8 Years Later—Still No Cure for Pediatric Cancer – Introduction
Dear Family and Friends,
Did you ever ask yourself, does a journey really ever end? The word journey is used for many things; a trip, a path you’ve chosen to take in your life, a relationship. For me, journey is a bittersweet word that brings me both joyful memories, and painful reminders of a devastating end. My son Brady’s journey in this life was all too brief, cut viciously short by cancer when he was just two years old. So yes, I used to believe that all journeys come to an end.
In the midst of our son’s battle with cancer, Michael and I needed a way to share our journey, to communicate with and keep family and friends updated. That is when we came across Caring Bridge, an online source to create a webpage, write journal entries, accept well wishes and share photos all in one place. It became a kind of lifeline for us. Even more than that, it became a kind of therapy for me in that it was a safe place to share our thoughts and what we were going through.
Over the coming months I want to share our journey with you by publishing our journal entries from those months of Brady’s illness and treatment. There were times of hope, others of sorrow and frustration. Our Caring Bridge journal has been visited more than 30,000 times. We hope that you too will take the time to read our entries, to get a very brief glimpse of what it is like to live in the world of pediatric cancer. Perhaps it will give you a new understanding of how hard it is to watch your child suffer. Or maybe it will give you a new appreciation for the healthy children in your life. Perhaps it will even give you some insight as to why we felt compelled to turn our anger and sadness into hope and encouragement by forming the Hugs for Brady Foundation.
What we do is so vitally important. We were able to find a voice with Caring Bridge while Brady was sick. That voice has become louder and stronger through Hugs for Brady, and we will be heard. We must continue to raise awareness that pediatric cancer research is vastly underfunded. We need to focus on cutting-edge treatments and technology that help us find ways to beat this horrible disease. Perhaps most importantly, we have to be a beacon of hope for children and their families struggling through their own battles.
But we cannot do it alone. Michael and I were surrounded by family, friends, and strangers alike, all wanting to offer and draw strength and hope from each other during Brady’s illness. And now Hugs for Brady needs that same support. We need you to walk with us on this new path of our journey.
Which brings me back to my original question, does a journey ever really end? My answer used to be yes, it does. But now I understand while one path may come to an end, the journey itself continues on. We simply keep moving, one step at a time. Sometimes we step forward, other times we may step backward, but ultimately, those steps will take us in a new direction.
I remind myself that my journey is far from over, that it has become a quest; to ease the burdens of others who cannot do so for themselves, to fight the battle for those too weak to fight alone, and to conquer a disease that cruelly ravages families without compunction. Join me as I reflect on the steps I have already taken, and look ahead to the steps yet to come. Look back with me and see that Brady’s journey did not in fact come to an end, but gave way to a hopeful new beginning.
Warmly,
Sherrie Wells