06/16/2010
by Michael Wells Yesterday, I didn’t get to spend much time with Brady. Sherrie and I attended Christian’s funeral which was held about an hour from the hospital. Grandma was kind enough to stay with Brady while we paid our respects to Lori and Ray, (Christian’s Mom & Dad). The funeral home was overflowing with hundreds of teenagers and I must say, it was very moving and disturbing. Pediatric cancer is so evil and beyond understanding as it causes so much pain and sorrow. Our friend, Christian now joins Mark and I pray they are at peace and comfort for eternity. Brady had a very rough Tuesday. He is starting to express pain with words and it is just heart breaking. He now rubs his head and cries, “hurt, hurt, hurt”. Our baby is getting old enough to express the horror of his situation. The doctors are a bit concerned about his blood pressure, as it continues to run on the high side, (150/62 range). He has been given lasix to help with this but as always there are issues that develop with every drug; lasix can cause problems with his electrolytes and so, his potassium and sodium levels are of concern. Sherrie and I got back to the hospital after 9:00pm and we had a late dinner with Brady who seemed to be in better spirits. Even though he is in pain, he still manages to ‘blow kisses’ and say ‘boo’ every time you walk in or out of his room. He has also (for the first time) started using the possessive tense of Mama and Dada, it’s just adorable. Our baby is growing up and fighting as hard as he can to beat this incredibly horrifying disease. June 23rd is the date of his next bone marrow biopsy and please use all your positive energy, love and prayers to help him obtain the positive test results he so needs and truly deserves.Our boy had another rough day and is now receiving high blood pressure medication. I think Brady’s goal is to experience every human ailment and treatment before he reaches the age of 2. The hospital is starting to get on Brady’s nerves as he just isn’t his usual cheerful self. I arrived at the hospital a little before 7:00pm and we went for a wagon ride as usual only this time, we walked outside in the courtyard and sat until it was almost dark. We got back to the room and Brady was in much better spirits and it was really nice to see him playing with us and laughing. He really has a great sense of humor and loves to feed Sherrie and I everything he is eating. Sherrie is such a terrific Mom, she is just so patient and loving with Brady, it is just remarkable. She looks very tired but is refusing to go home until this week-end. I will make sure she leaves early Friday night and hopefully she can get some rest. If you know Sherrie well this is the best I can hope for. Just a reminder, there is still time to purchase tickets for the Super 50/50 Raffle. Just visit Brady’s new website www.hugsforbrady.org and click on the tab “Up-coming Events”. It looks like the cash prize could be in the 4 digit area and every dollar raised will go to pediatric cancer causes at the direction of Sherrie. Thanks again to Brittany for setting this up. Finally, next Wednesday June 23rd is rapidly approaching and with it Brady’s next bone marrow biopsy. The results of this procedure are critical and we will gladly accept all prayers, hugs and good thoughts you can give him to help get the positive results we so desperately want.
“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.