05/25/2010
by Sherrie Wells Well, I have some news. I’m told it’s not bad or good, we just need to change things up a bit. Brady’s engraftment percentage was at 98% two weeks ago. They were hoping for the same or higher last week. Well, it went down to 96%. I immediately started to panic and ask all sorts of questions. The short story is that it he has to immediately stop taking a drug called Prograf. Prograf helps the body accept the transplanted cells, avoid rejection, and decrease the harmful side effects like GVHD. So basically what they want to happen is for Brady’s body to fight harder to accept Michael’s cells to get the donor percentage up to 100%. Unfortunately, this means going off the drug that helps his body ward off the terrible side effects. So, I will need to keep a watchful eye for rashes or anything else out of the ordinary. On a brighter side, he really is doing well so we get to skip going into Philly today! I do not miss waking up a sleeping baby at 5:45 in the morning to go for a very long car ride and spending a good portion of our day in a hospital. We have a special request for all of the pediatric oncology families that read Brady’s journal. We would love to stay in touch, now and in the future, on a more personal level. If you would like to, please e-mail Michael your information (address, phone, and any family info that you care to share!). In so many different ways, you have all touched our lives. A few heroines that come to mind are Gerri, Lori, and Tracey. I won’t put their last names because if you know them, then you surely would agree. The three of you are strong, inspirational woman that keep it together through even the toughest of times. Brady sends a ton of HUGS to all of you. We thank each and every one of you for all that you have done for us. Have a great week and we will let you know how next week’s visit at CHOP goes.“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.