The Future

UPDATE:

Hey guys! So I just got back from a short trip to Vegas a few days ago with my best friend. We had a blast! Anyways, back to reality. My dad got out of the hospital on Thursday! Everyone is excited. His symptoms went away so they let him go. Then yesterday the doctor decided he needed to be put on disability for work. This means a huge cut in pay for him, but we can all stick by his side and help him and my mom out. Other than that things have been pretty calm in the Koss household.

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Anyways, one thing I have been thinking a lot about lately is my future. What it holds for not only myself, but for everyone that is in my life – especially for my family. All of a sudden it is hard to imagine life any other way at this point. I believe that thinking about the future is necessary. It can help guide your decisions in the present time and help lead you to a better future. Plans for your future can change more often than never though so it is important that you also live in the moment because the future is now.

Honestly, for my future I imagine differently than what I hope for. I have dreams of traveling the world and living in different areas of the world. But I have realized that there are too many important things here in Michigan that I want to do. I also want to open my own resale shop and I cannot do so when I am constantly moving. I wish that my family stays together no matter where we all go in life.

The future is ever changing based on what you are doing right now, so it is hard to try and control it. But having something that you want to do with it in mind is always a great basis to have.

Ohana means family, and family means nobody gets left behind.

Donate to A Good Koss Here

What Family Means To Me

UPDATE:

Hey again! Looks like this week turned out to be a rough one for my dad. It’s Sunday night and he just ended up back in the hospital with a 100.7 fever. The doctor’s think the mediport in his chest (for the chemo) is infected so he has to stay overnight. Although, he has had a lot of activity this week between my oldest sister being in town and doctor’s appointments. Some exciting news though! To explain, Pancreatic cancer has a DNA marker that is kept track of through blood work. If you are at risk for the disease, that marker may be elevated. It is strictly a marker and doesn't always mean cancer & that's where my dad’s 1st doctor’s diagnosis & opinion was skewed. In July his reading was 154, when he was diagnosed in mid September it was 362 and by the time chemo started it was 1364. Thursday after only 6 days of treatment over 22 days it came in at 364! This is great news for the whole family and everyone is excited.

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Anyways, I know that family is important to most people who have them! And honestly, when you do have a family, it is most important to appreciate them. Life goes by too fast and sometimes people are taken unexpectedly. It is time to take a look at what you have in your life now, versus what you don’t have later.

There is a woman who comes into my job quite often and sits by herself at a table. Her husband passed away not too long ago and she has no other family to be with her. I could never even begin to imagine the pain of going through life without family. She is a sweet yet quiet woman and it is hard to see anyone, especially elders, come into the restaurant alone because it always makes me wonder what there back story is – why is there no family or friends with them. A few days ago that lady came in and somebody sitting next to her paid for her meal. I think it will be my turn to pay for her meal again when she comes back.

Case in point; focus on who you are blessed to be with today and not what you could be doing instead of spending precious time with the loved ones in your life. 

Ohana means family, and family means nobody gets left behind.

Donate to A Good Koss Here

Family Videos

UPDATE:

It’s a new week and hardly anything has changed with my dad physically or emotionally – and I’m not complaining! The chemo from last week has hardly slowed my dad down. This week we accomplished getting the Christmas lights up as my sister is in town from Las Vegas for the weekend. We also went to Frankenmuth yesterday as a family and honestly, it was just very nice having the whole family together once again. My dad does not get chemo again until next Monday, so hopefully this week will be an even better one for him!

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This week I just wanted to show off one of my favorite home videos of my family and I. Sometimes it is just nice to reflect on old times when the current times are changing ever so quickly.

In this video, I am the baby and my dad is the man behind the camera. My middle sister, who is three years older than me, is the crazy child running around. I find this video to be a good laugh.

 It’s funny how memories can be well kept through video. Technology plays an important roll in my whole family's life, and I'm glad we've been using it since day one to capture memories like this.

Ohana means family, and family means nobody gets left behind.

