Week 4 Begins

I am motivated and ready to get started on chemo this week, seeing as how it's my LAST WEEK OF CHEMO!!!

This week started out with good news from the meeting with the physician's assistant. She tells me the lymph nodes have returned to normal size and the tumor marker numbers are inside of a normal range. Also, I was on two blood thinners, a pill and an injection. For more than a week I had to inject myself in my stomach twice a day, which was terrible. Thankfully, the level of the pill delivered drug in my system is high enough that I don't need to inject myself anymore.

I can't wait to finish this round of the fight and completely crush this cancer.

Blood Clot

So after my third week of chemo, the doctor found a blood clot in my inferior veina cava (the spelling may be way off) I had a follow up CT scan that revealed that the clot was 8 cm long. The nature of this clot was not that threatening so they told me to take it easy, and they put me on blood thinners. This is a little unexpected for me but I know with God I can handle all things. I'll be fine but I will be on blood thinners for 3-6 months.

Chemo Week 3

Week 3 sucked. The Nausea was worse and the mental fog was worse. I had a bucket next to me most of the treatment just in case the worse happened. I usually only sleep the last 2 days of chemo but I was knocked out by the first day. Then the nurses decided that I needed a little more help so they brought out this patch with a name like a Transformer (Chermegatron or something crazy). That was the day I met my new best friend. The Nausea was still there but the mental fog was lifted. I felt mentally awake from Thursday all the way to today thanks to that patch. My mom and I picked up a script for it Monday and tried to get it filled at CVS. For some insurance reason it needed additional clearance. We asked what the price was if we bought it without insurance and they said the price was $1000 plus dollars. I guess that's why it took so long for them to give me the drug.

Nausea is always a struggle and oddly enough it usually leads me to overeating just to make the pain go away. I'm fine now and ready to rock and roll. One more treatment left to just crush this cancer and any thought of it returning. May God give me strength and heal me. Thank you all for your continued prayers and support.

Great News

On Monday, August 6th I met with the doctor before starting chemo for the Third week. My schedule is set up for one week on, two weeks off and Monday of the on week I always see Dr. Hudhud. As usual he goes over how I feel, how the last chemo went, and most importantly my tumor markers. The tumor markers are numbers from my AFP and hCG (If I recall correctly).

So after only 2 weeks of treatment, my tumor markers have returned to normal healthy ranges. In addition, the most recent CT scan showed that my lymph nodes, where the tumors are located, have returned to 2mm of their normal size.

Praise be to God and God bless Dr. Hudhud and the nursing staff for all the great care I've received.

Chemo Week 2

So the second week of chemo was from July 23 to July 28. Week 2 was harder than week 1, but no worries i'm did just fine. Nausea was really the biggest issue and then there was that mental fog. Nausea for me is very weird. There is that feeling of throwing up but it' like i'm constantly close to doing that but never really there. The only thing I can do for the nausea other than taking my meds is eat. So i'm in a terrible situation where I eat to make the pain go away. Between that and the steroids I am packing on the pounds.

The weekend was pretty hard. I had a massive headache on Sunday that really put me out. The week came around and I was up and running by about Tuesday. Halfway done was a very good feeling indeed.

Round 2 of Chemo and more results

We got great news today from the doctor. We were pretty concerned with the PET scan results from a few weeks ago which showed the cancer had spread to his lymph nodes with numerous tumors/spots in the abdomen region and a 'nodule' on the lungs. However, today the oncologist told us that in reviewing the blood results, "the numbers look really good!" The chemo is doing its job! We reviewed two of the labs in particular with our goal for the numbers to be within normal limits. The one is already there (!!!!) and the other went from 143 to 73 within the past few weeks! That is HUGE! We need it to get all the way down to 5 or less, but we know that this is possible with God! Overall, the doc says he is "very pleased." We know this is totally God and are so thankful for your continued prayers.
         Christopher has day 1 of his second round of chemo today and continues to be in good spirits. His port placement last week went very well, and Christopher was very pleased with it this morning after the nurse was able to access it within seconds of the first attempt (good-bye IVs! :-)). After Friday, he'll have 2 weeks off and get a CT before round 3 of chemo. We are hoping to see the spots on the lymph nodes and lungs look significantly better/gone when we get those results. We are also thankful we are getting a little more information out of the doctor with each meeting (like telling Christopher to stay away from sick people-- feeling a little frustrated that he didn't tell us critical information like that sooner; please keep this issue in your prayers-- we shouldn't have to be pulling information out of the doctor). Christopher's immune system is of course down so if you can please keep that in your prayers as well (he's already had to be treated for a skin infection that is thankfully almost completely resolved).
         In looking at all that's happened in the past few weeks with the MRI of the brain being fine, having such a wonderful wedding, the fundraising getting off to a good start, and more-- we are totally praising the Lord through all of this and are well aware that He has his hand over it all. Thank you for your continued prayers and support; they mean so much to us.

Last Day for Fundraiser

Tomorrow (Saturday) is the last day to contribute!

