we had a
good day. Kassidy went to the playroom and did crafts with the
Child Life Specialist (Jill). She also rode around the hospital
in her wheelchair. Physical Therapy came and worked with her to
strengthen her legs and arms. She did good during her Chemo,
still no sickness, still eating well and actually has gained
weight!! That's wonderful! Today has been another good day with
Kassidy wanting to go ride around, go to the computer (she's
sitting right here beside me) and now wants to go outside. She
starts her next Chemo at 2pm so we better go outside now while
we can and we will write again later! Thanks for all the
prayers!!
Wednesday, May 30,
2007
We just were
admitted again to Community Hospital for the next round of
Chemotherapy. Kassidy is in very good spirits and looking
forward to NOT staying in her bed and being able to get
around and do things while she gets Chemo this time. She is
feeling so much better that she is getting bored at times
now! Thank God that she feels this good! Dr. Fisher came in
today and said she looks wonderful and whatever we are doing
to keep doing it! She looked at Kassidy's amputation site
and was amazed! She said most kids don't heal while they
are receiving Chemotherapy. Only one other time has she
seen a kid heal while getting Chemo and Kassidy is only the
second one she has seen....and then the doctor said that
only God could make that happen...and we believe that God
has healed the cancer as well!!
We are praying
that Chance will start feeling better soon and that the
fevers will go away. Kassidy sent Brian a text this morning
on our way to the hospital. She enjoyed that, but hates
that Chance is feeling bad.
Pray that
Kassidy's chemo goes as well this time as last and no
vomiting, sickness or fevers. And the continued healing of
her body.
Tammy, Danny,
Kassidy and Courtney
Tuesday,
May 29, 2007 |
|
Kassidy had
another good day yesterday. We had several visitors and she
talked with everyone. She got around alot yesterday also.
She wanted to go outside, which we did several times during
the day so she could watch what everyone else was doing.
While in the house she used her wheelchair and followed all
of us around. Finally she is tired of sitting in her
recliner and not doing anything. Thank God!! Today she
wants to go to the movies and all of us are going!! I thank
God that she feels like getting out and doing things. It's
nice to have the whole family going places together again.
All the bad things seem like distant memories right now.
Even Kassidy said the same thing last night, that it seems
like such a long time ago. But we will enjoy today and get
ready to go back to the hospital tomorrow morning. We praise
God that he has given us good days and Kassidy is feeling so
good!!
|
Monday, May
28, 2007 |
|
We had an
excellent day yesterday. We got out of the hospital around
11am and from there we went to Mill Mountain Zoo. Kassidy
was feeling so much better that we thought we would enjoy
the beautiful day! We had such a good time. It was good to
see her enjoy herself and get out in the sun. We then came
home where we had gotten a new Nintendo Wii. I thought this
would be great for Kassidy when she was sitting at
home. Her and Courtney played for hours! It was great to
hear her laugh and having fun!! She got up and moved around
more than she had in a long time. I can't begin to tell you
what a great day it was!! We are home today and tomorrow and
then we head back to Roanoke for the next round of Chemo.
Kassidy will start that on Wed and will receive a treatment
every day for 5 days again. Pray that she does as well this
time as she did the last time...no vomiting, no nausea and
feeling good! |
Wednesday, May 23,
2007
Well, we were
having a good day yesterday morning. Kassidy slept good
through the night on Monday night and had visitors Monday
morning. She was in a good mood, laughing and being her old
self! Then after lunch she finally went to sleep and when
she woke up she told me she thought she needed to go to the
hospital...she then said her eyes were burning...I knew that
meant she had a fever. So, back we came to the intensive
care unit to be monitored. She is receiving 2 different
antibiotics and last night she received one unit of blood
and one unit of platelets because her counts were so low.
This morning her platelets were still low so she got a
second unit of those. All was going well, they sent us to
the 10th floor around 3pm. Then about an hour ago she
started running a fever again of 101. So, we are back to
getting blood cultures and waiting to see the results from
that. Earlier, the Dr. had said they thought we would get
out of the hospital tomorrow, but with the fever spiking
again, I'm not sure now. I guess we will wait and see. I
know that when we do leave she will have to have antibiotics
again by IV at home. We are getting pretty used to that and
Kassidy actually flushes her lines to her port and hooks up
the Antibiotics and when it's done she flushes her lines
again. She is even putting her own medicine down her NG
tube also. She likes to be in control of what she is
getting and that is good. She keeps everyone straight. We
have seen her still in a better mood today and she is
determined now that she is going to beat this cancer more
than ever before!! It's still very up and down with how she
is feeling. One hour she can be sitting up joking and
laughing and the next hour she feels really bad. Alot of
that is from her counts going up and down and so we just
hold on and work through the times she is feeling bad
because we know we will see that million dollar smile again
shortly. Pray that the fevers go away and that her counts
go back up.
I hope that
Chance gets to come home tomorrow. I know they were
planning on it and I hope that works out for them. My
prayers go out to their family as well as they get to spend
some family time together and hopefully will be at home
soon!
Kassidy
told us if we got on the computer tonight and emailed any
body to tell them that she said hi, so "HI EVERYONE" from
Kassidy.
