what brady has been doing (brain tumor)

[guest t]

WOW!! Brady in my mind you have already won big time!!
Toni

[wamo]

My goodness Brady.... you are like Mr. Incredible to me..... I will pray for endurance, strength and special time found in each day between you and Sharon.

wamo

[ihavecancer]

keep up the fight. we're rooting for you

[jack]

Brady...
My goodness what can one say ????
You are a truly amazing man such strength and determination!!
As all before me have said, "you are an inspiration to everyone",
I am so happy to see a post from you again and want you to know that my prayers are with you and your family as you battle on.
My best wishes to you for your treatment
God Bless
JACK
(AUSTRALIA)

[Jeff]

Ditto to all the positive energy Brady and Sharon. Your strength has definitely been a big factor in my success. There are a lot of nurses at MGH watching The Colon Club now. i see the radiation oncologist on Monday next
Good luck to both of us, big guy!
JEFF

[Lifes2short]

Brady, you are one tough dude! Whenever I feel overwhelmed with my own battle, I just think of you. I find myself wondering if I can handle Irinotecan / Erbitux - afraid the "cure" will kill me. Then I read your post saying your about to start Vectibix and I'm embarrassed at my own fears. You are a great inspiriation. Keep up the fight!

[bradyr]

So for the Vectibix wasn’t so bad – but better than Irinotecan was. It took a simple 1 hour infusion. The iriontecan had me sick, the vectibix seems easier. I hope that it works. As my CEA is pretty high right now and I don’t think I can take too much radiation right now. Since my liver is right back to what we started since the SIRT, I really don’t any other good options right now. But, I’m still hoping this will work out. Everyone has to remember that you live for each time each of day.

I’m getting better every day with my typing/writing. My speaking I guess is getting better, but I that seems to be slower to getting better and that still bothers me. I find it hard it to standard to talk on the phone and talk to people. I spoke faster and can’t say words as easily at all. At least 2 or 3 every sentence is hard to speak some works. I’m getting easier to due TV starting typing or reading at the same time. Of course, this message is so full of wrong, it’s sometimes still hard to follow what I mean to write.

Next week I’ll have a new brain MRI to see how the gamma knife and operation look now. I keep having really had headaches and I’m still tired. But I get I’m getting better a little each more each day.

My leg is hurting at bit. I wonder if I should talk about having some radiation for the leg (It usually a new treatment each 6 months). I’m thinking I shouldn’t wait until for few months.

We don’t know how long we have live. I don’t know if I leave a months or years. I’ll just continue to have the best use of the time I have. Some of times aren’t bad days and better days. Just good the best you with you get. Doesn’t any good to focus on that. Just do what you can for each day.

[bradyr]

So, my next problem is if I will be able to go back to work. I have been working to work pretty much the last two years worth, since I was DX with colon cancer. Although my normal total hours was lower, down to around 40-45 hours where I hour 50-60 hour total before the DX, but I have been keeping my contributing up.

But with then speaking and slower emailing, frankly as of right now I don’t know if I can’t keep up at the pace at our software company. My ability speaking to has better, and it might better improving, but frankly, it does keep to approving quite some quite amount for me to be able in order to keep up.

So, I might have to move from Short Term Disability in a few months to Long Term Disability. The big problem is my lost company health benefits in 12 months after I do LTD. My company health benefits is the best I have seen and much better again than I could ever find conventional on the market. (my treasure has been much over a million, but my out of pocket has been only a few total couple hundred dollars.) On the other hand, frankly I might only have another a year or another or so much anyway. So it may be moot.

Also, I feel like that I’m a I’m getting to the point that I am the point where working too hard to keep at “working” and I might have to spend more focus on keeping my health time instead. I don’t seem to be able that I’m keeping both keeping working and keeping with cancer.

So, I still have a some couple of months, but this is what I have to decide in the next few months.

I’ve been pretty well so far. It’s been a months after two years total since my DX. And my cancer has been pretty aggressively, so we have been pretty busy with many treatments. But otherwise, I’ve my life has been pretty life for the last year much. So I believe that from perspective aspects, someone with colon cancer IV stage, might have a pretty normal life.

