~*~My Son....My Hero~*~
Official Home of the Navy Blue Angels #1 Fan!
Hey ya'all....The names Kody...Welcome to my crib, my own little Korner of the internet...my home page dawg!
I guess this is the part where I tell you all about myself, well let's see....I'm 11 years old, single {and really enjoying every minute of it}, I am a non-smoker and big into Wendy's chicken sandwiches and root beer.
I have a Mom and Dad...their names are Kim and Karl. They're pretty cool...My Mom stays at home so she can take part in every minute of raising us six "K" kids and one spitfire of a grand-daughter, Alona...not a real easy job but made much easier by an occasional soap opera and box of bon-bons.
My Dad works like a bull...six days a week. He's alright though..you know, who else is gonna keep me on the newest, fastest anything on wheels?
I have three sisters, Karyelle {loves to shop}, Kayara {Dude..this girl can talk!}, and Kaysha {can we all say Drama Queen?!}. I also have two brothers, Kyle {my man..I taught him everything he knows about skating..HA!} and my little bro Kolin {this kid is hilarious!!}.
I've got three dogs...Boomer who weighs something like 180 pounds and another reason why Dad works alot, the pups got an appetite almost as big as mine. There's Mollie, a golden retrevier who really belongs to my sister, Karyelle but I figure if she's on my turf and eats my nerf footballs..she belongs to me too, right? Then there's my new Rottweiller pup, his name is Zeke, my Mom says if Zeke and I ever grow into our feet it'll be a miracle. I also have two black cats...Bam {named after my all time crazy whacked out skater, Bam Margera} and Lola {Drama Queen named her}. Then there's Leonardo, a cute lil' gray kitten with blue eyes my Dad rescued from being squashed by a few cars on a busy street.
Some things I think are way cool and I couldn't possibly live without....
SKATEBOARDING!! And a few more things are...Tang Soo Doo {Karate}, Choppers..as in Orange County Choppers, Tony Hawk is the shiznick, Blue Angel Jets {I plan on being a Blue Angel pilot one day so watch out, or at least watch the sky!}, music {Linkin' Park, Good Charlotte, Emeniem, D-12, Disturbed, Green Day, Papa Roach & Slipknot}, I like cool sneakers, cool clothes and my hair...Dude...I have some awesome locks!
So...you might be wondering why my Mom decided I should have my own site...well, let me tell you all about my past few years, they've been a pretty rocking roller coaster ride so buckle up and hold on.
On January 8, 2002 after having some pretty nasty bouts of headaches a/k/a monsteraches, a turned up eye and some other unpleasant side effects of headaches, my Dr. told my Mom and Dad I had an inoperable brainstem tumor. Even though this really seemed to upset them alot...I thought it was just a bummer since it kept me from getting on my board for a while.
On January 10, 2002 my pretty cool neuro-surgeon, Dr. Pincus from Shands Hospital at University of Florida did some surgery on me to find out just what was going on in there...I mean I knew I had a pretty fine brain but what in the world was this tumor thing growing in there anyway?
What he found out after doing a stereotactic needle biopsy and a third ventricularotomy {a hole popped in my third ventricle for hydrocephlus a/k/a CSF swelling} was very unique, not great and pretty unusal. By the way...nothing I do is easy street, I kind of like standing out in a crowd if you know what I mean.
Six weeks later Mom and Dad got the pathology results back..my tumor was called a "microglioma", for lack of a better word it was called this because the tumor was orginating from "microglial cells". Want to hear something even crazier? They say I am the only living person in the world with a microglioma, cool beans..don't ya think?
Anyway...I recovered from surgery with no problems at all and was back on my board in three weeks.
The next year or so wasn't so bad..a headache here and there, an upturned eye, some balancing issues but all things considered...I rocked Baby!
Then along came May of 2003 when I started getting those headaches way too often and tripping was becoming a part of my everyday self.
Another Cat Scan and would you believe my luck..the third ventricularotomy failed and I needed more surgery to implant a VP Shunt.
Fast forward to the day after this brain surgery and I was so outta that crazy hospital...hey, I'm a kid, I have much better things to do then lay around sleeping.
Fast forward again to a week after surgery...a brand spanking new more snug fitting helmet and I was ready to ollie my way into skating Heaven once again.
September of 2003...remember that eye problem I mentioned? Yeah well it was getting worse so Dr. Levine, my pretty awesome eye doc, decided it would be a great time to allign that eyeball and that's what we did. A few hours later...this kid was on his way back home! Two days later...guess where I was?