Tammy,Danny,
Kassidy and Courtney
Monday, May
21, 2007
Sorry we
didn't update yesterday....we had such a good day that we
were just enjoying our time together!! Kassidy felt so good
yesterday. We went out for several hours, Kassidy talked
with some friends, took lots of pics and just had a good
time! She ate very well and just overall felt so much
better!She got up yesterday and used the walker to get all
the way through the house to the shower, took a shower and
used the walker to get all the way back to the living
room!! She just smiled and was so proud of herself for
being able to get around! It brought tears to our eyes! She
was pretty well wiped out last night but we all felt a sense
of accomplishment with how well things went!! Today she woke
up in a good mood, little nauseated but that seems to be
going away. She said today, "You know Mom, I used to think
Cancer was just for old people. But that's OK...I'm still
smiling". She has so much courage and strength! She is an
inspiration to me, Danny and anyone else who meets her!
Today we go to Roanoke for blood counts, that hopefully are
still good. She gets her Neupogen shots to increase her
blood counts once a day. But sometimes she still has low
counts and has to have a blood transfusion. But we are
going to get ready to go now and pray that her counts are
good and we get to come back home. You never know when you
go if she is going to have to be admitted or if we have
favor and get to come home. So pray for favor that we get
to come home and enjoy this beautiful day! |
Saturday, May 19,
2007
This is the first
time we have went to the hospital, scheduled to be admitted,
received the chemo and actually got out of the hospital as
scheduled!! Gosh, that sure did feel good. Kassidy never did
throw up from the chemo this time which has been wonderful! She
was ready to come home today and she has eaten so well!! This
morning she had fruit ( of course) and then at lunch she has
eaten spaghetti and fruit. Hallelujah for prayers answered. She
has been in better spirits today, sitting up laughing and
smiling. Of course then she sleeps for several hours and
hopefully will wake up in a good mood again. If she continues
to eat she will not have to have the feeds by the NG tube. She
hates the feeds!! She likes getting her medicines through her
tube though...that way she doesn't have to swallow them. But
she is trying to swallow them when she can because eventually
she wants to be able to have the NG tube out. She is still
doing well getting around and holding her balance on one leg.
Courtney and I went to Check Elem. yesterday for the "Kuttings
for Kassidy" to watch the kids get their heads shaved. I taped
some of it for Kassidy to see. The cheerleaders did cheers,
different people sang, they did a slide show, etc. It was very
emotional for us but so inspirational to see what these kids are
doing for Kassidy. Thanks to everyone at CES and all the kids
there. YOU ARE GREAT!! And again, someone from the community
stepped up to help us and mow the grass. Thanks to Ray and Judy
Vest for doing such a wonderful job....it might even look better
than when Danny mows!!! Thanks to everyone for all their prayers
and cards. Pray that Kassidy has a good week, that her blood
counts are good on Monday and Thurs, no fevers, and she
continues to eat. Pray that the chemo continues to work.
Tammy, Danny,
Kassidy and Courtney
Thursday, May 17, 2007
Kassidy had a good
night last night (Wed). Danny stayed with her at the hospital
and both of them actually got some good sleep. Kassidy's blood
pressure was up during the day yesterday but they think that was
from all the fluids she was getting. So they gave her some
Lasix and then she just went to the bathroom alot to get rid of
alot of the excess fluid. Today she has had a good day.
Physical Therapy worked with her again and she stood today and
walked a few steps with the help of a walker. She did good with
her exercises and is doing very well. She just gets tired
easily and usually sleeps afterwards but she does such a good
job with her PT. She has ate fruit again today and continues to
drink even though she has that bad taste in her mounth from the
Chemo. That usually makes her not want to eat but so far she
has not stopped wanting to try to eat. She has been nauseated
but has not thrown up at all this time. Praise God! She has
her last treatment starting at 10a in the morning. It will be
close to midnight before it is totally finished. So if things
go OK then we will be going home Saturday morning! YEAH! And I
don't think that she has to come back (except for blood work)
for two weeks. It will be great to be home and hopefully she
will feel like trying to get up and around some more around the
house. She has to build her muscle's back up from being in the
bed so long but she is doing so well now that I don't think it
will take her long. Contiue to pray for strength, and that the
chemo continues to attack the cancer cells.
Wednesday, May 16,
2007
Yesterday we had
such a good day. So far the Chemo has not made Kassidy
nauseated. That is great...although the doctors said sometimes
it takes until day 3 or 4 which today is day 3, so we will wait
and see. We just pray that she will not be sick this time
around. Yesterday she was feeling so good. She woke up wanting
something to eat. She ate a pop-tart. First real solid food in
a long time. Then Danny brought her a big fruit tray with
grapes, pineapple, watermelon, strawberries and honeydew. She
ate almost the entire tray, a little at a time, but at the end
of the day we didn't have much left. She played games and did a
craft. Then in the evening she asked to to get in her
wheelchair and get out of the room a little bit. So we took a
stroll around the floor. And then the most amazing thing
happened....she asked us to go get her a bacon cheeseburger and
fries!!! And she ate over half the hamburger and some of the
fries. She ate more yesterday than she has in several months!!
