Snow Storms in October Can't Compare

My apologies for not posting this entry over the weekend but we lost our internet and I was not able to get to a computer.  Two years ago Halloween had a totally different meaning for us and for that matter the 9 other kids stuck in Bristol-Myers Squibb Children’s Hospital battling cancer.  Not the place to be but none the less we made the best of it!

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2009 9:41 PM, EDT

Wow, what a day!  Sherrie figuratively “hit the wall” and had to go home for some much needed rest.  Hopefully, I can convince her to take the next couple of nights off as well.  To add to the excitement, Brady decided he was a sky diver and needed to pull his rip cord. Only it was his PICC catheter that he pulled right out of his arm.  Of course this was after he ate breakfast which meant he could not have it surgically replaced until late this afternoon. This in turn meant no food or water for him from 7:00am until 5:15pm.  Needless to say, he was a bit hungry when he finally was allowed to eat;  it really was a real crazy day. 

However, we also had some good news Brady’s MRI results showed no signs of cancer in his brain or behind his eyes.  This news by far offsets any hiccups caused by him pulling his catheter out of his arm.  Truly excellent news!!!

Sherrie will hopefully be home the next couple of days as she is in serious need of some rest.  Her Mom will be filling in for her tomorrow and I’ve got tonight and the week-end covered.  We’ll manage and Brady has promised me to be a real good boy while Mom’s home and no more “sky diving” at least until Monday.

Finally, it looks like we’ll be here for Thanksgiving which is in many ways a blessing as we will not have to endure an over cooked dried-out turkey prepared by one to the most caring people I know.  I will not reveal her name but it has a J and an N and an I and a couple of other letters in it. So, until next time (if my mother-in-law doesn’t kill me first) keep Brady in your thoughts and prayers… 

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2009 10:19 PM, EDT

Friday night and so far all is relatively calm.  This is our date night; for the past 4 years Sherrie and I made it a ritual to go out every Friday night even if it was just a walk around the neighborhood.   My how things have changed. In less than 3 weeks.  I'm not whining it's just different. Tonight its boy’s night part 2 and Brady and I are having a blast.  

Do you know its "Hell Night" and can you imagine an adult teaching a bunch of high school freshmen girls (one with cancer) the art of Tee-peeing?  Who would do such an immature thing? Toilet paper everywhere - on the nurses chairs, around every plant even on the kids chemo pumps it's just awful! But so much fun; Brady was laughing and helped out a bit too.  He's drinking and oh my goodness he's vomiting all over the place got to go quickly!

Oh well, puke happens but does it ever smell nasty from a baby on chemo!  The nurses came to my rescue once again.  You couldn’t pay me enough to clean up vomit I just could not do it!  Nurse Sue is just a saint!  And now Clover the housekeeper is cleaning the floor and empting the trash while Brady is mesmerized by her Jamaican accent. Brady is now giving me the heartbreaking Da, Da, Da, Da as he’s standing at the edge of his crib and just about as wide awake as if it were at 10:00am not 10:00pm.  It’s just really beautiful to see him so happy after vomiting so much.  It was fun giving him a sponge bath in the sink, he smells much better.

I'm rambling again and I think he’s finally settling down and hopefully going to sleep, so until next time keep Brady in your thoughts and prayers…

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2009 5:01 AM, EDT

My poor baby is being poked at once again: eye drops!  He’s back sleeping and it’s just about as nice as it can be.  I truly love this time of day; it’s so quiet, so calm, and so nice.  It had to be a little more hectic a dyslexic 36 years ago when my mother was home in labor and about to deliver a 13 lb. baby boy.  This didn’t happen for another few hours but I cannot imagine she was getting much sleep on that particular night or for several years to follow.  You see, my Mom had 9 children in just over 10 years.  I don’t know how she coped and I’m not sure she does either but somehow she managed and somehow she raised all her children to be productive members of society. 

My Mom is still an active feisty 90 year old woman who still yells at her son about not calling her before 8am every day to give her an update on her 21st grandchild – Brady.  She is about as remarkable of any person I know.  That is until I had the unbelievable honor of meeting Ellen Gambatese. 

Ellen is the wife of the mayor of South Brunswick.  By sheer coincidence we met her through her husband Frank.  We live near a park that 4 wheelers like to use as their playground and Sherrie has contacted just about every town official she could find to complain and Frank was one of them.  

She discovered Frank and Ellen were actually our neighbors and consequently Sherrie invited them to a holiday cocktail party and then a barbeque and we would bump into them during our many walks.  Ellen working in her garden, Frank always running to his next meeting or town event.  But somehow, Frank and Ellen always had time to chat with us even if it meant us complaining about whatever to the mayor almost not stop. 

Well, ever since Brady has been in the hospital Frank and Ellen have been just remarkable.  Ellen has organized thousands (yes thousands) of people to pray for Brady.  She has cooked dinner and has shared inspirational stories and emails from people who have also gone through what Brady is experiencing.  Frank is a member of the board of directors for St. Peters Hospital and has offered to have Brady’s case reviewed by their staff.  She and Frank are just about as giving as humanly possible.  The Gambateses are good people, caring neighbors and excellent friends.  I wonder why this type of “stuff” never gets reported in the news.  

So, before I ramble on and on: Thank you Frank and Ellen and oh yes, Thank you Mom – after all it is my birthday…