Kristin "Kourageous" Katich

I thought I would let everyone know that Mr. Broviac is no longer a part of Kristin's life! Hallejuah... He was laid to rest at 9:30 a.m. on January 30, 2009 after serving faithfully in the fight against childhood cancer! All kidding aside, we are thrilled to have this part of the the journey behind us. This is a monumental day for cancer patients as it represents that they have completed a very difficult part of their protocol, and can now move on to a less intense phase. Kristin and all the others before her have all paid a big ransome to get to this point. I am so proud of her. It took all of three minutes to remove the broviac and the surgeon seemed to make a point of letting us know that it took such a short time. I got the impression that he was put out for having to do it in the OR. Then again he was not a pediatric surgeon nor an oncologist making him indifferent to what these kids have gone through. No one suffering with cancer needs to "suck it up" for even ...

This seems to be the most asked question we get. Another Mom who has a darling little boy with A.L.L. put this phase of treatment like this,"We've already done harder, now we just do hard!" That pretty much sums it all up. Although she is done with the "shock and awe" of treatment, she continues to take a cocktail of chemo and antibiotics each day and will continue to do so until April of 2010. These meds seem to keep her dancing close to the edge, but not close enough to need hospitalization or transfusions, etc. Yes, she has perked up since Delayed Intensification 2, but at the same time she still does not feel "much better" like we keep hearing she is suppose to. Maybe I am expecting too much too soon....???? I am sure this day will come, probably when we least expect it. In the mean time, Kristin is busy filling out scholarship applications and taking the ACT in little doses. Since she pretty much missed her junior year of high school, and has not ...

Kristin went to school "almost" everyday last week for finals. It was a struggle, but she gave it her best. On Monday she came home and slept for three hours. The next day she took four cat naps. By Wednesday I knew something was not quite right so I called to relate this to the Doctors. I had a suspicion that her HGB was running low. She was pale all over and had been having headaches and not much of an appetite. I have been told over and over that she should be feeling and looking much better in Maintenance. Well, I have been waiting....and wondering when that would be. We did labs and her HGB 8.6, WBC 2.0, ANC 1600, PLATELETS 200. She was running low on red blood cells but not low enough for a transfusion. (they transfuse at 7.0) This is fine as I do not want to expose her to any more blood products unless it is absolutely necessary. Even though so many precautions are taken now, there are still some serious risks involved with each transfusion. She has had more than her f...

Okay, I am a bit behind on updating the blog, but found a minute to post a few pictures from Christmas. Christmas Eve we had dinner with the Hames and then acted out the Nativity. Kristin played Joseph. I am thinking she makes a rather handsome one at that!

Here is an article that was in the RGJ about Dan Dugan. If you have read back, you will know that he was responsible for the young boys "Live Happy" soccer team. He is a passionate supporter to the cause! While Kristin was in the hospital, he personally came down to give her a beautifully framed Live Strong race number that he wore during the ride, along with his team Kristin shirt. Kristin was taken back by the gesture and comments on the picture hanging proudly in our family room often. She feels humbled at his generosity, sacrifice, and contribution to the fight! We are too. thanks Dan! Dan Dugan of Reno rode in the Livestrong Challenge on Oct. 26 in Austin, Texas. Dugan placed 129th overall out of the 1,583 riders in the 94-mile race, and 16th in his age group. He finished the course in 4 hours, 46 minutes. Dugan rode in honor of Kristin Katich, a Galena High senior who is battling leukemia. Lance Armstrong...

Our clinic visit at Renown went well today. Kristin had an IV push of Vincristin courtesy of the lovely Tia Speirs. This med is the bad boy who is responsible for her neuropathy (nerve damage) that makes it difficult to walk and now even holding a pencil, silverware, etc. you may often see children "marching" and their feet slapping when they walk. This is because their ankles are very weak and they are unable to lift them when they walk causing the foot to drop. They must rely on their quadriceps to lift their feet. Kristin is very self conscience of this and has been working with a physical therapist to regain some strength and balance. It may take a while, but she has been reassured by her Doctors that this will resolve and that they have never had a patient return after therapy with "the dreaded foot drop." Her med regime continues to be daily 6MP (mercaptopurine), once weekly Methotrexate, monthly Decadron for 5 days. Did I mention we have had a sighting of hai...

I apologize for not posting sooner. I have felt the need to take some time off of "all things responsible" and just enjoy the time with the kids and being home. Our family Christmas was beautiful! Free from hospitals, appointments, and drama (well maybe just a little drama, but nothing worth writing about)and filled with charity and kindness from all of you. We loved every card we received. Shame on all of you who do not send cards!We felt like we were away on vacation even though we stayed home the entire break. Kristin is almost a month into Maintenance. It has not been a walk in the park, but it is certainly a reprieve from the previous. We did labs today in preparation for tomorrow's chemo trip to Renown. I am curious to know the results. Kristin struggles with gaining her pre-leukmeia strength back. She is very determined and we have no doubt that she will obtain this goal in the near future. She is coping with a relentless cough that will not give up and a runny nos...