06/24/2010
by Michael Wells Today was another day of an emotional roller coaster. Brady slept a good portion of the morning as he continues to be febrile as his temperature bounced around 102˚ all day long. Sherrie and I managed to have our conference call with Dr. Bunin and as a result we are scheduled to be at CHOP (out patient clinic) tomorrow morning (Friday) for a Lymphocyte transfusion. Many people have asked; “What are lymphocytes”, so please indulge me with the following published by MedicineNet.com: Lymphocytes: A small white blood cell (leukocyte) that plays a large role in defending the body against disease. Lymphocytes are responsible for immune responses. There are two main types of lymphocytes: B cells and T cells. The B cells make antibodies that attack bacteria and toxins while the T cells attack body cells themselves when they have been taken over by viruses or have become cancerous. Lymphocytes secrete products (lymphokines) that modulate the functional activities of many other types of cells and are often present at sites of chronic inflammation. Dr. Bunin is planning to use a large quantity of my T-cell lymphocytes in the attempt to destroy the cancer blasts. This is a very serious procedure as one of the results of this transfusion can be severe graft versus host disease, (GVHD). GVHD can be critical and it will be a byproduct of this transfusion which will be monitored closely. A little bit is good; too much GVHD and it could get really ugly. The odds of this working are extremely low; Brady will have another bone marrow biopsy in 2-4 weeks to determine the success of this transfusion. If it is not successful we will most likely take our baby home to spend as much time with him as possible. It’s late and I am running on just couple hours of sleep, so I am going to call it a night. I will write more tomorrow and thank so many people; until then please continue with your prayers, hugs and 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.