03/21/2010
by Michael Wells It’s early Sunday morning and I’m having trouble trying to find something interesting to write about. This is a rather beautiful feeling and one I pray will last for a very long time. I know that the first few days after a peripheral blood stem cell transplant (BSCT) the doctor call the “honeymoon” but be that as it may, I’m enjoying the heck of out having a bouncing baby boy who’s trying to get into everything he can. Yesterday we had an hour off the machines and in the playroom. We absolutely tore up the place. I didn’t think a toddler could possibly play with every toy in an hour but Brady sure tried. As I was getting his clothes for our play hour Brady spied his shoes and for the next 30 minutes he was beside himself with pointing and saying over and over “shoes, shoes.” I actually had to put the shoes away and pick him up to calm him. It was like Pavlov’s dog had heard a bell ring; very funny! Brady’s next door neighbor is his pal from Robert Wood Johnson; Jimmy. Jimmy is the most adorable 11 year old boy I have ever met. He’s always smiling and never complaints about anything. We don’t see much of him as the rules at CHOP are very strict and NO ONE is really allowed to leave their room. Yesterday, his nurse knocked on our door to give Brady a poster that Jimmy made for Brady; it was just endearing. It must be tough on Jimmy as both his parents are hard working Mexican Americans and they have other children to care for; so Jimmy is here just with his mom most of the time. He too, just had a BMT and is also battling AML. This horrible disease seems to single out the best. In the more mundane items of everyday living; Sherrie arrived home late Friday night to find our furnace leaking water all over our laundry room floor. I swear this woman cannot catch a break. So, today she is waiting for the boys from PSE&G to come and repair the furnace. Another unexpected expense that would have (at one time) sent me into hyperbolic drive but somehow now just isn’t too important. Finally, we received our first bill for just my initial lab expenses from CHOP and let’s just say; WOW! Can’t wait to see the entire cost; I’ll reach out to my insurance company on Monday to get an explanation and hopefully some relief. So, there it is; a typical wonderful “boys weekend” of hanging out watching a little basketball, a little Baby Einstein and just relaxing. Life is pretty darn good for now. However, the “fun” will start this coming week so Brady seriously still needs every positive thought, hug and prayer he can gather. His friend Jimmy could use a few too! Thank you…“8 Years Later—Still No Cure for Pediatric Cancer” is a series of posts revisiting the journal kept by Sherrie and Michael Wells during the cancer diagnosis and treatment of their son, Brady Michael. Hopefully these entires will provide an understanding of the journey families face when dealing with these horrific diseases and of the important work the Hugs for Brady Foundation does.