07/15/2010
by Michael Wells Having fun can be hazardous to your health! Yesterday was an extremely weird day. It started out as normal as any other day but before it ended some strange things occurred. Before I begin to tell you about our day, I want say thank you to all my coworkers and management team for filling-in for me during this most difficult time. I am “officially” taking a partial leave-of-absence for the next couple of weeks and will be working part time from my home; thank you to all of you for allowing this to take place. Now, onto the hazards of “cramming” things in your life; Brady got up around 11:00 am and while a bit febrile (101.2˚) was in great spirits. We had a great breakfast and soon we (Grammy, Papa and me) were on our way to the “house” to go down the slide. It was going to be great fun or so we thought. I placed Brady at the top of the slide like I have done a thousand times before and he starts to push himself forward and suddenly stops and starts screaming! He’s lying in the prone position and not moving, the line from his Broviac Catheter is stuck in the grid of the decking. Horrified, I quickly grabbed him and pulled the line out of the grid and we ran home. I was frightened to death, that Brady’s catheter was just pulled out of his chest. Once home, I got the chance to take a close look and thanks to his “safety” connector the catheter was still in place. Great way to start a day! Mid-afternoon we decided to take Brady to his first-ever movie theater. Off we go to a multiplex 24 theater complex to see Toy Story 3. It was adorable to see Brady sitting in his own chair with his big bag of popcorn and his even bigger cup of soda. We managed to get through the previews but by the time the movie started Brady had seen enough and wanted to go. So, off we go through the most monsoon-like rain storm to our next stop; a train ride. Now you would think this would be a safe, simple thing to do but not with us. In Princeton, NJ there is this train line called the “Dinky” which travels between Princeton and Princeton Junction for a whopping 2.8 miles contacting Princeton with the main Northeast East Corridor trains. I thought Brady would enjoy his very first train ride and sure enough, he really did. Paul the Engineer let Brady sit in driver’s chair and even push the button which controlled the train’s horn. Brady was smiles ear to ear. Well, that was on the way to Princeton Junction. One the way back, the train broke down. It stopped about a half a mile from the station and so it was another walk in the continuing monsoon back to the station. We took a taxi back to Princeton to get our car (soaked to the bones) and off to home we went. We had an incredibly delicious dinner of homemade “mac & cheese” thanks to Christine Crucis our newest friend. Brady loved his dinner but the cookies and brownies Christine made for dessert were out of this world! Thanks Christine and my apologies for not recognizing you, I was still shaking over the catheter incident. So, as we are finishing dinner, Nurse Practitioner Donna Plaxe stopped by to see how Brady was doing. Donna is just about the “best” person anyone could ever know! After telling her about our day and thanking her for the program which enables nurses from the unit to make daily visits to our home she leaves and we are now going to end our day with a late evening walk. It had finally stopped raining and off we go on a path we have taken hundreds of time. We stopped by our neighbor Tony’s house and said hell-o to him but I think it was his puppy Bunker that Brady was more interested in. Tony is a great guy who actually volunteered to be a bone marrow donor and we are just lucky know him and call him “friend.” After a tearful good-bye we continue on our way and less than a hundred yards we are literally attacked by 2 hug pit bull dogs. They came running, barking and drooling right at us. These 2 big headed beast charging us like we were their next meal. I was scared out of my mind. While Gary and I got between the dogs and Brady’s carriage, Sherrie and Jan quickly got Brady out of the area. Once “things” settled down the Irish in me took over. I went up to this idiot’s house and told him what I thought of him. I still cannot believe in a beautiful residual neighborhood, some fool would allow 2 pit bulls to run free! So, that was our day. After the Broviac incident, walking on the train tracks and finally the dog attack, Grammy and Papa quickly left for home, I think they had enough of the dangerous life of the Wells family. Having fun can be hazardous but it was a day Sherrie and I will cherish forever. Until next time, hugs, good thoughts and prayers are apparently needed even more now as we try to enjoy Brady time with us. Today, we’re going to the Camden Aquarium and the petting zoo; I sure hope the sharks stay in the tanks… Ps Nurse Renee, Brady loves the Sesame Street Aquarium; 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.