  created 08/6/99 Dawson Kozimor August 11, 1998-December 30, 1999 |
created 08/6/99 Dawson Kozimor August 11, 1998-December 30, 1999 |
From Dawson's Dad "He began to breathe erratically at about 7 pm on 12/30. He passed away at 8:00. We were holding him, singing to him and kissing him the entire time. We really felt that he had one hand holding Jesus and the other holding ours in the final days. His service was on 1/3 and it was beautiful.. 2 songs have been written for Dawson and I am going into the studio to record them Thursday." Dawson’s StoryDawson Jeremiah Kozimor was born on August 11, 1998. He is the son of Scott and Sondra Kozimor of Murfreesboro, TN. He was born healthy and Dawson progressed normally until his 11th month. He has a 4 year old sister named Alyssa. In his 11 month, Dawson showed signs of sickness..vomiting, lethargy, and dehydration. After much searching, the correct diagnosis was obtained. “Malignant Brain Tumor”. After 15 hours of surgery to remove the tumor and many subsequent procedures to prepare for chemotherapy, the type of tumor has been revealed…”Rhabdoid Teratoma”. This is one of the most lethal childhood tumors on record. The physicians at Vanderbilt have given Dawson very little chance for survival. Past rates of survival of this tumor type are very slim (2%). Because of this fact, we are seeking all alternative treatments in conjunction/replacement of the standard chemotherapy protocol. We want to give him a chance. Dawson will be 1 on August 11th. Please pray for his full and speedy recovery. 
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 11/05/99 Scott and Sondra Kozimor 2319 Tullock Trail Murfreesboro, TN 37128 Update #1 November 5, 1999 Dear Friends: We would like to share with you a little bit of our lives with our son, Dawson. All of you have meant so much to us; we feel the least we can do is let you know how he is progressing. Sondra and I have had an interesting few months with Dawson. He has started to eat and drink by himself. He also has begun to talk, and says words such as "TAPE", "CUP", and "CAR". His first word was "TAPE" because he enjoys playing with it while we care for his feeding tube. He has begun to sleep through the nights, and is much less attached to "our hip" all the time. This is a much-needed miracle for Sondra and me! Dawson smiles all the time. He wakes up happy and loves to laugh. We hope and pray that he is chuckling at the physician's outlook for recovery! He has been a very normal 14-month-old, with a few exceptions of course. The first being the fact that he needs a MRI (Magnetic Resonance Image) scan every month or so to chart his improvement. He had one last month and the results were thought to be encouraging, but there was a small abnormality in the absent tumor bed. After further analysis, we have found that there has been a recurrence of tumor in our son. This was disheartening to us, but we still believe in his full healing. Once again, your continued prayer for our son is all we can ask for. We will be aggressively attacking this tumor with alternative therapies (both by IV and orally). We hope and pray that Dawson responds positively to these interventions. He is strong and we know that GOD works miracles everyday (Luke 18:27). Enclosed you will find a picture of our beautiful son. The scar on his chest is from a surgery on his stomach, and the "port" on his left side is how we originally fed him. We want you all to know how much you mean to our family and Dawson in particular. So many wonderful events have come out of this. We ask that you continually remember us in your thoughts and prayers, and be joyful in the miracles that God performs everyday! Attached you will find a list of companies who have supported us in our time of need. We call them "Dawson's Partners". If you do not patronize these establishments, please consider them in the future for your business. They spent much time and effort to help our son! Thanks so much for your support: spiritually, emotionally and financially. We could not do it without God and you! In Jesus' Precious Name, Scott, Sondra, Alyssa and Dawson Josiah's Hope World Outreach Church (Murfreesboro) The Kroger Company (Both Murfreesboro Locations) Lowes Home Improvement Warehouse (Murfreesboro) Mattress Warehouse (Murfreesboro) Suntrust Bank (Murfreesboro -Old Fort Parkway) Walgreens Pharmacy (Murfreesboro) All-American Cheerleading Gym (Murfreesboro) Cheers Cheerleading Gym (Franklin) The Tennessee Titans Charities Kroger Photo Department (Murfreesboro-Old Fort PKY) Achieve Healthcare Information Systems Father Ryan High School (Cheerleading Squad) Franklin Road Academy (Cheerleading Squad) Ronald McDonald House (Nashville) We would like to thank all of these partners as well as all the individuals for their support. It is our intention to remember everyone who has helped our family. If we have forgotten anyone or anybody, please except our apologies. 10/02/99 Dawson's MRI, last week, was negative for any tumors in head or spine. he has some fluid buildup but it is miniscule. he is much happier lately as well. Have a great day, scott 09/15/99 Dawson is wonderful. He is happy and smiling and gaining weight. We hope and continue to pray for his daily improvement. We have a follow-up MRI next monday, which coincindentally is our anniversary. Of course you can put out my e-mail address. Any encouraging words would be welcome. Please let me know what exact website Dawson is located on. My brain is a bit fuzzy on where I have been for the past two months. thanks for all your prayers and help. Scott 08/30/99 He is home..which to us is healing in itself. doctors are not giving him much of a chance though. Oh...how God will be glorified in this instance! He has fought through a bacterial infection and severe respiratory congestion but is smiling , laughing, crawling and walking. We have not seen this in over 6 weeks. He is doing well and we are so thankful for all the prayers and encouragement that our friends have provided. We will be starting some experimental treatments this week or the next, so continue to pray for his health, please! Thanks for your concern.. It is always good to hear from you. In His Name, Scott 08/20/99 Here is some information. We have been readmitted to the hospital with a bacterial infection...it apparently is severe. Just another hurdle that must be cleared.. Take care, Scott |