We had a great progressive day. Rusty, from VA Prosthetics is
suppose to come by today to get her leg ready for the
prosthetic. He stopped by Monday evening but had to reorder the
stocking for Kassidy's leg. Then when he gets the go ahead from
the doctors saying her incision is healed he can go ahead and
fit her for the prosthetic. That is giving Kassidy something to
look forward to. She even did her Physical Therapy yesterday
evening on her own...without PT telling her to!! But yesterday,
she got up from the bed and balanced herself and stood on one
leg all by herself. I told Danny to look and Kassidy just
smiled. She knew she had made some progress then. Overall the
day was wonderful. Kassidy did things she hadn't done before,
was feeling good, smiling and joking.....words can't explain how
great that felt. Then last night everything caught up to her
and she started having a lot of pain. She has been in a lot of
pain through the night...first time we have seen this since her
surgery. She is having phantom pain, where she still thinks her
right leg is there and hurts. Eventually her nerve endings will
know her leg is gone but for now they still tell her mind that
there is pain. Hard to get through that kind of pain but we are
using some new nerve drugs and hopefully that will eventually
help. Right now she is sleeping comfortably, so I'm hoping that
today will be another good day. Just want you to keep Clay
Vest's family in your prayers during this hard time for
them....but remember that Clay is walking with God on streets of
gold...no pain, no fear, just happiness. We miss them when
they're gone but we know they are receiving their rewards in
heaven! God Bless the Vest family!
Monday, May 14,
2007
Well, we are back
at Community Hospital and getting ready to start this round of
chemo at 6pm. Kassidy has had a pretty good day. She started
throwing up this morning at home and then again at the
hospital. We think it was caused from one of the medicines she
received here at the Hosp...one we don't give at home. But she
has not thrown up since. This round of chemo does not have the
nausea like some of the others. When the Chemo is done, the
nausea will be gone as well.. That's a good thing. We should
be here for 5 days with the last treatment on Friday morning.
Then depending on her blood counts, hopefully we will go home
Friday afternoon. Tomorrow we meet with the Dr's to see how
often we have treatments in the next upcoming weeks. Hope to
have a good night and will update after talking to the dr's
tomorrow. Please continue to pray that Chemo works and her
counts respond.
Sunday, May 13,
2007
We had a great
Mothers Day today! Kassidy was awake A LOT today. She wasn't
very talkative, but alert and responding to everything and
everybody around her. She got in the shower today and that made
her feel good. Much better than a sponge bath! At times, we
even saw the real Kassidy come out and make a joke and smile
about it! I Love that smile! Danny told her today that when
she smiles it makes him feel like a million dollars! We packed
our bags today preparing to return to Roanoke tomorrow to be
admitted for more Chemo. Continue to pray that the tumors
respond to the Chemo. And I hope everyone had a Happy Mothers
Day!
Saturday, May 12,
2007
Kassidy slept alot
today but Danny had a very busy day. He went to the Golf
Tournament today. He talked with Brians Dad, Laura and Travis,
and met numerous other people and members of samefight.org. He
was amazed at the pictures of the kids hanging on the balcony of
the Club House. He took pictures of the clubhouse so the rest
of the family could see these. He was amazed at the turnout.
You can't beat the support of the people of Floyd County and
other surrounding areas as well. We received more cards and had
several visitors again today. Kassidy did not feel like talking
to anyone today and slept most of the day. Emotionally it is
harder some days than others... for all of us, so she is
entitled to keep to herself every now and then. The gym had
their Cartwheels for Kassidy fundraiser today and did very
well. Over 40 gymnasts participated and even her coaches
(Ashley and Cheryl) did 100 cartwheels as well. OH BOY ,will
they be SORE tomorrow!! I hope everyone has a good Mothers Day
tomorrow. I want to thank Terry Smith for sending Danny home
with the lovely flowers today...at least this is one year that
he will have given me a gift! HEHE! Just kiddin'. Gifts at this
particular stage doesn't come in material things. The only
thing I need is my loving family and the best gift of all is to
have Kassidy and Courtney home with me. Remember to give your
mom and kids extra hugs and kisses tomorrow and have a Happy
Mother's Day!
Friday, May 11,
2007
We
have managed to stay at home two days and have made
it through two nights almost pain free. I think in
the last two days Kassidy has only had to ask for
extra pain medicine twice. God is Good! Ashley
Tanner came by yesterday to visit. Kassidy enjoyed
seeing Ashley but her face was glowing with the
biggest smile when Ashley gave Kassidy one of her
warm up jackets from basketball. I have not seen
her that happy in a long time. I will get some
pictures posted as soon as possible so you can see
that beautiful smile! Shawn, Ashley's Dad,
finished the visit with a beautiful prayer.
Kassidy's teachers from Check Elementary and some
other friends also visited yesterday. Between
visitors and phone calls we were busy...but boy was
it good to be at home! Today more visitors, more
cards, more calls and more presents. It's beginning
to look like Christmas with all these presents
here!! Tomorrow Danny will be attending the Golf
Tournament fundraiser at the Great Oaks Country Club
for a little while. Virginia Techniques is also
doing their fundraiser tomorrow "Cartwheels for
Kassidy". Kassidy has been eating more the last two
days and has even asked for food (mostly fruit).
I'm sure next week after Chemo her appetite will be
gone again but for now it's great to hear her ask to
eat! Courtney, her sister, has been keeping up with
all her medicines and when each has to be given.
She says she is going to be a nurse one day and she
is getting plenty of practice. She keeps all of us
in line! Continue to pray that the pain is
controlled and that we have a good weeknd. Thanks
for all the cards, gifts, calls, emails and
especially the prayers!
Thursday, May 10, 2007
We
arrived home late yesterday evening. It took us
almost as long in Roanoke getting Kassidy's
prescriptions filled as it did to drive back from
Richmond! This time she had 9 prescriptions to be
filled. We definitely feel like a pharmacy now!
