06/07/2010
by Michael Wells Sunday was a much better day than Saturday. Brady had his personality back and was doing fairly well most of the day. His temperature was in the “normal” range and he did not require any additional IVs. All was going well until 7:00pm then his temperature once again spiked to 103.5˚ suddenly reminding all of us the seriousness of his situation. Today, we start the journey to destroy this demon. Brady is scheduled (thank you Mr. Jones for making this happen) to have his Broviac catheter implanted in his chest (left side this time) along with a bone marrow biopsy. Chemotherapy will start either later today or some time on Tuesday. Due to Brady’s unique situation, his medical team (from around the country) have not finalized the chemo protocol. I am confident between Dr. Bunin and Dr. Drachtman they will come up with the proper drug regiment. I left the hospital early last night hoping to get caught on some work and sleep. Well, I managed to complete one out of two tasks. Sherrie stayed at the hospital and I hope she got some sleep. Well, I am going to start my day, so until next time; as Brady as begins the most significant 8 weeks of his life I ask you to pray, think of our baby and hug someone you love in his honor. I am also asking you to donate to help find a cure. Here are 2 organizations that can make a difference: https://www.makenoise4kids.org and the “Hugs for Brady” fund, please contact Craig Williams, the Director of Major Gifts & Planned Giving, at craig.williams@rwjuh.edu or (732) 418-8407. Thank youToday Brady had his Broviac catheter successfully inserted into his chest, along with an echocardiogram, a lumbar puncture and a bone marrow biopsy. Brady came through the procedure with flying colors. Sherrie and I waited for the pathology report for more than 5 hours and I wish we were still waiting. Please take a deep breath and sit down; Brady’s cancer has returned and it is worst than ever expected. His blast count is >80% and things are not good. Tomorrow Brady will start his 6th round of chemo with different drugs hoping they will get him into remission. There are no guarantees this is going to work and we will know within 2 weeks whether the chemo is working at all. I cannot begin to tell you how devastating this situation is to Sherrie and me. We are at our wits-end with sadness, sorrow and pain. Brady is a remarkable child who deserves so much better. It is extremely difficult to write this journal entry and also impossible to keep Brady’s room a “pollen-free” area. We are doing everything possible to keep Brady as comfortable as possible. We are not giving up but Brady condition is extremely dire. Please pray and pray and pray some more as Brady is in desperate need of a miracle.
“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.