06/20/2010
by Sherrie Wells I was just pulling into my driveway this evening and I realized how lucky I was for so many reasons. Michael and I were able to get some quiet time alone while “Grammy and Grandpa” watched Brady. I think the three of them had a lot of fun together. And I certainly did enjoy an evening out with my husband. We walked to a local restaurant and talked about our fears, our hopes, and our dreams. Michael is an amazing man and I treasure our time together. Brady’s nurse tonight is Mary, so the “man cave” is in great hands. She really is one of the best. Brady also had a surprise visit from the VP of RWJ today, Kari Mastro. She wanted to let us know that his surgery will be at 9am on Wednesday. Michael and Kari had a great discussion. She genuinely cares and that is just touching. We have a wonderful support system in place all around us. Thank goodness for technology, web sites, guestbook, emails, text messaging, etc! Some of the moms that I have met on this floor are just amazing women. They are there for you, always, no matter what. Ladies, I appreciate all of your concern and well wishes for Brady. Speaking of friends, I don’t know what I would do without my best friend Kellie to lean on. Tonight, we received a beautiful card in the mail and a very, very generous donation to the Hugs for Brady fund. Kellie has caught a glimpse of what we experiencing and she writes,: “It is our hope for a cure and for support for children and parents going through this awful illness. We are praying for a miracle.” Thank you Kellie, Dan, and Nickolas (I loved that you wrote your own name Nick!). I also want to thank everyone else who has contributed to the fund. Thank you to Russ and Sue, Kathy and Dennis, and to the many anonymous donors. A special thanks to Jessica for the box of chocolates, they got me through this past week! Thank you to Embrace for Kids Foundation for the Father’s Day gift card for Michael. Thank you to the hem/onc staff for throwing a little party on Friday for the floor, the food was delicious and it brightened our day!by Michael Wells Please indulge me or should I say, “Us” and read the following 2 entries written separately last night. Very scary stuff, that we think so much alike. Sunday and the Man Cave once again became gentrified with a flare. Sherrie surprised all of us with a truly special Father’s Day luncheon. Our menu consisted of hors d’oeuvres of fresh cashew nuts and a very unique Cheddar cheese selection. For our main course, she served roasted lamb chops, asparagus risottos, vegetable medley and for dessert tiramisu. Sherrie really out did herself and it was delicious. She had a table set complete with a bed sheet tablecloth and pillow case napkins. While Sherrie wants to thank Trader Joe’s she really deserves a ton of credit for making Father’s Day truly memorable. Lori, Brian and their 2 children stopped by to say hell-o. Jackie looked just GREAT!! It was really nice to see them; they are such a lovely family. Good Luck, to Jackie on her up-coming surgery. Today, we also had a surprise visit from Stephen Jones the CEO of Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital. I cannot begin to express my appreciation to him for taking the time to see how Brady was doing and if there was anything we needed or he could help us with. A really special guy and we are just blown away with his involvement with Brady. Thank you, Steve. We also were totally blown away when our son counted to 10! He was sitting in his high chair, eating mini fruits and started picking one at time and placing them at the corner of the high chair tray and counted “1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10.” We were astonished, amazed, and speechless with this accomplishment. Grandma cried, as it was really very, very cool and made Sherrie and me proud beyond words. I spoke with my other 2 children; Jennifer and Stephen and I really had a fantastic Father’s Day. Gary (Sherrie’s Dad) also, had a great day and I believe was really touched by Sherri’s warmth and love. He couldn’t stop saying; “this is really so nice.” So, now it’s on to Wednesday and the confirmation that Brady’s cancer is headed into remission. Until then; please say an extra prayer, spend more time thinking of him and hug someone you love extra tight, for with your help Brady will beat this beast.
“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.