Kassidy did well through the night. Still having
pain but we have been able to control it so far.
Last night of course Grandma and PaPa had to come
see us as soon as we got home and Aunt Cathy, Sarah
and Nichole. Sarah and Nichole had their hair
painted PINK! Today we are expecting more visitors
from Blacksburg and a special visitor this evening.
We same the pretty in pink pictures on the
website. That was cool! Kassidy received a Vermont
Teddy Bear from our friends at CNRVMC xray and it
had on a pink sweatsuit, pink tennis shoes and had a
pink duffle bag (that's where Kassidy is stashing
her Jolly Ranchers candy!). It's good to be home.
Hopefully we can continue to control the pain until
Monday when we return to Roanoke for the next round
of Chemo. Thanks to Check Elem. staff for the food
and groceries here waiting on us when we got home
and thanks to Shake Smith from Auburn Baptist Church
for mowing the grass for us. Thank you Lord for
such good people in the world! Please pray for the
tumors to respond to the new Chemo.
Tammy,Danny,Kassidy and Courtney
Tuesday, May 8,
2007
Tomorrow we are
scheduled to be discharged from MCV. Our plan is to head home
and hopefully stay there through the weekend. As long as we can
keep the pain under control we will have at least those few days
at our own home. We haven't been home but 3 days since April
3. It will be nice to sit on our own furniture and our own
beds. On Monday we will again return to Roanoke for the next
round of Chemo with a new regimen of drugs. Please pray for
guidance for the choice of chemotherapy and that the tumors
respond. I know we should be talking with the Make-A-Wish
Foundation by the end of this week to go ahead and plan the trip
for Kassidy. We'll let you know what she decides after we
confirm the trip. She's excited!! That's the only time I have
seen her smile for a few days was when we talked about where she
wanted to go! I will update tomorrow, hopefully from our house
tomorrow evening! God Bless You All for all the prayers and
everything that people have done for us. We want to thank Cathy
Young for cleaning our house while we have been away and Calvin
for building a ramp on the back of our house so that we can get
Kassidy in and out easier (and everyone that got this
organized). For Grandma, PaPa and Laura for coming to stay with
us through Kassidy's surgery. For Grand Pa Bee, Mike and Gage
for visting us her at MCV. For Becci for bringing well wishes
from everyone in their cards they sent. For Bob, Helen and
Stephanie coming all the way to Richmond to see us and take
Courtney for the night and got her mind at ease for awhile.
Words cannot say thank you enough! Thanks for everyone's love
and genorosity! Thank God for giving us such loving people in
our lives!
Monday, May 7, 2007
Kassidy has spent
most of today sleeping. We are waiting for Dr. Foster, her
surgeon, to come talk with us about the results from her tests.
He wont be in till tomorrow afternoon. But we are preparing to
be discharged and go home hopefully on Wed morning. The staff
here is arranging to have everything we need for home care when
we get there to manage her pain. We will then have to go to
Roanoke on Monday to meet with the onoclogists there to see
where we go from here. Again at a crossroads...waiting...
Sunday, May 6, 2007
Kassidy has spent
most of today sleeping. We are waiting for Dr. Foster, her
surgeon,
to come talk
with us about the results from her tests. He wont be in till
tomorrow afternoon. But we are preparing to be discharged and
go home hopefully on Wed morning. The staff here is arranging
to have everything we need for home care when we get there to
manage her pain. We will then have to go to Roanoke on Monday
to meet with the onoclogists there to see where we go from
here. Again at a crossroads...waiting...
Saturday, May 5, 2007
Yesterday we had
such a good day with Kassidy laughing, smiling and making
jokes. Then around 2am this morning she was in severe pain.
The doctors had given her so much pain med that they were
worried about her breathing stopping. This afternoon they moved
her to a pediatric care unit where they have her on a monitor.
She is doing better with the pain, but we are finding out that
some of the medicines when mixed together are causing her vision
to blur and her speech to be slurred. We are trying to figure
out what combinations work and doesn't make her too loopy! We
will stay in the unit for now and hopefully can go back to a
regular room tomorrow if we can get things under control. I
will try to update again tomorrow. Hope for a good night!
Tammy, Danny,
Kassidy and Courtney
Friday, May 4,
2007
We had a great
night last night. Kassidy was in a good mood, drinking a lot
still in pain but the nurses did a great job keeping in
control. Our nurse (Rachael) last night was wonderful. She got
Kassidy's ports accessed again so that the other nurses could
draw labs through it instead of sticking her again. Kassidy is
doing so good, it's nice to see her smile and laugh again. She
even joked around with Dr. Foster this morning when he came in.
He asked about her pain and she had a big smile and said "well,
at least my knee don't hurt". She is handling this very well!
I've told her so many times how proud I am of her because she is
being so brave and strong. It's not as bad as we thought it
would be to see her without a leg and she even said that
herself, that it wasn't as bad as she thought either. We are
going to go to xray today for more tests and I think Kassidy is
looking forward to getting out of the room a little bit. I will
try to update again later.
Thursday, May 3,
2007
Well, we survived
another day. Kassidy had her surgery and amputation about half
way up her upper leg. Kassidy came back to her room, awake and
actually smiling....she was in good spirits and even joked
around a little. She is sleeping now but in and out from all
the medicines she has had today. She is having pain from the
surgery but it doesn't seem to be as bad but we are still
struggling to control it. The pain management team here is
wonderful and does everything they can to get the patients
comfortable. Dr. Foster came and talked to us after surgery.
