"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
Today is Korrine's 60th day in the hospital. She is receiving your donated A- blood. Thank you for the gift of life to our daughter.
Korrine received the President's Education Award for Oustanding Academic Excellence as she maintained a 4.0 all throughout Junior High. Congratulations Korrine!
Thank you to Mendenhall Middle School for your love and support of Korrine and for you daily letters to her. The student's at Mendenhall have not forgotten Korrine and you have brought a smile to her face with all your letters. Thank you for everything. We are thankful you are putting the graduation on Web Cam so Korrine can watch her graduation and all her friends from her hospital bed. Thank You!
Thank you to everyone at Smith Elementary for all your prayers, love and support. You are amazing. we appreciate your support. Life is not to be taken for granted and we deeply appreciate every litttle thing.
Happy Graduation Day!
Stay Positive and LiveSTRONG
Dana and Matt Croghan
30 comments:
Hey Korrine,
Happy Graduation!!! We will miss seeing your smiling face tonight! We hope you enjoy it on the web cam though. That's really cool that you'll get to see it!!! Hope you are having a wonderful day!!!
Love
The Vasquez's
Taylor,Savannah,Wendy,& Aj
Happy Graduation Day Korrine!!
You should be so proud of yourself and your great grades, keep up the awesome work!
I'll be thinking of you and sending my love tonight along with all the Mendenhall students.
Have a beautiful day, you deserve it.
Love and prayers,
Sue Bakalar
Korrine that is so amazing a 4.0 in middleschool is wonderful! You are such an amazing person. Happy Graduation and congrats with moving on with your class.
That is great that you will get to watch it. That should bring your beautiful smile out in full force.
Hope you are doing well back at Kaiser. 60days is a long time but keep on fighting! You are winning this!
Our love and prayers are with you.
The Riddiough Family
Dear Korrine,
Happy 8th Grade Graduation! You know everyone will be thinking of you, and we all are so very proud of you! Congratulations on 4.0 all the way through Mendenhall! Of course, I wouldn't have expected less, you are an outstanding student!! :) You are amazing, and I am blessed to know you. You are the true meaning of beauty, courage, excellence, and love.
Livestrong! love you, Mrs. Snyder
Congradulations on your graduation and the honors show your hard work. You have a big future.
Congratulations Korrine We Love you!
The Paredez Family
Dear Korrine,
CONGRATULATIONS on your award (we're not surprised) and promoting to high school! Have a wonderful day celebrating...our best to your dad, mom and Sean.
Love,
The McNairs
Hi Korrine!
We will all be thinking of you today. I wish you could be there with us! Stay rested up.
I love you,
Emma
You all are one of the top inspirations in our lives. Thank YOU and Thank You, Jesus! Love, Stephen and Rebecca
Congratulations Korrine! WOW....What an achievement. You truly are a remarkable young lady and should be very proud of yourself. We don't know you personally, but you have touched our lives and we continue to keep you and your family in our thoughts and prayers. You are an inspiration. Thank you. God bless you always!
That's outstanding! Congrats Korrine! A true inspiration to excel at school and kick cancer's butt, all with a smile. Keep it up!
Dear Korrine,
Congrats on graduating and for the award you were given. We hope you enjoy watching it even though you won't be there in person. We pray you get better and all the cancer goes away so you can leave the hospital.
from Robert and Christopher Nilsen
HAPPY GRADUATION DAY
You should be so very proud of yourself... We are all so very proud of you. 4.0 very impressive and a well deserved Presidential award.
Congrats on your graduation Korrine! You did such a great job at school - you are amazing. Watch out Granada... here comes Korrine!
The "Gutz" family is thinking of you with love and prayers today!
Congratuations, Korrine, on your graduation, and with such high honors!!!!
As Dr. Seuss wrote:
Oh, the Places You'll Go!
Congratulations!
Today is your day.
You're off to Great Places!
You're off and away!
You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes
You can steer yourself
any direction you choose.
You're on your own. And you know what you know.
And YOU are the gal who'll decide where to go.
You'll look up and down streets. Look 'em over with care.
About some you will say, "I don't choose to go there."
With your head full of brains and your shoes full of feet,
you're too smart to go down any not-so-good street.
And you may not find any
you'll want to go down.
In that case, of course,
you'll head straight out of town.
It's opener there
in the wide open air.
