10/23/2012 - Update

Hey everyone!  Wanted to give a quick update, although there isn't much news, and to say thanks again for your continued support, prayers, offers and encouragement.  We feel the love!

It's been one week since I've gotten home, and it has really been a great week.  I'm able to get around really well, though I can't really do anything that involves bending, lifting, twisting or carrying anything over 5-10 lbs.  The pain is controlled well by a brace and some meds, and I am so thankful that I am able to be comfortable most of the time throughout the day.  I believe I'm in the middle of a good one or two week stretch where the radiation side effects haven't quite started yet, and the pain management is under control.  When the radiation starts taking its toll, I'm told I'll feel fatigue set it throughout the day and have some skin irritation, but because of the treatment area, that should be about it.  I've got 4 of 25 sessions done now, and hopefully they continue to feel like they are flying by.

Being able to work from home is such a blessing, and I am easing back into a few hours a day catching up on what I've missed.  It's great to just be around Jas and the kids all day, and the kids love being able to see me anytime they want.  I think it still surprises them a little that I'm actually here so much right now.  A strange time, but we are going to make the most of it every day.

We are still waiting to hear about the bone marrow biopsy results, which could take another week or so, but that's the only thing lingering right now.

Thanks again to those who have already provided meals for us, rides (and company) for my treatments and appointments, encouragement, help with the yard, and absolutely everything else.  It's pretty humbling to be in a position of need, but I wish I could put into words for you how beautiful it is to see a community of people rise up to love our family the way you have.  We are truly blessed.

With our deepest gratitude,
Brady, Jas & the clan.

10/18/2012 - Crazy Life Update

Hey everyone!  I can't thank you all enough for your encouraging and supportive responses, for your prayers and for your concern for me and my family.  It has been overwhelmingly beautiful, and each night before I go to bed I log in to be encouraged and strengthened by even more words of love and support.  I would love to respond to each one, and hope that I can, because each one means so much to me.  I will continue to send out updates while we're still in the early stages of things, but will probably taper off after things start to settle into our new "normal" lifestyle.  But always feel free to call or write if you just want to talk or if you have any other questions…

At the end of the last letter (Friday 10/12), we had just gotten the plasmacytoma diagnosis in my L2 vertebrae from our Neurologist.  Wow right, crazy, but we had something to start with.  We started seeing specialists that weekend specific to this cancer and the treatment options available, and they were all so great.  Two teams will be working closely with us through this, Hemotology Oncology and Radiation Oncology.  The Hemotology team told us all about what plasmacytoma is, and how we had to do some more tests to rule out a broader form of this cancer that a plasmacytoma site could just be an indication of.  The Radiation team has been working with us specificially to treat the cancerous area and destory the cancer cells.

Hemotology:  Since they had found something right away in my L2 vertebrae, they immediatealy went ahead and checked my entire skull and spinal column from the beginning.  They found nothing unusual anywhere there, and since they did an MRI of my head, I even got to see what it looked like inside my head.  It was awesome, I got to see a slideshow of my brain cross-sections, so cool!
After the diagnosis, and the possibility of the broader cancer (multiple myeloma), they did X-Rays of ALL my large bones to look for any other cancer sites.  Those came back clean, obviously great news!
Multiple myeloma can also be diagnosed if certain plasma percentages in the bone marrow are much higher than they should be, so right before I was discharged from the hospital on Tuesday (10/16), I had to get a bone marrow biopsy.  Now I hear that bone marrow biopsies are excruciating, but thankfully because of my situation and the fact that I probably wouldn't be able to physically hold myself still because of my back, they put me under light anesthesia for that.  What a blessing that was!  We are still waiting for the results of this biopsy.  They are optimistic that the results will be negative because some of my major organs that would likely be affected by multiple myeloma are functioning in great shape, and my body chemistry is not showing any tell tale signs they would expect to see if there was an issue, but we still need the results to rule it out completely.


Radiaology:  Regardless of the presence of multiple myeloma, radiation treatment is necessary for my L2.  And actually, they treat L1 and L3 (vertebrae above and below) just to make sure they get everything.  I was set up for my first appointment this morning…  I was initiated.  They lined me up with a buch of X-Rays and a CT Scan to map a precision digital scan of my vertebrae.  In making this map, they line me up with laser scopes around the room and I got three "blue freckle" tattoos (my first tat).  They will use this with dual-beam, angled radiation to zap just what is needed, with minimal effect on surrounding bones/organs/tissue.  Counting my blessings, the L2 is one of the best areas because the radiation will be far enough from all my major organs that I should have no issues with serious side effects caused by stray or intercepted radiation.  After my initiation, they sent me off for an hour or so, and then had me come back for my first radiation treatment.  Like they had told me before, they spend most of the time getting me on the table, lining me up and spinning this big machine around me.  When they were ready, it was probably less then 30 seconds of actual radiation and I was done.  I may see some side effects similar to sunburn on a small portion of my back, and maybe some fatigue, but they said that probably won't even show up until 2 weeks into the treatments.  They're scheduling me for 25 sessions, once a day (weekdays only), and obviously they will be watching the progress throughout with bloodwork and scans.  It's hard to believe that it got started so quickly, when less than two weeks ago it was just some annoying back pain.

