For the first four months, life ticked along for the family as to be expected. But, a high fever triggered a trip to the ER in March 2008.
"We didn't think much of it, so were surprised when he was sent for blood work and a spinal tap," explains mom, Leanne and dad, George. "He was discharged three days later and we were a little concerned, but thought it was just a virus. A week later, Brady's blood work was still abnormal so he underwent his first bone marrow biopsy testing for leukemia which was negative - a huge sigh of relief."
But after weekly blood work and two more bone marrow biopsies still showed negative indicators of leukemia, doctors began to raise suspicions of a rare form of the disease, which required further tests. A
trip to the Alberta Children's Hospital in Calgary in early July confirmed JMML (juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia), but only after the infant endured another five days of testing and yet another bone marrow biopsy.
"As his condition continue to worsen, Brady became dependent on platelet transfusions. He needed a central line, which is a tube in his chest surgically implanted to eliminate the need for any more needles," describes Leanne. "The day surgery procedure turned out to be an eight day stay in the PICU - Brady was put into an induced coma and had an IV in each wrist, each ankle, his head and two in his central line along with a tube down his nose and throat as well as a catheter. After eight days and his first blood transfusion Brady proved to be very strong and was able to go home for daily chemo which we gave to him orally."
While the image painted by Brady's mom is tough enough to fathom, the nine month old and his family were in for an even more difficult road ahead. The only cure for Brady was a stem cell transplant, which meant a fifth bone marrow biopsy, a day of radiation along with ongoing chemo to kill his immune system, the actual transplant and another two bone marrow biopsies.
"We knew we were going to stay in Calgary for at least three months, but we didn't know where, or even that Ronald McDonald House was an option for us," says George. "A nurse at the hospital arranged for us to stay for one night in August and that night, the House staff made all the arrangements for our trip back in September. They told us not to worry, that they would have room for us, which was great - one less thing to have to deal with. We lived at the House from September 30, 2008 until February 2009."
The family expected the House to be like a hotel, but it quickly became a second home. They made lifelong friends with staff and other families, and created fond memories.
"The atmosphere and positive energy at the House helped us cope with the hard times. We thought Christmas would be tough, but to be honest, with all of the events and pampering, we didn't get the chance to miss home. Our time at the House is a cherished memory and we have lots of special stories about our time there to pass on to both of our boys. Brady's older brother Logan stayed with us, and there was always something fun for him to do and other kids for him to play with."
Brady and his family rode a veritable roller coaster ride throughout his treatment, but ultimately, eighteen months after his transplant, the two and a half year old is full of energy and enjoys activities like swimming and hockey (and "it's not very often that you see Brady without food in his mouth or hand," adds Leanne).
"Brady was only given a 30 percent chance of survival, so things really have gone better than expected and we have no concerns now. He gave us a lot of scares - he stopped breathing twice during his radiation, he had the RSV virus which put him in the hospital for three weeks. At one point we also thought that his transplant was failing and thought he would have to have a second one, but he had an amazing transplant team at ACH who helped get him through it."
And, Ronald McDonald House helped the family get through it. "In a word, we'd describe the House as 'comfort,'" adds George. "The House helped keep things as normal as possible for us."
