07/29/2010
by Michael Wells Wednesday was spent at the hospital receiving transfusions of whole blood and platelets. Thanks to Nurse Practitioner Donna, Brady got a room in Pediatric Hematology / Oncology unit on the 2nd floor. The rooms are much bigger and better equipped for an all day session like yesterday. The platelets came from Oklahoma City as once again there is a shortage of platelets in New Jersey. As Brady arrived at hospital he began to vomit; perhaps his way of expressing what he is really thinking about this entire situation. Brady came home around 5:00pm and was fast asleep until about 8:00 pm when he wanted to go for a bike ride. Off we went, him in his cart attached to my bike for a nice 5 mile bike ride. We got home just before it got dark and once again Brady was sleeping. He is sleeping most of the time now as his disease is taking over much of his blood making capabilities. His breathing is labored and he has not eaten much in the last 2 days. It is not very pleasant to watch and I can only imagine what Brady must be thinking and feeling. I’m really unsure what to write as the only thing I’ve learned from this disease is never expect anything. For all I know, tomorrow Brady could be back to his “normal” self. God, would we just love that! This coming week-end Saturday & Sunday July 31st / August 2nd will be the War at the Shore Lacrosse Tournament and we will be selling Super 50/50 Raffle tickets to hopefully all of the 35,000 fans & players in attendance. The tournament [link removed] will be held at the Drum Point Sports Complex in Brick, NJ. Brittany Herits has worked so hard to make the Super 50/50 Raffle a success; her and I will be there Saturday around 7:30-8:00 am to set up and we will be there all day selling raffle tickets. Brittany still needs some additional help. Anyone and anytime people can volunteer would be greatly appreciated. Plus, there are some really great Div 1 lacrosse players participating in the tournament so if anyone is into the game, it’s a great place to be see some outstanding lacrosse and help the Hugs for Brady Foundation raise money for pediatric cancer. If you’re interested in helping contact either me at: mwells@hugsforbrady.org or Brittany at [link removed] Brady just woke up and he has had 2 more nasty vomiting sessions. Sherrie just gave him zofran and vistaril which hopefully will help reduce the nausea and vomiting. That along with a couple of boluses of dilaudid and Brady is once again a sleep. This is not getting any easier on our baby and it’s ever so painful to watch him suffer. The situation is becoming painfully obvious and appears to be resting in the hands of God and I pray for Brady’s sake, he is just, kind and swift. Please continue your prayers, good thoughts and hugs; it’s all we have to hold on to.“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.