10/18/2009
by Michael Wells Platelet count continues to be a nemesis with Brady’s fight. A nasty byproduct of low platelet count is severe bruising and Brady is not lacking in this department. He looks likes he’s gone 10 rounds with Muhammad Ali while being blind-sided by Lawrence Taylor. He has a horrible bruise under him left eye and another bruise covering the small of his back. This disease sucks! How can we possibly prevent a 13 month old toddler from falling? And when he falls he bruises terribly. It’s just enough to break your heart. On the positive side; Brady is getting to be (the next several hours) off his pumps. So we are going for a nice long walk around the hospital. All of his friends (stuffed animals) are going to be joining Brady in his wagon; including Snow Ball the Bear, Brown Belly Bear, Elmo, Ferdinand (Ferdy) Frances the Frog, H. Chocolate (Coco) the Bear, Bobby Brontosaur, Cuddles, and Woof-Woof the Doggy. So, that’s all for now…This is a Grandpa Gary’s journal entry. It’s somewhat difficult for Gary to express his feeling but he cannot stop thinking about his Grandson Brady. Every minute of the everyday Brady has consumed his every thought. Brady means the world to Gary and Gary would do anything to change places with his Grandson. He can’t wait to hear the words; “He’s cured.” But until then Gary will do everything and anything to help with Brady recovery. For those of you who know Gary, you most likely know his as a fun loving joking (granted BAD JOKES) guy but this situation has rocked his world in ways he never imagined possible. So, when you see Gary cut him some slack if he doesn’t stop talking about Brady and telling you what only a loving, caring Grandpa can how much he loves his Brady. It’s really quite touching.
I left the hospital about 2 hours ago and Brady was asleep and all appears to be under control. Brady had probably the best day he has had since being admitted to the hospital almost 2 weeks ago. I don’t know why I am down in the dumps tonight but I am. What can I say about Brady’s acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL)? The National Cancer Institute defines this disease as: An aggressive (fast-growing) type of leukemia (blood cancer) in which too many lymphoblasts (immature white blood cells) are found in the blood and bone marrow. Also called acute lymphocytic leukemia and ALL. Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is a cancer of the white blood cells, the cells in the body that normally fight infections. There are two main types of white blood cells—lymphoid cells and myeloid cells. ALL affects lymphoid cells. One positive element of this type of leukemia is about 85 percent of children with ALL live five years or more. This disease just a freek’n nightmare. No child deserves this horror. I know Brady is going to beat this beast I just hope I can…
“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.