Donate to A Good Koss Here!

My Supportive Family

UPDATE:

Hey again guys! Long time, no talk. So, this week was a pretty great one for my dad! We found out that, unlike what we originally heard, my dad IS able to go out in public until he starts radiation! This is great news. My whole family thought that he was not going to be allowed out of the house once he started chemo. Also, my dad, family and I had an awesome time carving pumpkins together for Halloween. Today was his second chemo treatment and luckily he claims he can feel it working! He’s been on his feet all week helping out around the house and shopping with my mom.

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Anyways, I have decided that this week I am going to talk to you guys about what my dad has done for his family.

It started May 15^th, 1981 when my parents got married – but we are not going to start there. Since I was born, both my parents have worked their hardest to provide the best life for each of their children – and for that I am very grateful. In September 2010 is when life became the toughest for the entire family.

I was only 16 years old, still in high school and while my oldest sister was already out of the house, my middle sister was only on her second year of college. My dad was one of the very last layoffs from GM when GM did the mass layoffs. He had worked there for over ten years! For him to find another job with great pay in such an economic down turn proved to be tough. He had to collect unemployment until he found another job. Our whole family supported him in his search. He ended up finding a job with near equal pay – the only problem was that it was in Egypt. My dad moved to Egypt to support his family. We kept in communication by Skyping constantly.

A short eight months later Greece’s economy crashed which in turn led Egypt’s economy to follow. My dad was let go from the company he worked for because they stopped funding American workers. Now to find another job… nothing well-paying seemed to be close to home! Next, he ended up four hours from home in Lewiston, MI.

My dad makes sure that his family is well taken care of, no matter what the cost. We all appreciate it more than he may ever know.

After the short six months he lived in Lewiston for the job (they let him go after they used him what they needed him for…) he came home to find a great job at Chrysler. He worked there for two years and was offered an even better job at Ford.

When I have my own family, I hope that I can provide for them like my dad (and mom) have provided for each other and their children.

Ohana means family, and family means nobody gets left behind.

Donate to A Good Koss Here

Memories

UPDATE:

Hey again everyone! Not much new in the Koss household. My dad is still holding up very well after the first chemo treatment! Hopefully not much changes there. My parents have been trying to go out as much as they can together before the nine day period is up where it is safe for my dad to be out in public, since chemo basically shuts down your immune system. It is definitely going to be tough for not only him, but of course his family too with him not being able to leave the house except for doctor’s appointments and such. My family and I are going to do our best to help him feel comfortable.

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Today I’m going to discuss one of my favorite memories with my dad.

Honestly? It is hard to choose… so I didn’t. I have done a ton of fun activities with my dad and family.

This is one of my most recent pictures with him. This is from my 21^st birthday in July. My parents joined my friends and I in celebration, and took care of me in my after-math. They deserve a medal for that alone.

This is a picture of all my whole family at a Tiger’s game, when my Vegas family came in for 3 weeks in the summer. My dad takes such great pride in his grandchildren too.

This picture of my dad, sister, nephew and I is from summer of 2013 at Kensington Metropark – now one of my favorite places in the world because my parents took me there when I was younger.

And this picture is from one of our dozens of vacations together. Each vacation is another memory I want to never forget!

Time spent with family is extremely important. Life is too short to spend it any other way.

Ohana means family, and family means nobody gets left behind.

Donate to A Good Koss Here

My Favorite Vacation with my Family

UPDATE:

Hey everyone! Quick update! On Friday, October 17^th, my dad was finally approved by the insurance for his chemotherapy. We decided we needed to get the ball rolling and start his chemo as soon as possible! My dad started chemo today and was there for 8 hours. He has his 5FU drug hooked up to his port in his chest and everything is going great! Hoping not much changes. Although, there is a new rule in this house! You want to come inside? We must spray you down with a can of Lysol first. Got to keep this place clean, since chemo weakens a human’s immune system.

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Anyways, I am sure you will agree that photos are something anyone can treasure for a long time, now more than ever since they are all digital! I think that photos are even better when they are from one of your favorite vacations with your family.

