11/28/2009
by Michael Wells Wow! What a great week-end. Yesterday we went for our daily 2 mile walk which turned into a 4 mile walk as Brady decided he does not like mittens and took one off while on my back in his knapsack. Yes, we found the missing mitten and along the way ran into Aunt Ellen and our neighbor Tony and his woof-woof “Bunker.” Great people and an outstanding dog! Later in the day Sherrie and I ran a few errands as her Mom & Dad watched Brady. After that, we all ate left-overs from yesterday. Oh and Yes; Brady is doing simply fantastic; no fever, no diarrhea, just smiles and laughter. Today, if the weather allows us we will be playing in our backyard as I gather things up and store them for the winter. Life is back to “normal” and I love it! We live a simple life and we cannot wait to get this disease behind us to continue enjoying it. This upcoming week is going to be an extremely interesting one; first Brady goes back to the hospital on Monday for blood work, Tuesday he is back at the hospital where he will be admitted for his bone marrow biopsy, BROVIAC® Catheter insertion, followed by intrathecal (injection directly into the spine) chemotherapy. Brady will be sedated during these procedures and all should go well. On Wednesday it’s more chemotherapy for Brady. This time it be either intravenously administered or via injections. Sherrie and I are off to Philadelphia for a meeting at CHOP (Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia) with Dr. Nancy Bunin – Director, Stem Cell Transplantation, Associate Professor of Pediatrics, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. This meeting will greatly impact our decision regarding whether or not we go forward with a stem cell transplant. I can’t wait to meet with her and discuss Brady’s various options. Yes, next week is jammed packed with “stuff” and virtually every day Brady will be receiving his chemo (11 days in all) followed by 4-6 weeks of recovery at the hospital. During my life I have spent the Christmas Holidays at sea courtesy of the US Navy, in Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Vermont, New Jersey, Colorado, Michigan, Massachusetts and Mexico but never in a hospital, this will be a first. It will not be very “normal” but is very necessary. I’ve got to get going, it’s time to make cranberry pancakes so, until next time; please continue to hug, pray and keep our son Brady in your thoughts…“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.