#BravelikeBrody

Brody is like every other happy, go lucky kindergartner you meet, maybe a little quieter and contemplative, and most definitely a sweet heart that goes out of his way to be nice to his classmates. Brody was sick last week, with what his Mom thought was a terrible case of the flu. After his third trip back from the Emergency Room, he collapsed at home. He was taken, via helecopter, to Ministries St. Joseph's hospital in Central Wisconsin for stabilization. His blood counts were critically low. Despite  transfusions of platelets and red blood cells, the numbers didn't improve. Today, Brody had a bone marrow biopsy, which revealed what none of us wanted to hear....the "L" word. Brody has leukemia. As a nurse, I find it unimaginable to see a child face what is ahead, as if the last few days weren't bad enough..... Tomorrow, Brody will have a spinal tap to see if the spinal fluid is affected. He will also have a port a cath placed so that blood draws and chemotherapy can be adminstered without any extra pokes. The doctors said he will need 4-6 months of chemotherapy. The good news is that the type of leukemia he has, has a 90% survival rate in kids under the age of 10. We just need to get through the treatment and all that comes with it. Brody is taking all of this in as best as he can, he is brave, but he is also afraid beneath the surface and in the quiet times, when it is just him with his momma, he cries and asks to go home.... The nurses and doctors have been amazing, but the road ahead will require all hands on deck. The prayers have been amazing and for this, we thank each of you. Momma has taken an unpaid medical leave of absense so that she can take care of him and begin this journey into the unknown world of treatment. Today, we are asking first and foremost, that you might hold Brody, his siblings, his Mom and Dad and the entire family in your prayers. If you find yourself in a position that you may be able to help them get through these first few months of treatment, to defray the cost of gas and help them maintain the basics (food, shelter, rent), Brody would be forever in your debt. He needs his Momma to be there right now and unfortunately, not having an income is not an option. Any help you can offer would be greatly appreciated by this young family.

Over Thanksgiving, Brody pulled me aside to whisper this to me:  "Grandma, I always try to be nice to all of my friends. I try to be a good boy." I told him how proud I was of him and I told him that when we are nice to people, we are blessed in ways that we can't imagine. Let's show Brody that what I told him was true. Please support #BravelikeBrody if you can.