When I was only 16 years old, my dad was laid off from his job at GM of over ten years. He was one of the very last layoffs when they did the mass layoffs back in 2009. My family did not know what the next step would be for us, and it was not going to be easy for my dad to find another job – he had not applied for one in over ten years! After a few months of searching, he found a well enough paying job… in Egypt! He moved there right away after accepting their offer. Of course this meant if I wanted to see my dad, I would have to fly out there – I was not complaining!

In March of 2010 I got the chance to head to Egypt with my mom. It took us 16 traveling hours to get there but when we got there it quickly became one of my favorite vacations! I got to experience new things such as their culture, their way of living, and I got to see some of the most famous landmarks, including the pyramids of Giza!

My parents and I went on a Nile River cruise, and even though my dad worked every afternoon, my mom and I did a little bit of exploring by ourselves. My dad’s apartment was in a city called Sixth of October and he lived in a neighborhood that had one of the few bowling alleys around – who else can say they have bowled in Egypt!?

There were so many other places we got to see and so many other things we got to do. I have retained the most memories from this vacation than from any other vacation I have taken with my family.

After just eight months of living there, Greece’s economy crashed which led to the downturn of Egypt’s economy, forcing business to halt funding for American workers. Just a few months before the riots began in Egypt, my dad headed home to proceed to look for another job.

Ohana means family, and family means nobody is left behind.

My Parents and I on the left side, at the Pyramids in Giza, Egypt.
Row 1: Left - Myself on the Nile River Cruise & Right- Outside the bibliothèque by the Mediterranean Sea Row 2: Left - Myself on the Pyramids in Giza, Egypt & Right - Myself by the Mediterranean Sea

Even though the insurance has finally approved my dad's chemotherapy, we are still accepting donations for all of the other expenses that come with Cancer! If you you would like to donate:

Donate to A Good Koss Here

Family - Ohana - Part 1

hat do you think when you hear the word Cancer? What does it mean to you? Have you ever experienced it, lived it, or feared it? It is fairly complicated to understand until you have had to deal with it yourself – whether it is a family member, friend, or even yourself that is in fear of it. What is your first thought, when the idea is put into your head by the doctor? My first thought was - how? I did not think it was physically possible for me, nor anyone in my family to have to hear that word describing their own health. It is so unreal that you just cannot even begin to fathom the idea of it becoming a reality. On September 16th, 2014, Cancer became a reality for my dad, myself and my family.

It is hard to accept at first, and it does not get much easier with the passing of time. It started September 14^th when Cancer became a concern after the doctor’s found a large mass in my dad’s pancreas. I am living a Cancer nightmare – my parents are only 56 years young.

September 18^th rolls around and we find out that his Cancer has not spread outside of his pancreas but the tumor is so large that it is inoperable, and needs to be shrunk with chemotherapy before it can be removed. Every day went in slow motion from here. To find out that he has Cancer was hard enough, but it is now October 13^th and my dad still has not started chemo.

October 7^th was the day that my father’s insurance company decided they were basically going to let him die. They will not approve the chemo and procedure unless the procedure to remove it is done first. The only reason my family has decided to do the Chemo first is because, according to three different doctor’s, the likelihood of death is 40% when doing the surgery first, before shrinking the tumor.

We are all at a loss for words when we look at our dad, our husband, our friend. We wonder how long it will be before something happens to him. But you know what? We can’t keep thinking those things. Our dad, husband, and friend needs us there. We need to be strong for him, help him keep his mind off these things. Yesterday I witnessed him being the happiest and most active I have seen him in months, and it was not until then that I realized how much he was hurting before, how much he had changed because of all of the pain he was in.

Pancreatic Cancer is one of the leading cancers for death but I know we will continue to create memories together for years to come – we got this, we are fighters.

Ohana means family, and family means nobody is left behind.

Donate to A Good Koss here ❤

Koss/Vacante Family August 2013