12/31/2009 by Michael Wells Happy New Year Wow, what a year and where in the world did it go? Sherrie and I will always remember 2009 as the year Brady was diagnosed with leukemia. As we wrap-up this year we have some excellent news to share; we have our son home with us for an… [Read More]
December Journal Entries
8 Years Later—Still No Cure for Pediatric Cancer – 75
12/30/2009 by Michael Wells Today was a day of good news and no news. The good news is Brady had his bone marrow biopsy performed and all went as planned. The no news is we still have no results regarding the pathology of the bone marrow. This is of course extremely frustrating and has me… [Read More]
8 Years Later—Still No Cure for Pediatric Cancer – 74
12/29/2009 by Michael Wells Tomorrow at 9:00am Brady will have another bone marrow biopsy performed. He will be anesthetized for this procedure and we should have the preliminary results by mid-day. The outcome will not greatly change our course of action but can give us a huge sense of hope if the cancer is in… [Read More]
8 Years Later—Still No Cure for Pediatric Cancer – 73
12/28/2009 by Michael Wells Sunday night started out rather interesting but ended quite well. Sherrie went home for the night and I had the “watch.” It’s amusing that the oddest events seem to occur when I’m alone with Brady. Anyway, Brady was napping for about an hour and woke up around 7:30pm and as I… [Read More]
8 Years Later—Still No Cure for Pediatric Cancer – 72
12/27/2009 by Michael Wells Yesterday was an exciting day as we were able to have Brady unhooked from all IV pumps for about 3 hours. While we still could not leave the room, we did play on our bed and soon all 3 of us were sound asleep. We slept over 2 hours and then… [Read More]
8 Years Later—Still No Cure for Pediatric Cancer – 71
12/26/2009 by Michael Wells How can a dark, dreary, cold, and rainy, December morning somehow be peaceful and serene? It’s very simple; have your very sick baby sleep through the night. Brady settled down around 10pm and has stayed that way all night. Sherrie and I had a lovely night’s sleep on the “rack” which… [Read More]
8 Years Later—Still No Cure for Pediatric Cancer – 70
12/25/2009 by Michael Wells Merry Christmas to All… Our Christmas Holiday although a bit cramped was simply wonderful. We had a delightful dinner with a couple of martinis to add a rather festive glow to our accommodations. Brady is still battling the RSV bug but in spite of a nasty cough is doing OK all… [Read More]
8 Years Later—Still No Cure for Pediatric Cancer – 69
12/24/2009 by Michael Wells Brady’s blood cultures finally came back from the lab and he has been officially diagnosed with Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV). Here’s what the American Lung Association has to say about it: RSV is a very contagious virus and the most common cause of bronchiolitis (inflammation of the small airways in the… [Read More]
8 Years Later—Still No Cure for Pediatric Cancer – 68
12/23/2009 by Michael Wells Brady is breathing much better and still has a normal temperature. So, it was a pretty good day! It amazes me how the very little things such as breathing well with a normal temperature have become so overwhelmingly critical to Sherrie and me. Other than the daily vomiting episodes (once again… [Read More]
8 Years Later—Still No Cure for Pediatric Cancer – 67
12/22/2009 by Michael Wells It’s been a very rough day for Sherrie and Brady; Brady is in isolation. This means he cannot leave his room and everyone (with the exception of his parents) must wear protective clothing consisting of surgical garb, mask and gloves before entering his room. We don’t know why he is coughing… [Read More]
8 Years Later—Still No Cure for Pediatric Cancer – 66
12/21/2009 by Michael Wells A new day, a new week and for some a new life. One of Brady’s newest friends Lilly went home yesterday; it was her final day fighting the beast of cancer. I don’t know exactly what type of cancer she had but that’s really not relevant what is significant is this… [Read More]
8 Years Later—Still No Cure for Pediatric Cancer – 65
12/20/2009 by Michael Wells Weird thoughts at 2:00am Funny how a snow storm effects people; super markets are busy with people stocking up on bread, milk and eggs. I wonder where and why that started. My wonderful Mother-in-law (Janice) gets a little panicky and really doesn’t like to drive in “it”, even though she drives… [Read More]
8 Years Later—Still No Cure for Pediatric Cancer – 64
12/18/2009 by Michael Wells Brady is doing just wonderful! With the exception of daily vomiting and extreme diarrhea he is going through this round of chemotherapy so much better than the first round. I think the main reason for the improvement is directly related to the fact that during the first round he also had… [Read More]
8 Years Later—Still No Cure for Pediatric Cancer – 63
12/17/2009 by Michael Wells Other than vomiting Brady is doing incredibly well. Everything is going in the right direction and I am confident will continue that way. I am going to make this a short entry as I am on my way to NYC for a day of sales calls. Sherrie is working very hard… [Read More]