Basically we have to wait for the pathology reports to know if
he went high enough to get all the cancer. If not, she will
have surgery again and remove the rest of her right side from
her hip. He is concerned that her left knee has gotten worse.
Apparently the chemo is not working as well as the doctors
thought. He has ordered lots more tests,, like CT, MRI, Bone
scans, etc. to determine how much is in the left leg now and if
it is anywhere else in her body. After those tests are done he
will talk with the doctors in Roanoke and they will form a plan
to continue her care. They may do different types of chemo
drugs, may have to do more surgery or try to do other things.
Again we are standing at that crossroads, waiting for answers to
what path we take. Waiting....the hardest thing to do.....but
while we wait we will pray for favor for Kassidy , strength and
endurance to continue our fight.
Wednesday, May 2,
2007
Well, we had the
orthopedic doctor tell Kassidy this afternoon about losing her
leg. Of course she was stunned and cried very hard. She asked
a lot of questions and tried to understand what was happening.
She is scared, she cried that she didn't want to have one leg,
she wouldn't be able to do anything anymore, etc. The doctors
and us tried to reinforce that she could live a normal,
productive life and even do some sports. She even smiled when
Daddy told her that she could go play golf with him!!! Danny, Kassidy, Courtney and I all joined hands and prayed. Danny said
a wonderful prayer and then he had Kassidy recite a prayer after
him. She kissed all of us, told us she loved us and we told
her we loved her. She closed her eyes, looked so peaceful and
went to sleep. She is resting peacefully and handled the news
much better than any of us did. We always said she had more
faith than the rest of us and she is proving that! She is a
strong willed girl and of strong faith. Praise God for her
having that strong of faith!! This helps us all be a little
stronger. Pray for favor that the MRI scans do not show that
the cancer has spread any more than before on her left leg. Pray
for strength and understanding for the entire family.
Tuesday, May 1,
2007
Well again our
life has changed in an instant. Today, Kassidy went to surgery
to see why her knee was so swollen. Dr. Foster made an incision
and the tumor started spilling out of her skin. All live cells,
so he closed that spot and came to talk to us. The tumor has
completely taken over her knee. At this point our only option
is to amputate her leg. They are going to do some x-rays and
scans to determine how far up they have to go, but we hope they
can leave a good amount for later when she needs prosthesis.
Needless to say we are stunned, devastated, numb...words can't
describe how we feel. Now is the time we ask WHY? I know God
has a plan but it’s so hard to see that right now. Some friends
are bringing Courtney to us so that we can be the ones to tell
her. I know she will go to pieces! And I can't even begin to
think about how we are going to tell Kassidy! I hope that she
sees that the pain will be gone and that she can still live a
very productive life...but she may not see that right now! Pray
that the other areas she had cancer in have improved. Pray that
the tumors on the left knee have not got larger. Pray for
strength for Kassidy, Danny, Courtney and myself! And that we
have the ability to talk with Kassidy and Courtney about this to
show them that this will hopefully save her life by getting rid
of the main cancer site. Don't even know what else can be
said...just pray!
Monday, April 30,
2007
We finally got the
word that we are definitely going to MCV tonight. Dr. Foster
has had a cancellation in his surgery schedule for tomorrow and
he is putting Kassidy in that time. The plan is to do
arthroscopic surgery to look at the joint, clean out the blood
and determine where it is bleeding from and repair it. If it
can't be done with the arthroscopic than he will have to open
her knee up by surgery and do the same thing. We are trying to
get everything ready to go and will try to update tomorrow as
soon as the surgery is over.
Sunday, April 29,
2007
Courtney and I
just got back from the weekend in Chesapeake at her gymnastics
competition. For her age group and Level (7) she finished 10th
on Vault and 10th on Balance Beam. That was great! It made it
worth while when Kassidy got on the phone and told Courtney
Congratulations and she was proud of her. That made Courtney's
day even better. The weekend still got off to a rocky start.
On Saturday before we left, Kassidy was still in a fairly large
amount of pain. I even felt bad about leaving town. But she
was being taken good care of in the hospital so we left. When
we got to Chesapeake, Danny called and said they were headed
back to the intensive care unit. Kassidy's epidural had come
out of her back a little bit and it was no longer in the right
place. They had to replace it and then stay in intensive care
to be monitored. They got back up to their room around 11:30p.
She slept good and Danny even got some sleep!! Today she had
been complaining that her foot hurt. Her knee no longer hurt
but her foot and her back hurt! We just can't win! So I talked
with the nurse and she got the anesthesiologist to come back up
and check Kassidy. He gave her some additional numbing medicine
and the pain in her foot went away!! GREAT! So she just has to
push her "Happy Button" to get an additional boost of numbing
medicine when she starts to hurt. But at least the pain is
controlled. The doctors are still talking about us having to go
to MCV this week. We will know tomorrow what the plan is after
our doctors call and talk with Dr. Foster, the specialist at MCV.
I think that her knee again is accumulating fluid so it might be
better for us to go to MCV and let Dr. Foster evaluate her.
Maybe they could put a drain in her knee to keep the excess
fluid from accumulating. I will update Monday as soon as I know
something.
