KURTIS WAS BORN A BOUNCY BABY BOY. HE WAS JUST LIKE ANY OTHER BABY, SO WE THOUGHT! WE STARTED TO NOTICE CERTAIN THINGS ABOUT KURTIS THAT WERE DIFFERENT. HE SEEMED TO BE AHEAD OF HIMSELF. 3 DAYS AFTER HIS MOM AND DAD TOOK HIME HOME FROM THE HOSPITAL, THEY RUSHED HIM BACK DUE TO YELLOW JUANDICE. NORMAL, MAYBE! BUT NOT FOR KURTIS, HE WAS 1/2 A POINT FROM NEEDING A BLOOD TRANSFUSION, WHEN HE JUST SEEMED TO GET BETTER AT A FAST RATE. DOCTORS WERE AMAZED! HE GREW UP LIKE ANY NORMAL BOY, PLAYING IN THE MUD, RIDING HIS BIKE, ETC. UNTILL THAT DAY IN JANUARY 2004. KURTIS HAS HIS LEFT TESTICLE REMOVE DUE TO A MASS. IT TURNED OUT TO BE A VERY RARE FORM OF CANCER. (DESMOPLASTIC SMALL ROUND CELL TUMOR). KURTIS WENT THRU 6 ROUNDS OF CHEMO AND BATTLED THE EVIL! IN DECMBER 2004 HE HAD HIS LAST TREATMENT AND WAS SENT HOME. IN FEBRUARY 2005 HE HAD A SCAN AND IT WAS ALL CLEAR! IN APRIL 2005 KURTIS WENT TO DISNEY WORLD FOR 2 WEEKS WITH HIS FATHER, STEP MOM, STEP SISTERS NATASHA AND COURTNEY ALONG WITH THE 2 PEOPLE WHO MADE THE TRIP POSSIBLE. HIS GRANDMA AND GRANDPA CHARLES! 2005 WAS A GREAT AND PROSPEROUS YEAR FOR KURTIS. IN FEBRUARY OF 2006 THE CANCER CAME BACK! SCANS SHOWED A LARGE PELVIC MASS AND SEVERAL OTHER MASSES THRU HIS ABDOMAN. 2 MORE ROUNDS OF CHEMO WITH NO LUCK! IN APRIL THE SNYDERVILL LIONS SENT KURTIS AND HIS FATHERS FAMILY TO THE GREAT WOLF LODGE IN TRAVERSE CITY FOR 3 DAYS. IT WAS THE LAST TRIP KURTIS COULD MAKE. 2 WEEKS LATER KURTIS TOOK A TURN FOR THE WORSE. FLUID WAS BUILDING UP IN HIS BELLY AND DRAINING WAS NOT STOPPING IT. KURTIS FUAGHT IT HARD FOR FOR SEVERAL MONTHS BUT ON JULY 2ND GOD CALLED KURTIS HOME! AT HIS SIDE WERE HIS FATHER (BRIAN), STEPMOM (TINA), MOTHER (TONIA) AND OLDER BROTHER (ERIC). KURTIS WAS IN NO PAIN ANYMORE! HE NOW SOARS WITH THE ANGELS! KURTIS LEFT US WITH ALOT OF GREAT MEMORIES AND I KNOW HE WOULD WANT US ALL TO REMEMBER HIM THE WAY HE WAS PRIOR TO THE CANCER. KURTIS WAS MORE THAN JUST A 10 YR OLD BOY, HE WAS AN ANGEL SENT TO US TO PERFORM SOME MAJIC. KURTIS DID HIS MAJIC WITH MANY DIFFERENT PEOPLE IN MANY DIFFERENT WAYS. KURTIS KNEW HOW TO PICK HIS FRIENDS TOO! A VERY SPECIAL FRIEND OF HIS WAS MATHEW STEMMLER. I OWE A GREAT DEBT TO MATHEW'S FAMILY! THEY SUPPORTED KURTIS AND MY FAMILY THRU OUR HARD TIMES. THANK YOU! I KNOW I SPEAK FOR ALL WHO KNEW KURTIS, HE WILL BE MISSED VERY MUCH. I MUST ADD THO, AND I REALIZE THIS SOUNDS SELFISH, BUT I, HIS FATHER WILL MISS KURTIS THE MOST. KURTIS AND I BECAME VERY CLOSE DURING HIS CHEMO TREATMENTS. I STAYED IN THE HOSPITAL WITH HIM DURING THE NIGHTTIME HOURS AND WE TALKED AND LUAGHED AND LEARNED ALOT ABOUT EACH OTHER.  I BEGAN TO SEE THAT IN HIM WAS A MESSENGER FROM GOD! I LOVE YOU AND MISS YOU KURTIS! WE WILL MEET AGAIN, IN HEAVEN! I HAVE NEVER MET A MORE BRAVE AND STRONGE WILLED HUMAN.