07/01/2010
by Michael Wells Wednesday was another “good” day for Brady. He continues with his daily routine of wagon rides throughout the day or as he likes to call them, “walks.” It truly remarkable to see a baby so sick and all he wants to do, virtually all the time is walk. However, the terrible reality is Brady can no longer actually walk because it causes him serious pain. It’s been weeks since Brady has actually walked but we can get this resolved once we have his cancer under control. Until then, it’s wagon rides until Sherrie is about to drop from exhaustion. Monday evening, Brady pain medication was changed from morphine to Dilaudid. Dilaudid is a hydromorphone which is 8 times more potent (on a milligram basis) than morphine and appears to be working extremely well. While the potency is so much greater than morphine the amount Brady is receiving is greatly reduced. The bottom line is; Brady is functioning much better with the Dilaudid than morphine. Brady’s daily blood counts (CBC) continue to look good as he remains neutropenic with his white blood count at 0.1. This is outstanding as we want a very slow return of his white blood count in hopes the cancer is also not growing at a fast pace. The biggest question facing Sherrie and I right now is whether or not to take Brady home. We are both having difficulty with this decision, more so with the emotional and symbolic sense than the practical aspects. It is just about overwhelming to me and I hope we can reach our decision within the next few days. Finally, Sherrie and I are off to get another funeral today. Brady’s 13 year old friend Jasanti Roach passed away last week. Jasanti is a beautiful young lady who recently celebrated her 13th birthday. Jasanti always had a big smile for Brady and we will forever miss her kindness. This horrible disease must be stopped! So, I have to get to the hospital, until next time; I am convinced every person following Brady’s battle can be part of a miracle. All it takes are prayers, hugs and good thoughts… Thank you!“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.