Tammy
Saturday, April
28, 2007
Kassidy had a
pretty good night last night and got some good sleep. She is
still spiking the fevers but not as frequent as yesterday. The
fluid from her knee so far does not show any infection but she
is still having some pain. She is throwing up more often but
the doctors think that could be from the narcotics getting out
of her system. We will wait out the weekend, see how she does
but the onocologist is going to talk with the surgeon at MCV
(Dr. Foster) to see if he could do anything different or if she
needs to be seen by him again. We will know something on Monday
but we may be going back to Richmond next week. Pray for
Kassidy to stop vomiting and her knee pain to get better. Danny
talked with Brian yesterday and this morning. We also are
praying for them as Chance starts his treatments this week.
Tammy
Friday, April 27, 2007
I'm sorry we
got behind and haven't updated in a few days.....The pain
management had not been working so yesterday the doctors
decided to put an epidural catheter (a line into her spine)
that they can put numbing medicine in to control the pain.
It doesn't get rid of the pain entirely but it is much more
manageable and Kassidy can rest better. The
Anesthesiologist had to put that in and she was admitted to
the intensive care unit for several hours so they could
monitor her vital signs. So last night we came back up to
our regular room. Today she had a chest xray and it came
back wonderful results. No fluid in her lungs, no collapse,
perfectly normal!! BUT, then we had to go to ultrasound to
have more fluid drawn off her knee. This time was only
about half of the fluid as the first time (60cc). Then the
doctors were concerned because the site where they did the
biopsy (at MCV in Richmond) was looking worse so the surgeon
came in a little bit ago and opened it and took some samples
to see if it was infected. She has been running some pretty
high fevers, so maybe that is where it is coming from. If
so, at least she can get the right type of antibiotic and
start feeling better. Today she slept most of the day
because of the medicine they gave her before they drew the
fluid off. She is sitting up a little more tonight so
hopefully by tomorrow she will be feeling much better. The
doctors are not sure what is causing her to be in so much
pain but it seems that the chemo is working well. So they
will continue to manage the pain this weekend and then
Kassidy has Chemo #3 starting on Monday. Kassidy was so
hoping to be better so that she could be out of the hospital
this weekend and go with her sister Courtney to Chesapeake
to her State Competition in gymnastics. Both Kassidy and
Courtney qualified their very first meet of the season. And
even though Kassidy could not compete she was looking
forward to supporting Courtney. But Danny is going to stay
with Courtney in the hospital and me and grandma will take
Courtney for her competition. I hope that Kassidy is
feeling better so that she can wish Courtney well before she
competes. Nothing makes Courtney smile more than getting to
talk to her sister on the phone when she can't be with her!
Pray that Kassidy's pain is under control and that the
fevers will go away. God Bless you all that continue to
follow our progress!
Wednesday, April
25, 2007
Well it took until
3pm for Kassidy to wake up but she is up and talking again.
Unfortunately that also means hurting some. But the pain
specialist came by today and we are going to be trying some new
medicines and some patches on her knee to try to find the right
combination for pain without her being so sleepy. That sounded
positive and I think we are headed in the right direction. Also
the xrays came back good. No more fluid than before and the
bone is still making new bone to replace the cancer cells.
Praise God for healing!
Wednesday, April
25, 2007
Kassidy is resting
well right now. We were up and down all night, either going to
the bathroom from so much fluid that she is getting, or she
would be uncomfortable and hurting. They are going to be
getting more xrays of her knee today to see if the fluid is
around her knee again and causing the pain. Also a Pain
Specialist is coming to see her to see if there is anything else
we can do to control the pain. Right now she is not having the
sharp pains that she did but more a constant pain. She is on a
lot of medicines and is sleeping most of the time. I hate that
she doesn't talk to us because she is sleeping due to the
medications but I would rather see her sleep than be crying out
in pain. I like neither way, but we have to deal with it and
for Kassidy's sake I would rather her sleep and not remember any
of this. She wakes up frequently and looks at the clock and
then she will ask , "What day is it?" And "is it am or pm?" One
thing for sure, when you are in the hospital, all your days run
together and you never know what day it is. She is doing well
from the Chemo treatment and only got sick twice, so far. So
that was an improvement. She still does not want to eat
anything but is keeping her weight steady from the feedings
through her tube. Over all we know that God is working on her
tumors and she is showing signs that the Chemo is already
working. We give God all the praise and the glory for what he
is doing and going to do for Kassidy!!
Tuesday, April 24,
2007
Don't some days just seem tougher than others?
In trying to manage the pain, last night we felt
like she was overmedicated so we skipped a
couple
doses of pain meds. Kassidy was not
responding, we had to put her on oxygen to keep
the alarms from going off and was talking about
crazy things!All from the medications. Good
thing is she won't remember. Today we started
the pain meds again because her leg was hurting
and she has slept most of the day. She is
starting to throw up again from the Chemo but I
hope this will not last long. We are frustrated
that the pain has not been able to be controlled
yet, so most of the time Kassidy is either
sleeping or crying in pain. I don't like her to
not be able to talk to us and wake up but I
think it's even tougher to watch and listen to
her cry out in pain. Nothing can break your
heart more than to see your own child in pain
and there's not one single thing you can do
about it! What a range of emotions we all are
going through! I know we will still be in the
hospital through tomorrow...not sure when we
will get to leave but then we have to come back
on Monday for the next treatment...but a few
days at home would be good! We'll keep in touch
and let you know.