Out there things can happen
and frequently do
to people as brainy
and footsy as you.
And when things start to happen,
don't worry. Don't stew.
Just go right along.
You'll start happening too.
OH!
THE PLACES YOU'LL GO!
You'll be on your way up!
You'll be seeing great sights!
You'll join the high fliers
who soar to high heights.
You won't lag behind, because you'll have the speed.
You'll pass the whole gang and you'll soon take the lead.
Wherever you fly, you'll be the best of the best.
Wherever you go, you will top all the rest.
Except when you don't
Because, sometimes, you won't.
I'm sorry to say so
but, sadly, it's true
and Hang-ups
can happen to you.
You can get all hung up
in a prickle-ly perch.
And your gang will fly on.
You'll be left in a Lurch.
You'll come down from the Lurch
with an unpleasant bump.
And the chances are, then,
that you'll be in a Slump.
And when you're in a Slump,
you're not in for much fun.
Un-slumping yourself
is not easily done.
You will come to a place where the streets are not marked.
Some windows are lighted. But mostly they're darked.
A place you could sprain both you elbow and chin!
Do you dare to stay out? Do you dare to go in?
How much can you lose? How much can you win?
And IF you go in, should you turn left or right...
or right-and-three-quarters? Or, maybe, not quite?
Or go around back and sneak in from behind?
Simple it's not, I'm afraid you will find,
for a mind-maker-upper to make up his mind.
You can get so confused
that you'll start in to race
down long wiggled roads at a break-necking pace
and grind on for miles across weirdish wild space,
headed, I fear, toward a most useless place.
The Waiting Place...
...for people just waiting.
Waiting for a train to go
or a bus to come, or a plane to go
or the mail to come, or the rain to go
or the phone to ring, or the snow to snow
or waiting around for a Yes or a No
or waiting for their hair to grow.
Everyone is just waiting.
Waiting for the fish to bite
or waiting for wind to fly a kite
or waiting around for Friday night
or waiting, perhaps, for their Uncle Jake
or a pot to boil, or a Better Break
or a sting of pearls, or a pair of pants
or a wig with curls, or Another Chance.
Everyone is just waiting.
NO!
That's not for you!
Somehow you'll escape
all that waiting and staying.
You'll find the bright places
where Boom Bands are playing.
With banner flip-flapping,
once more you'll ride high!
Ready for anything under the sky.
Ready because you're that kind of a guy! [Note: "gal" doesn't rhyme with "sky:]
Oh, the places you'll go! There is fun to be done!
There are points to be scored. there are games to be won.
And the magical things you can do with that ball
will make you the winning-est winner of all.
Fame! You'll be famous as famous can be,
with the whole wide world watching you win on TV.
Except when they don't.
Because, sometimes, they won't.
I'm afraid that some times
you'll play lonely games too.
Games you can't win
'cause you'll play against you.
All Alone!
Whether you like it or not,
Alone will be something
you'll be quite a lot.
And when you're alone, there's a very good chance
you'll meet things that scare you right out of your pants.
There are some, down the road between hither and yon,
that can scare you so much you won't want to go on.
But on you will go
though the weather be foul
On you will go
though your enemies prowl
On you will go
though the Hakken-Kraks howl
Onward up many
a frightening creek,
though your arms may get sore
and your sneakers may leak.
On and on you will hike
and I know you'll hike far
and face up to your problems
whatever they are.
You'll get mixed up, of course,
as you already know.
You'll get mixed up
with many strange birds as you go.
So be sure when you step.
Step with care and great tact
and remember that Life's
a Great Balancing Act.
Just never forget to be dexterous and deft.
And never mix up your right foot with your left.
And will you succeed?
Yes! You will, indeed!
(98 and 3 / 4 percent guaranteed.)
KID, YOU'LL MOVE MOUNTAINS!
So...
be your name Buxbaum or Bixby or Bray
or Mordecai Ali Van Allen O'Shea,
you're off to Great Places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting.
So...get on your way!
Well graduate, you have come a long way and we are all so proud of you. CONGRATS! To see the promotion on the webcam is an awesome event for you to be a part of and witness live!
We continue to pray for you Korrine, and the entire family. The strength and courage is of that to be admired.
staySTRONG!