8 Years Later—Still No Cure for Pediatric Cancer – 62
12/15/2009 by Sherrie Wells Sherrie’s early morning arbitrary thoughts… Well, it’s 3:30 in the morning and I have been awake for an hour now. Brady had rolled over and the IV pump sounded. I tried to get to him in time to fix the kink but apparently I was too slow getting out of bed…. [Read More]
8 Years Later—Still No Cure for Pediatric Cancer – 61
12/14/2009 by Michael Wells Funny things Brady has done the past few days… Speed dialed Grandma Wells at 10:30 at night (funny for us at least, maybe not so funny for Grandma waking her from a sound sleep!)… Somersaults in his crib with no help from anyone… Using the hospital telephone he actually ordered a… [Read More]
8 Years Later—Still No Cure for Pediatric Cancer – 60
12/13/2009 by Michael Wells A rainy, cold, December day but in my heart it’s a bright, sunny, beautiful Sunday afternoon in May. Both Sherrie and Brady are fast asleep getting some of the much needed rest they both deserve. I just returned from my week-end meeting and I can’t begin to explain how happy it… [Read More]
8 Years Later—Still No Cure for Pediatric Cancer – 59
12/12/2009 by Michael Wells I just got home a few minutes ago and thought I would write a little about Brady condition and how he’s doing. Well, he’s beginning to react to the 11 days of chemotherapy. While he had a wonderful day it was interspersed with numerous rounds of vomiting. His temperature continues to… [Read More]
8 Years Later—Still No Cure for Pediatric Cancer – 58
12/11/2009 by Michael Wells It’s Friday night! Date night! Ever since Sherrie and I started dating Friday nights were (and still are) date nights. Our dates would run the gamut from fine dining and dancing to just going for a walk. But somehow, some way we (Sherrie really) made our Friday nights special. Tonight was… [Read More]
8 Years Later—Still No Cure for Pediatric Cancer – 57
12/10/2009 by Michael Wells I came home from the hospital a little early tonight around 8:00pm. I was tired and planned to get to bed early. However, once again I find myself in need of answers more than sleep. In my search for information on pediatric AML with inverted C16 chromosome; I found a rather… [Read More]
8 Years Later—Still No Cure for Pediatric Cancer – 56
12/09/2009 by Michael Wells It’s around 2:00am and I can’t sleep. Brady had a simply tremendous day. While he needed a blood transfusion his overall health is excellent and his temperature remains normal. The blood transfusions are getting to be a matter-of-factual event in his life which is something I don’t think 2 months ago… [Read More]
8 Years Later—Still No Cure for Pediatric Cancer – 55
12/07/2009 by Michael Wells Brady’s Christmas list… As I lay awake for hours I can’t help but think solely of my beautiful baby boy that is sleeping peacefully just a few feet away from me. Many people have asked what Brady would like for Christmas. We have come up with a wish list. 1. DONATE… [Read More]
8 Years Later—Still No Cure for Pediatric Cancer – 54
12/06/2009 by Michael Wells Chemo is an interesting word. The dictionary defines it as: Chemo – a combining form with the meanings “chemical,” “chemically induced,” “chemistry,” used in formation of compound words: chemotherapy. All I know is after today I understand why the word chemo is combined with the word “therapy.” After today, I am… [Read More]
8 Years Later—Still No Cure for Pediatric Cancer – 53
12/04/2009 by Michael Wells Well, today was a good day. Brady had so much energy! As far as the chemotherapy, so far, so good and with very little vomiting. We received a phone call from Dr. Bunin at CHOP telling us that finding a match should not be difficult. And, in reference to confirming RWJ… [Read More]
8 Years Later—Still No Cure for Pediatric Cancer – 52
12/03/2009 by Michael Wells After yesterday’s rather deep and dark journal entry Sherrie and I need to share with everyone some really good news; Dr. Bunin from CHOP informed us today they have already sourced a perfect umbilical cord match for Brady. We were told the cord matched Brady in all of the 6 categories… [Read More]
8 Years Later—Still No Cure for Pediatric Cancer – 51
12/02/2009 by Michael Wells Our visit to CHOP… Today Michael and I went to the CHOP (Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia) for a 2 hour consult with Dr. Bunin regarding a bone marrow transplant for Brady. Her recommendation is to continue with the second round of chemotherapy induction at BMSCH (Bristol Myers Squibb Children’s Hospital). While… [Read More]
8 Years Later—Still No Cure for Pediatric Cancer – 50
12/01/2009 by Michael Wells I don’t know where to begin other than to say this has not been a good day. It has lived up to every thing Sherrie and I have been dreading for the past several weeks. Brady’s cancer is not in remission. The bone marrow biopsy results have blasts ranging between 5… [Read More]