Tammy
Monday, April 23, 2007
We had
a good night last night. Kassidy finally got some
sleep and we were able to control the pain a little
better. Today she has been hurting again but seems
to be doing better as the day goes on. She is
getting ready to start her chemo treatment and
getting medicine for the nausea. Jill came by today
and painted her head bright PINK! She looks like a
punk rocker with her pink head. We will post
pictures as soon as we can. Her gymnastics coaches
came to visit today and that made her smile! I'm
sure she misses her time at the gym and everyone
there! I'll update more later to let you know how
the chemo is going.
Tammy
Sunday, April 22,
2007
Today was
another hurdle we had to cross. Kassidy started losing
her hair more yesteday and today it was bothering her so
she decided that we should go ahead and shave her head.
We did, but sadness came afterwards. It's hard at 12
when you are so conscious of your looks to suddenly not
have that long flowing hair you have worked so hard to
grow. She is trying to be positive and looks forward to
tomorrow when Jill (the Child Life Specialist) comes by
and can paint her HEAD!! She thinks that will be fun!
We are still struggling with getting the pain in her leg
under control. It was a bad night last night but then
she has had a pretty good day. She got up and took a
bath, put on her new monkey pajamas that her nursing
assistant, Ashley, had given her and her new cute hat!
Now she is struggling again with the pain. She is
having muscle spasms where her leg will hurt really bad
- no matter what medicine they give her, nothing helps.
We are hoping that we will soon find the right
combination of medications that will get her
comfortable. Since we are already here in the hospital,
the doctors are going to go ahead and start her
Chemotherapy treatment #2 tomorrow. Then we should be
able to go home by Wednesday hopefully! This one
shouldn't make her as nauseated and hopefully will
attack more of the cancer cells in her knee and the pain
will get less from that. Please just keep praying that
the pain will get better and strength for Kassidy to be
able to deal with all that is happening.
Tammy
Saturday,
April 21, 2007
Yesterday the
x-rays showed that Kassidy had a lot of fluid in her knee.
We had to go down to ultrasound and they put in a needle in
her knee to draw some fluid off. The drew off 140cc
(estimated 1/2 cup) of bloody fluid. She felt better
afterwards but then last night the pain returned. She slept
good but would wake up in pain until the morphine would kick
back in. Her Doctor came in this morning and thinks that
things are looking good. She said it's normal to have pain
because the Chemo is dividing the cells and that causes
pain. Also her body is trying to regrow normal bone where
the chemo is killing the cancer cells and that will cause
pain also. Right now we are just trying different
medicines and strengths of medicines to get the right
combination that will control her pain. The doctor said
that if her pain isn't any different on Monday that Kassidy
will have another MRI to make sure nothing has changed in
her knee. We were also suppose to come back on Wednesday
anyway for Chemo treatment #2 but Dr. Meck thinks we can
start that sooner so we can do everything before being
discharged again. She is eating good, still in good
spirits, getting out of the room some and still joking
around with the nurses and staff! She is sitting beside me
right now while I type this and pointing out my mistakes!
Today, Danny, Courtney and other family went to the
Check Spring Fling. They got to visit with a lot of people
and everyone asked how Kassidy was doing. It was good to do
some socializing outside the hospital. Thanks for all the
online greetings and cards from everyone, and especially all
your prayers!
Tammy, Danny,
Kassidy and Courtney
Friday, April
20, 2007
We said before we
live hour to hour and things have changed quickly again.
Kassidy was admitted to the hospital again late last night for
severe pain in her right leg. No matter what medication we
tried at home nothing helped. She is at Community in Rm 1019
but hopefully this will not be a long stay. They did xrays this
morning so we are waiting for results from that. Hopefully her
knee still looks ok and the doctors can find other medication to
manage her pain and we can go home soon. We will try to update
as soon as we know something.
Wednesday, April
18, 2007
10:35 PM
We were able to
come home from the hospital today. The chest x-ray showed a
little area that was not fully inflated last night but this
morning the area is smaller and is healing on its own. Kassidy
came home and talked on the computer to some of her friends
again. She is still having some pain in her knee but we are
trying everything we can to keep the pain under control. Danny
and I are trying to work as much as we can while she is feeling
pretty good. Thanks to Grandma and PaPa for staying with her
during the day! Danny talked to Brian Harman tonight and it's
good to talk to someone that is walking the same path that we
are... to share what each of our families are going through and
get advice on various things. They even got to talk about
basketball too! We are scheduled to go back to the hospital for
another Chemo treatment next Wed (25th). Monday we have to go
have another chest x-ray to confirm the healing of her lung.
Kassidy has started losing her hair. She is in good spirits
about it but it is still bothering her to see it come out. She
has decided to cut it and dye it pink with purple highlights
while she still has hair. The Child Life specialist (Jill) at
Comm. Hosp. said sometimes she paints the kids heads so Kassidy
is looking forward to having her head painted!!! The nurses and
everyone at Comm Hosp 10th floor have been wonderful! They call
Kassidy "princess" because she puts the bed up in the highest
position so she looks like she is on a throne. Really she just
does it to look out the windows!! Well, off to get some sleep
and start a new day. We used to be able to plan for weeks ahead
but now we plan from day to day and sometimes hour to hour. But
we make the most of every day....you never know when your life
can change in an instant. Remember to keep all of the families
and friends of the victims at Virginia Tech in your prayers! And
wear your Orange and Maroon on Friday in support! God Bless!