But on the other hand, we all you with stage IV must be prepared that the cancer could move ahead. I still down know if my is moving more faster or not or not. But it does to seem like it’s trying like it is moving faster these days. In any way, we must stage IV must be always prepared for which way it may must go. As I have said many time, any of each of could be hit by a bus. You have knowing way of what happen will have. But, you have to keep hoping.

[HDLadyRider]

Oh Brady...to bottle your optimism all while facing the realities before you. You are a wonder and it's NO wonder everyone on this board so admires you. You just keep up the good fight!!! My hubby is Staqe IV and I keep telling him that I could be run over by a tractor before the good Lord would even take him. (tractor because where I live, that's all you see on the roads).

Love and hugs to you, brave inspirational man.

Janine

[AugustWest]

Hey Brady,

Thanks for the update ~
I'd say go for what you & your family want (in regards to how much you
are @ work). For everything you are currently going thru, 40 hrs seems like
a whole helluva lot ... I know what you mean when you talk about the pace,
true at any job, but I worked for a Norcal tech co. in the go-go days
of the mid 90's thru 02... it was intense, and rewarding but it was *a lot*.
I'm sure your coworkers really miss you - as you them... perhaps a modified
25 hour or so week could be given a run thru...?

Ya gotta concentrate on you - know when to conserve energy and when to spend.

and my .02, a day spent having a nice breakfast with your wife, answer some emails
and connecting w/ your online friends mid day, enjoying the spring weather in the afternoon
and taking a moment to realize/enjoy how much you have enhanced others by you being you,
well, that's a tad bit better than getting a project another step closer to v.whatever

You know we all support & love ya 110% whichever way you roll / whatever you choose.

[Ellen]

Brady,

Thank you for your most recent posts. As always your story, your positive attitude, and your compassion for all of us inspire me. The decision whether or not to continue working is certainly a difficult one. I have been working VERY part time since diagnosis and that has been perfect for me.

I hope you know how much you have brightened so many of our days! I know that your speaking and writing will continue to improve each day!

[Gaelen]

Also, I feel like that I’m a I’m getting to the point that I am the point where working too hard to keep at “working” and I might have to spend more focus on keeping my health time instead. I don’t seem to be able that I’m keeping both keeping working and keeping with cancer. So, I still have a some couple of months, but this is what I have to decide in the next few months.

Brady, we talk about this a lot in a recurrent support group I participate in (face-to-face.) The counselor always says to everyone as they consider this, "you'll know when it's time." But something you just said is something she says, often--almost word for word--"when you realize that you're spending all of your energy figuring out how to keep working (working too hard to keep at 'working'), then it's probably time to switch your focus and energy into maintaining your health and enjoying your healthy time."

It is a hard decision to make, but it takes a strong person to recognize what is most important in his/her life.
Strong thoughts to both you and Sharon, Brady.

[kimr]

Oh Brady you do have so much spirt and fight! I know how much you love your career and how hard it would be for you to go on LTD but I will support your decisions either way. I also like the fact that you have continued to enjoy and live a good life despite the all cancer fighting that you must do. It is what I have tried to do all these years. Cuz it is just like you say, none of us know how much time we have.

I try to tell people that all the time, don't sweat the small stuff.

Sending you lots of love and hope for a good outcome.

[wamo]

Three things....

Brady - you're a stud

Sharon - hug and kiss on him just as much as you possibly can and take time to hold each other often

Job/Insurance - This is just advice from one who has faced these decisions... if there is anyway you can get an advance on your work or personal life insurance policy or get a loan to carry you over... do it. The time together will far outweigh the worrying of how to pay stuff off later... We were able to get 50K advance on Paul's which took the pressure off and let us focus on us/him/time.

But of course whatever you decide is the right decision and I support it wholeheartedly!!

wamo

[hannahw]

Brady, you are a lion. Your courage is inspiring. Not only have you fought for yourself, but in sharing your experiences you've helped so many other people fight on.