11/17/2009
by Michael Wells “Cautiously” Great News!!! I just had a lengthy conversation with Dr. Drachtman Brady’s lead doctor and here’s his quote; “I’d be amazed if Brady is not in full remission.” Now, this is by no means backed up by any scientific data but Dr. Drachtman is one of leading pediatric hematologist/oncologist in the world so hopefully he knows what he is talking about. I sincerely hope he does. Regardless, the results from this induction phase of treatment by no means determines anything definitive but I’d rather have the cancer in remission than not. Dr. Drachtman’s prognostication will be confirmed over the next few weeks so until then it’s the same ole way and see scenario. Brady is back to being our toddler! He is playful, talkative and trying to walk again. He was off his “plumbing” for a couple of hours and while he is still restricted to just his room none the less enjoyed himself playing on the floor and walking around. He actually went immediately to his wagon as if to say, “come on, let’s go for a walk.” His quarantine is based upon the remote possibility Brady has the N1H1 flu; the final results of this testing will be back in about 5 days, until then we’re grounded to his room. Not perfect, but much better than PICU. Meanwhile, Dr. Drachtman has made arrangements for Sherrie and me to meet with Dr. Nancy Bunin, Director of the Blood and Marrow Transplantation Program at CHOP (Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia). Sherrie is a wonderful planner and we both want to get as many opinions on transplantation as possible. This will not be an easy choice as the pediatric leukemia world is just about split down the middle on whether or not transplants are worth the risks associated with the procedure. This is going to be the most difficult decision we will ever make in our lives and we need and will gather as much information as possible to make a sound choice. Just to complicate matters; Brady’s AML is not falling conveniently into any of the standard sub-types. Dr. Drachtman now believes it’s somewhere between a M0 (minimally differentiated) and M2 (defined and characterized by the presence of>20% blasts in the bone marrow or blood and evidence of maturation to more mature neutrophils). However, he also told me that his opinion would not be 100% supported by all of his colleagues. As I said, this is not going to be easy! Finally, Brady temperatures are running normal and he is not on oxygen and all in all life is pretty good! I have the watch tonight and I hope it goes smoothly. I will let you know how things turn out. Oh, before I forget; Dr. Drachtman also said he would try to have us home for at least a week if not two. Life is indeed good!!! Until next time; continue to keep Brady in your thoughts, prayers, and hugs – he still has a very long road ahead… Ps Dr. Aaron Weiss just told us perhaps we could be home before Thanksgiving!!!“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.