First fundraiser will be on Saturday, August 25th in Frederick! It's the Patty Pollatos Fund, Inc.'s 7th Annual Family Fundraiser Funomenon. The event includes a concert by Sara Evans and Hunter Hayes, food & drinks, car show, craft show, kids activities (moon bounce, pony rides, etc.), and more! Tickets are super cheap and it's a fun day for the whole family! It is all tax-deductible AND Christopher will benefit from 100% of the money raised! We really appreciate your support!

Please email cheryl.lawrence08@comcast.net for more info.

Chemo Day 4 and 5

Well, I mostly slept these last two days during the treatment so that made things pass by much faster. I am off for two weeks now for recovery. It's hard to tell if I'm doing fine because I'm mentally a little out of it. I have to guess whether or not I'm hungry, and even if I stuff myself with food I can hardly tell. So if that's the worst I have to deal with, I think I'll be fine. Good news is I have medication for the hiccups so things are looking up.

Chemo Day 3

Three days down and two more this week. Feeling tired, but nothing a little nap can't handle. Funny side of effect of the chemo is the hiccups. I did not see that one coming 'hiccup'

Chemo Day 2

Second round of chemo is done. I'm not that hungry today, but then again I pack away quite a bit of food. Maybe the medications have knocked me down to a normal diet.

I just can't wait to go through the rest of these sessions. It feels good to fight back. I know that as long as God is with me and I'm surrounded by the ones I love, I'll make it through without a hitch. Thanks for the support!

First Chemo

First Chemo treatment

Wedding

It's official: Mr. and Mrs. Christopher Koza. 

Thankful for such a special day and a relaxing week following the wedding.

Subscribe & Donate

To make sure you are getting all of the updates, go to the bottom right hand corner of the screen and input your email address. That way any time there is a new posting, you'll know! You will be sent one email per day (I believe around 6:30am) if there is anything new on the blog.

DONATIONS: feel free to spread the word. To donate, go to the following link through PPF Inc.:
http://www.ppfinc.org/Recipients/Christopher_Koza.htm
Follow the link right below the pictures to submit your donation amount. Please click the "PPF Recipient's Donation" and make sure to write in "Christopher Koza"-- otherwise it will go to the general fund and will not allow Christopher to benefit 100%. Please email: cheryl.lawrence08@comcast.net once you have donated so we can keep track. Also, if you prefer to go old school and write a check, that's completely fine too; email for details. Don't forget, all the donations are tax deductible. 

More information to come on the Family Fundraiser Funomenon.

Thank you again. Your support means the world to us!!!

Pre-op Pic

Back tracking a little-- here is a picture from the surgery to remove the tumor. Loved the fancy blue hat haha.

PET scan & MRI

Yesterday was my PET scan and MRI. This is one step closer to deciding what course of treatment is right for me. Everything went smoothly, but the three cups of barium were hard to choke down.

Christopher's Story

Christopher Koza is currently a mechanical engineering student at the University of Maryland, and in a few short weeks, will be marrying his high school sweetheart, Melinda. Born and raised in Frederick, MD, Christopher devotes much of his time to the Army ROTC program and spending quality time with his friends and family. It's amazing how quickly our lives can change and this is exactly what happened to Christopher. At his age, one expects to be vibrant, entering into the prime of their lives, living life carefree ,but  things don't always work out quite as we expect. Unfortunately a lot has happened in the past few weeks, including the life-changing diagnosis of cancer. Although Christopher had grandparents who dealt with this obstacle, cancer is one word a 21-year-old never expects to hear.

In May, the doctors diagnosed Christopher with a testicular tumor.  On Friday the 11th, he had surgery to remove the cancer. The results showed that the borders were "in-tact" but that the tumor was in fact malignant: Embryonal Carcinoma . Thinking that the "bad news" was out of the way, the family found  themselves yet again taken aback to hear that the CT scans showed the cancer spreading to the lymph nodes (qualifying as stage 2 B).  Christopher will get a PET scan this week of his entire body and will begin  chemotherapy shortly after his wedding day. As one can imagine, life changed quickly. Christopher has had cope with the new diagnosis, drop out of school for the remaining spring semester, and face the possibility of losing his ROTC scholarship and even putting the wedding plans on hold.

Things have continued to pile on, but there is hope in a sovereign God. We know that God knows  Christopher by name and has established all of this before the foundation of the Earth. We also know that  His ways are not always our ways, but He always knows best! Amidst the circumstances, they are clinging to Romans 8:28. The apostle Paul writes, "And we know that in ALL THINGS, God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to his purpose." We have already seen some pretty amazing ways God is working in all of this, including the discovery that Christopher is able to stay on his parents' insurance, even though he will be married! That in itself is such a major blessing! It is his family's hope and prayer that through Christopher's story, God will be given all of the glory.

The financial burdens of cancer are strenuous to any family. Unfortunately, Christopher's family is no different.  We are asking that you partner alongside us as we pray for the miraculous healing of Christopher, and if you feel led to also help contribute to the rising medical costs.  We are so very grateful for all of your love and prayers and know that great things will be accomplished. We are believing God for what seems impossible to many, but we know that with God all things are possible (Philippians 4:13). Through the Patty Pollatos Fund, Inc. (www.ppfinc.org), Christopher will benefit 100% of anything that is donated! All donations are tax-deductible.If you are interested in donating, please check the blog soon for the link. Thank you so much for coming together to support Christopher and his family through this time.