"Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier. Be the living expression of God's kindness; kindness in your face, kindness in your eyes, kindness in your smile, kindness in your warm greeting."
Mother Teresa
Cancer stripped her of everything including her life but it could not steal away God's LOVE, PEACE and the JOY that radiated through her. Korrine never stopped SMILING!
Korrine Lannie Croghan
Korrine Croghan was a vivacious 14-year-old girl who lived all of her life in Livermore, CA. She had a love for animals, sports, and most of all, family. Korrine was a straight “A” student while attending Mendenhall Middle School and was working hard in her first trimester at Granada High. She was a great friend to many and was everything that a brother, mother and father could ask for in a daughter. Korrine was the type of girl who would greet you with a wide smile and look into your eyes and truly would want to know how you were doing
Korrine & Cancer
On December 20th, 2007, Korrine was diagnosed with Choriocarcinoma with a germ cell element. Choriocarcinoma is a very rare type of cancer in teenage girls and inflicts less than 200 nationwide each year. Although the cancer started in her left ovary, the cancer had spread to her right ovary, lungs and liver. After the removal of a cantaloupe sized tumor in her left ovary on December 21st of 2007, Korrine, endured 10 months of intense chemotherapy designed for adult men.
During the course of her treatment, Korrine suffered many complications. In early April of 2007, her liver began to bleed. After staying at Kaiser Oakland for almost two weeks, Korrine was transfered to UCSF and spent a month in the intensive care unit. The doctors at UCSF Medical Center were finally able to stop her bleeding liver, but, not before it filled her abdomen with 5 liters of blood that had to be drained via a tube inserted into her stomach. On top of that, both of Korrines’ lungs collapsed while undergoing a CT scan that almost took her life. Because of that, 2 liters of fluid needed to be drained off of her lungs with the use of another drainage tube. Throughout her treatment Korrine needed numerous blood and platelet transfusions. She had nosebleeds that lasted an hour on several occasions. At one point, she had 18 intravenous tubes running through her body filled with anti-bacterials, anti-fungals, nutrition, painkillers and chemotherapy. Korrine miraculously made it through those tough days at UCSF and returned to Kaiser Hospital in Oakland. She was finally stable and was released to go home in late June. Just as things were starting to look up for her, she suffered septic shock in July that forced her to go back into intensive care at Kaiser in Santa Clara for 2 weeks.
Korrine returned home in late July and went through imaging scans to see if the cancer had disappeared. The scans always came back good, but not great. In an effort to kill and stop the remaining cancer cells, she underwent an emergency round of chemotherapy in early September. Unfortunately, it did kill the remaining cancer and her doctors had run out of options.
Korrine spent her last days at home with her family reading books and loving on her cats and dog. She passed away quietly, at home, on October 27th, 2008. Through it all, Korrine had a positive attitude and never gave up or complained. Many consider Korrine a hero.
Team KC
The Team KC website was originally started as a way to encourage, educate, raise awareness, and keep friends and family informed with accurate information on Korrine's treatment and progress. Family, classmates, friends, community members, and complete strangers rallied to support Korrine and her family through her fight against Choriocarcinoma. We were amazed by the amount of support we received, and it is now our desire to give back. In March, 2009, Team KC became an official nonprofit by joining forces with Kaiser Foundation Hospital. All monies raised by Team KC will directly benefit pediatric cancer patients and their families. All monetary contributions are tax deductible.
Our Mission: To help improve the quality of life of pediatric cancer patients and their families. We wish to supply children with fun activities, toys and anything else that will brighten and better their lives. Monies will also be used to help parents pay for bills and defray the costs of gas, food and lodging that go along with caring for a child with cancer.
Stay Positive, LIVESTRONG & Welcome to Team KC!
*This is the official Team KC website and the only website approved by the Croghan family. Please do not use content, images, or video from this site without permission. This is an effort to respect the family's privacy and ensure that all content is accurate and approved. Thank you for your cooperation.
A Note From Korrine (written after her 4th round of Chemo)...
Hello everyone! It's me, Korrine. I just wanted to take a
moment to thank each and every one of you for supporting me through emails,
visits, food, gifts, and most importantly, prayer. Without it, I probably
wouldn't have made it this far. Anyways, on a happier note, I am happy to
announce that I am feeling very good. This last round of chemo hit me pretty
hard, but I think that it is more exiting to end things with a big BANG! I will
try to start writing things for the blog now that my chemo therapy is over, but
until then, just know that I love every single one of you and I am always
thinking about my family, friends, and even the people who I've never met
before. Thanks for joining my battle and for making this experience "The
Experience of a Lifetime." LIVESTRONG! And stay positive.
Korrine Lannie Croghan
This post contains a daily update on Korrine's treatment and progress. Click on "comments" to view the timeline and scroll to the bottom for the latest update.
God is our refuge and strength,
An ever-present help in trouble.
Psalm 46:1
** Now that
Korrine is on more of a routine, this section will be updated on a weekly basis. If there is an urgent update or significant change, it will be updated as needed. At this time, it is important that Matt and Dana be available to care for
Korrine and spend quiet time with their family. We know it is difficult and you want to reach out, but please resist the urge to call. Instead, say a prayer or click
here to send a private message (they read and cherish every note and the written word is a gift that lasts forever). Thank you!