Tammy
Tuesday, April 17,
2007
Last night Kassidy
was back to normal. She wanted to get out of her room for a
little while and she went to the computer room and talked with
some of her friends. She is eating better and even says that the
food smells good! This morning they did another chest xray and
her lung looks like it is reinflated again. The Doctors came in
around 10a and took the chest tube out. She didn't like that!!
But with good medicine she is sleeping now and hopefully wont
remember much of it. They are going to do another chest xray
later to make sure it still looks ok. We have to stay in the
hospital today and may get to go home tomorrow. Please pray
that her lung stays inflated and we will update later.
Sunday, April 15,
2007
11:30 AM
Kassidy is doing
much better today. They are going to keep the chest tube in a
few more days to make sure her lung is going to stay inflated.
She is drinking and even eating a little bit more. Her blood
counts have improved and are almost back to normal. It's great
to have her sitting up, talking to friends and even wanting to
get on the computer. We never thought we would say this, but we
can't wait for her to get back on the computer! She's not
sleeping much but she had slept a lot the past two weeks so I
guess she wants to stay up as much as possible. Of course Mom
and Dad would like for her to sleep a little bit more so we
could get some sleep!! But we're glad to see her being more
herself again. Thanks for all the messages and hopefully
Kassidy will be back on the computer soon and you all can talk
to her on AIM or instant messenger.
Tammy
Friday, April 13,
2007
3:00 PM
Kassidy is feeling
better today except for an occasional fever spike (from low
blood counts). She received a transfusion this afternoon
and they expect to remove her chest tube soon. She is
expected to be moved from ICU to the children's floor later
today! Hopefully, she'll be released from the hospital on
Sunday.
Thursday, April
12, 2007
11:00 PM
Today, when Kassidy
went to the oncologist, a chest x-ray revealed a collapsed lung
so she was admitted to the hospital. The collapse was a
result of the port-a-cath installation. The lung has been "reinflated"
and Kassidy is feeling okay. She is expected to be in the
hospital for 2-3 days.
Wednesday, April
11, 2007
10:30 PM
Kassidy had a good
day today. She was awake more and even ate part of a popsicle
this morning. She watched some TV. Seemed to have less pain
and didn't throw up at all! The nausea seems to be
subsiding but she still doesn't seem to have any desire to eat.
We continue to give her nutrients through the NG tube so she
will not lose any more weight. Danny stayed with her today
while I went to work. They looked at the website and Danny read
some of the entries in the guest book to her. She seemed to
enjoy that. I can't wait till she feels like being on the
computer and can read all the entries herself. Thanks to
everyone for all the encouraging words, thoughts and prayers.
Tomorrow we go to have her lab work done. We are expecting that
her white blood count will be very low. The Oncologist said this
is normal but we will just have to wait and see how low. If it
is OK then great but if low then she will have to have a
transfusion while there. We'll pray for her counts to be up and
surprise all the doctors!
Tammy
Monday, April 9,
2007
7:30 PM
Today we had to
go back to the hospital to the oncologist's clinic. Kassidy
threw up a lot last night and we had to stop the tube feedings.
So, today they gave her some more fluids to keep her from being
dehydrated. We also found out that one of the medicines she was
getting in the hospital did not get called in to the pharmacy.
We think that's what caused her to throw up. We picked that up
on the way home and now she is resting comfortably. We hope for
a better night!
Sunday, April 8, 2007
10:10 AM
Happy Easter to everyone! Kassidy is planning to be discharged from the hospital later
today. We are going home with tons of medicines and she also
has a naso-gastric tube (that goes into her stomach) in place so
that we can give her medicines and nutrition through this. She
is having some trouble with nausea but this is common with the
chemotherapy. Overall, she is doing better today and the
oncologists are encouraged with the way her knee looks. The
swelling has gone down some and there are signs that the Chemo
is already working. Praise God!! Thanks to everyone that has
signed her guest book. That means a lot to us and Kassidy. We
sat by her bedside last night and read those to her. This gives
us all encouragement that we can beat this!
Tammy,Danny, Kassidy and Courtney
Wednesday, April
4, 2007
2:12 PM
Kassidy was admitted to the
hospital on Tuesday night instead of Wednesday. We came to
Roanoke to have some other tests done before surgery and she was
running a fever, had fluid in her ears and felt terrible so they
went ahead and admitted her. She got some fluids and antibiotics
all through the night. This morning she went down to surgery to
have the port put in and is back in the room already and doing
well. She is hooked up to a morphine pump that keeps continuous
pain medicine in her system. Right now she is snoring!! I think
she will sleep the rest of today away! They are going to start
the chemotherapy around 4pm tonight.
We also found out today
that she will be going through around 40 weeks of treatments.
So, maybe by Christmas we will be almost done. Long road ahead
and each time she has chemo she will be admitted to the hospital
for 3-6 days. She won't have chemo every week. She won't the next
two weeks but the two weeks after and everything is subject to
how she is doing and how her blood work is keeping steady.
Things will change from week to week and sometimes daily. At the
11th week mark, we will have more scans to see if the chemo is
working. If, at that time, the cancer is contained to her right
femur then she will return to MCV and have the bone replaced by
a rod in her femur and then come back and continue with the
chemo. |
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