Now...things had been going pretty well, but recently those rotten headaches decided to rear their ugly head again and as things go on this roller coaster...there are ups and there are downs and in October, 2004 I had a big let down.
One day I was flying on my Bam Margera skateboard...down hills, over curbs, up ramps, grinding rails and the next day...BAM...my whole right eye and face were paralyzed...crazy, huh? Another MRI and guess what? Yeppers..things were not going well at all...another surgery I could have lived without but, as things go...Dr. Pincus and my parents thought otherwise and so on October 25th, 2004 Dr. Pincus preformed my biggest one yet..try saying this..."Stereotactic guided craniotomy for interhemispheric transcallosal approach and microsurgical resection of a brainstem tumor".
For all of you who are saying "What??"...here's an easy way to think of it...My head was cut right down my middle part, the two lobes of my brain were cut and gently parted and then Dr. Pincus went into my brainstem to remove a whole lot of my tumor and relieve the swelling that the tumor was causing around my brainstem.
Waking up from that one was tough...but as I like to say "Life is tough...But I'm Tougher".
It took a few days to come around but I did it...it took even longer to learn to walk and talk right again...but I did it.
It will take a little longer to get back on my board...But I WILL do it!!
Oh...the pathology results this time...just my great luck again..another tumor so that makes two. This one they call a Grade 2 Astrocytoma with inflammatory microglial cells.
Do you think this Astrocytoma thing is gonna get the better of me? HA....I am Iron Man...nothing can get me down!!
Thank you all for stopping by...read on...have fun...love you all! {especially if your a babe!!}
Love...Kody Bear
Update on the intro....
"Dudes...As of November 28, 2004...one month and three days after brain surgery....I am BACK ON MY BOARD and better then ever!! Couldn't of done it without the prayers...keep um' coming...I love you for it!!
Luv, Kody
Update on the update to the into...
Hey Dudes and Dudettes...March 17th of 2005 will be a night to remember in our house. Now, I have to admit I don't remember much of it but from what they tell me my Mom and Dad aged a few years and got a whole lot grayer. All was pretty normal till I went to bed and not long after that I officially became "Kody...Unplugged".
Yep, you read it here first...I had my first seizure, a whopping "Grand Mal" that lasted a lil' more then 12 minutes.
It cost me a ride in an ambulance twice before I finally landed at my "Home away from Home", Shands Hospital. It also cost me a few days of hanging around that hospital and a brand spankin' new medicine to remember to take everyday.
But, this Carbatrol {anti-seizure med.} stuff totally rocks cuz other then some small tremors, I am doing just fine.
No more "Funky Chickens" for this kid!
Gotta go for now, the sun is shinin' and my skateboard needs ridin'!
Love and other good stuff...Kody
"If God brings you to it, He will see you through it"
"I believe there are angels among us
Sent down to us from somewhere up above
They come to you and me in our darkest hours
To show us how to live
To teach us how to give
To guide us with a light of love"
Kody Jacob Kruppenbacher....Our Angel on Earth
"MIO FIGLIO...IL MIO EROE"
~*~*~My son...My hero~*~*~
*HUGS* TOTAL!
give Kolin more *HUGS*
Get hugs of your own
*HUGS* TOTAL!
give kodybear more *HUGS*
Get hugs of your own
~*~KODY'S KOOL PAGE...COME VISIT~*~
~*~KODY'S KOOL PAGE II...WELCOME ALL~*~
KODY'S PEPPER PAGE
Journal
Saturday, April 12, 2008 2:22 PM CDT
Please join Kody at his Kody's Story on Blogger.
http://kodys-story.blogspot.com
And, if your wanting too..leave us your Caring Bridge addy to be listed on link page of Kody's CB friends.
Thanks!!
Love, Kim and The Bear
Read Journal History
Hospital Information:
Shands Childrens Hospital at University of Florida
Gainesville, Florida
Kody Kruppenbacher
2402 Myer Avenue
Leesburg, Florida 34748
Links:
http://www.sharethelove.org Adopt a kid or two or three and please don't forget our special Angel friends who's loved ones left behind need support, prayers and encouragment.
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/works.html Neuroscience for Kids...Kody LOVES this place..it's pretty cool!
http://www.shands.org/find/service/default.asp?ID=280 This is the place at my hospital where I spend most of my time...the Neurosurgical Suite.