((Virtual Hugs))
The Heinz Family
Congratulations Korrine,
You are the most amazing person I know. We will miss seeing you tonight but glad to know you'll be able to watch on the web cam. I'll tell Delaney to wave if she knows where it's at. You are always in our thoughts and can't wait to see you when you come home.
Love Kristen, Steve & Delaney
Hi Korrine! Happy graduation! What a terrific accomplishment you have made. We are so so proud of you girly girl! When you graduate from High School, they will need to have it in a VERY large venue because Team KC won't fit in the stadium OR the gym and you KNOW we will all want to be there!
We are praying for you today, little one! As always.
Blessings & hugs,
Arla, Jack & Mary
Hi Korrine and Happy Graduation Day to you!!!
CONGRATULATIONS on receiving the President's award for Outstanding Academic Excellence! You must have worked very hard to achieve such an honor! Great Job! :)
It's got to be a bummer to miss being there with your friends tonight, but it's GREAT that you'll get to 'be there in spirit' and see it live via the web cam!! And I'm sure all your friends will be thinking of you too! :)
This has been a long road for you, but I'm keeping you in my daily prayers that soon you'll be going home, and the summer months will allow your body to rest, gain strenth, SWIM and HAVE FUN!
Again, my sincerest CONGRATULATIONS, Korrine, for such a Wonderful job throughout Junior High!!! 3 Cheers to You!!!
Love and Hugs~
Cindy Brian
Congratulations on graduating from junior high school!!!! On to Granada....Way to go in receiving your academic award. Beauty and Brains, that's YOU!!!!
We love you,
The Shull Family
Dear Sweet Korrine.. I know God is so proud of you for so many things. and I think he knows how hard it was for you to miss your graduation but you won't miss anymore! I will continue to pray as God heals you and gets you ready for high school. Dean (my son) is so excited for summer because soon he will get to play water polo for the first time,, I bet you remember your first time!
Take care and rest so you can get back in the water sooner! Congratulations on a wonderful middle school accomplishment!
blessings
The Kellman family
Korrine,
Happy Graduation Day! Congratulations on the 4.0! That is really GREAT! As I listened to your Uncle Mark at Canyon's Advancement this afternoon... I thought of you. Today is YOUR day!
hugs and love, kathy t.
Happy Grad Day to you!!!!!!!
Your high school is lucky to get a strong young lady like yourself!
Stay strong,
Liz Ben Pam and James
Happy Graduationa dn wished you could have been there tonight to see the entire audience stand and congrats you. I do not know you but when your name was called, my daughter who is now a sophomore at Granada (she went to smtih and Mendenhall) looked at me and said please and told me who you are. At once my eyes were watering and I said a prayer to you. see ya at Granada in the fall.
Happy Graduation!!!! Think we will have another in 4 years, Yeah!
Anja
Hey Korrine,
Yesterday at promotion when your name was called, everyone cheered. All the students wore yellow ribbons on their robe in support of you. Your an amazing person and we all missed you last night.
Love,
Elise Hedges
my eyes watered when I saw all the support you got from your school...
I will have my LiveSTrong band with me everyday until the day you are back in the water playing waterpolo.
Liz
Hi Korrine!
I hope you enjoyed watching our promotion on the web cam. Your mom looked very pretty when she went up to get your certificate. I wish you could have goten it yourself but we'll have another graduation in just 4 years! Everyone cheered for you and we all wore yellow ribbons on our robes in support of you and your fight.
Love,
Emma
Good Morning CutiePie!
I bet you felt the love coming from Mendenhall the night of promotion. I wish I'd been there to see it for myself. What a sight it must have been, and what a cheer!
I did go to Granada's graduation last night, and how appropriate that when you graduate in 4 years, you'll be wearing the yellow and black (of course, they call it gold, but we know better, haha). I'm sure it'll be quite a sight!!
I hope chemo is almost over for you and pray that you are feeling strong and good. Your strength astounds me, and your faith inspires me. Thank you for that.
Love,
Sue Bakalar
Korrine,
You Uncle Mark showed me the clip of your Mom, carrying your robe and getting your certificate. It made me cry. The applause seemed like it never stopped and it was so beautiful.
I know you so wanted to be there... and you were! In every heart of every student that walked across the stage... you were there. In every heart of the parents and grandparents that watched their child and also said a prayer and thought of you.
You have inspired so many people to LIVESTRONG and STAY POSITIVE!
hugs and love, kathy t.
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