27 comments:
12/16/07
Korrine played in a water polo tournament - came home not feeling well.
12/17/07
Stayed home from school, stomach hurts, nausea.
12/18/07
Stayed home from school stomach hurts, nausea, hurts to walk.
12/19/07
Stayed home from school. Not feeling well at all. Mom takes her to doctor. Weight 108 lbs Urine and blood test. Sent home. Put on septra antibiotic that evening
12/20/07
Stayed home from school. Called doctor told him Korrine is not better. Pain is up in her spine. Instructed by doctor to go to ER in Walnut Creek. Admitted to ER. Ultra sound done in ER. Sent upstairs for another ultra sound. Admitted to hospital. CT Scan done. Met with doctor and was informed that Korrine would need to have surgery. Doctor very concerned about spots on lungs and liver
12/21/07
12:30 pm - two hour surgery to remove left ovary and fallopian tube. Removed large Germ Cell Choriocarcinoma Tumor measuring over 13”. Also removed cancer form right ovary. Cancer has spread to lungs, liver, and intestine. Out of recovery room at 3 pm and transferred to 3rd floor teen care. Fantastic team of nurses and doctors supporting Korrine.
12/22/07
Recovery from major surgery.
12/23/07
Continuing to recover in hospital.
12/24/07
Celebrated Christmas Eve in hospital. Took a walk around the ward and began to prepare to go home on Christmas Day.
12/25/07
Came home at 11 am. Spent Christmas Day with Mom and Dad and Sean- good to be home.
12/26/07
Meeting with Oncology Team at Kaiser Hospital to discuss treatment plan for Stage IV cancer. Kidney Scan done in the Nuclear Medicine Department.
12/27/07
Team KC Blog Created. Admitted to hospital for surgery to insert a Broviac Cathedar in her chest. Hearing test performed. Sharing room with two other patients.
12/28/07
In Hospital. Pulmonary function Test performed.
12/29/07
In Hospital. IV’s, pain control, nausea control, rest. Mom and Dad learn procedures for the care of the Broviac for when she goes home. Welcomed in the New Year with a spectacular view of Oakland and the SF Bay. Transferred to Semi-Private Room with one roommate on December 31st.
1/1/08
Happy New year! Chemo Therapy begins - treatment to last 5 days.
1/2/08
Continued Chemo Therapy and a Bone Scan performed. No Cancer in the bones!!! Weight - 88 lbs.
1/3/08
Chemo continues. Mom and Dad meet with Oncology Team. Instructions on home care for when Korrine returns home. Instructions on how to do blood draws, give shots, and general care and precautions for home care during Korrine’s illness. This round of Chemo Therapy will continue until Saturday January 5, 2008.
1/4/08
What a storm in the Bay Area. Lots of rain and high winds. Korrine takes a walk down to the hospital lobby to view her Blog site.
1/5/08
Last Day of round 1 Chemo Therapy. Woke up early and read all the cards of support that have been sent while drinking a mocha frappachino. Spirits lifted immensely. At 10:30 am blog gets 2,500th hit- Panada Express for lunch - love that Terraki Chicken.
1/6/08
Korrine came home today and will rest up for her next round of treatments in 2 weeks.
1/7/08
Korrine was taken back to the hospital today because she was dehydrated and needed fluids. After receiving fluids and a portable IV, she was sent home. She will be readmitted tomorrow morning. She is very nauseous and weak today. Weight - 83 lbs.
1/8/08
Today started out as a hard day, but Korrine was able to eat some real food and is now resting comfortably in the hospital. Highlights of the day - Signed Water Polo Ball from the UCB Women's Water Polo team and new laptop from her Dentists!
1/9/08
Korrine is still in the hospital, but today was a good day. Mom and Dad were trained in TPN and will be able to administer it once they are home to help build her strength. Answer to prayer: No nausea today!! Yay!
1/10/08
Korrine is still in the hospital and today has been a hard day. She is extremely nauseous, tired and has a very upset stomach. TPE administered and two blood transfusions received. She is sharing a room with one other girl and it's pretty noisy. Please pray that she will get better so she can rest at home.
1/11/08
Korrine is feeling SO much better today. Yesterday's blood transfusions did they trick and she will be going home with a portable IV today. They haven't gotten much rest at the hospital, so please NO UNSCHEDULED PHONE CALLS OR VISITORS to the house until further notice. Thank you!
1/12/08
It's been a good day. Korrine is eating, resting and playing video games. Her spirits are up we are looking forward to more days like this.
1/13/08
Korrine had a great weekend and even went to watch her waterpolo team the "Lazer's" play this afternoon for a little bit. The team gave her a waterpolo ball signed by the whole team. She loved seeing everyone and loves the idea of the "Team KC" t-shirts. They will raise awareness and get the word out about the seriousness of her cancer and the need to support others who are suffering from cancer related illnesses. Korrine will be home for the next week, getting some much needed rest and getting strong before she has her next round of treatments.
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