Personally:  I was almost discharged from the hospital on Monday (10/15), but things just weren't coordinating, so it had to wait until Tuesday.  No big deal now that I've been home for the past few nights and it has been so wonderful!  I remember looking out the window all day Tuesday, anxiously awaiting a breath of fresh air and the feel of the cool breeze… and when 5 o'clock rolled around, it was everything I was looking forward to.  And then pulling into the driveway, seeing the kids so surprised and excited to have me home again, having a home-cooked meal with a few friends and sleeping in my own bed again…  what a great day!
I am able to get around the house well, but I really can't do much of anything that requires bending / lifting / carrying / twising.  The pain seems to be managed well with a back brace, medication, and frequently resting my back by lying down.  Each day I've been up and about a bit more, and am feeling better.  My calves had a hard time adjusting to more action than they've had for a whole week, but that's getting better too.  And being able to cozy up to my wife whenever I want…  priceless!


I was so encouraged by a verse someone sent me that illustrates God's Power and Love in the face of impossible circumstances.  It's a theme that runs throughout the whole Bible and it washed me with such peace:  "Moses answered the people, "Do not be afraid.  Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today.  The Egyptians you see today you will never see again.  The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still."" - Exodus 14:13-14
What a relief to be able to peacefully rest in God's mighty hands, and to know that while I rest from fighting with all my strength against something I couldn't possibly cure or eradicate or kill myself, that my God who is able, is fighting for me.  What better hands could I be in?


We send our deep gratitude with our update.  We have heard of people and churches all over praying for us, I have connected with some of you who have, and continue to, walk through similar (and certainly even more difficult) situations, we have meals made for us, drivers for appointments, babysitters for the kids, our lawn is mowed, Wyatt was randomly blessed with a Buzz Lightyear toy (with utility belt) that he had been wanting for the last few weeks, and our hearts are full…  all this already, in such a short amount of time.  I pray I can be as much of a blessing to all of you as you are to us.

Brady & the Sullivan clan

10/12/2012 - Big News

hey friends and family, this is probably going to be a long e-mail, but it's serious, so please strap in...  it's been a difficult couple of months, followed by a very difficult week, followed by one crazy day that will echo through the rest of our little family's lives.  for the sake of those who haven't heard much, i'll start from the beginning...
(and please feel free to share/send/post any or all of this to anyone else you like)

last november, quite unexpectedly and through no apparent cause, my back went out on me.  i had never felt anything like that before, and spent a few days laying, crawling and going to the chiropractor before I was up and about again.  i continued going to the chiropractor for a few months, and then stopped as the symptoms seemed to get better (slowly) until i was pretty much back to normal.

i felt really good for about six months or so, until i could feel the faint return of the previous back issues.  thankfully i have a wonderful wife who knows things don't just go away on their own, and she helped encourage me to take the time to do something about it.  i decided to try out a physical therapist this time and went to sessions for about a month.  some things seemed to get better, but some didn't and other strange things shows up, and again, my wonderful wife knew something wasn't right.  i had a rough week, and a final therapy session that wasn't helpful.  our busy weekend was interrupted by an untimely back spasm that laid me out for a few hours, and left me only able to hobble around, at best, for 3 minutes every 2 to 3 hours.  i tried getting a massage to loosen up my back, and see one of our retired chiropractor friends, but i was still just as immobile the following night.  since the next day was Monday i decided to take my wonderful and insightful wife's advice to go get an MRI done...  but during normal business hours.  little did I know that i would end up on the floor that night, stuck with severe back spasms any way i tried to move, waiting for the ambulance to get me off the floor to the ER.

checked into the hospital about midnight on Sunday night, and Monday was full of evaluations, X-rays, a CT-scan, an MRI of my lower spine, some serious meds and lots more back spasms.
the initial evaluations led to another MRI, this time of my whole spine, neck and head on Tuesday, a biopsy of my L2 vertebrae, more controlled meds, and more back spasms.  i was also fitted with a back brace that stabilized my lower spine and hips, which allowed me to sit up about 45 degrees in the hospital bed for the first time since i was on my back at home.
no conclusions Wednesday, though they gave us an idea of some things they were looking for from the scans.
Thursday was a slower day, no results,  a physical therapist was able to get me out  of bed, and using a walker, i made it across the room and back...  felt so good after looking at the ceiling for almost four straight days.  they moved me to another room that evening, and i had been getting a lot of visitors and phone calls for the past few days, so time was going quick between tests and everything else.  it was wonderful receiving so many calls and visits, and offers to help us out with anything we might need.  we truly feel the amazing love of our community around us.
and today (Friday) we got the results of the biopsy.  Jas and i found out that i have cancer in my L2 vertibrae bone, which leads to a few more questions and tests, but has answered the biggest question of why i have been whining about back pain for the last year.  i can give more detail, and Jas is great at giving updates with the details that you may have already seen, but there are still some things yet to be determined.
as i finish up the final tests this weekend, they'll probably fix me up with some meds, a back brace, and a walker to get me home.  we'll probably start treatment next week, but don't know for sure yet.

so that's the data, now how do we actually feel?  incredibly enough, like many of the other big times in our lives, we look back and see God's hand preparing us and walking us through every step.  we've seen Him (in each of our lives) write the intricate story of our lives as we found Him and put our faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the way we were brought together as husband and wife, in the gift of each of our beautiful children, in the details of Samuel's adoption, and in so many other details of our lives.  when Jas and i talk together of what is happening and what is to come, we are so in tune with each other, we find the peace of God together, and we are reminded again and again through difficult trials, why we are so perfect for each other.  we were both led to scriptures that encourages those who put their hope and faith in Jesus Christ to rejoice in our trials, because God uses those times most difficult to shape us and mold us towards the most beautiful version of who He created us to be.
it's funny that over the past few years, i spend almost a whole year studying the book of first Peter in the Bible, and after studying it for so long, i put together a few Sunday School lessons for church.  one of the things that impacted me the most, and made a huge shift in my life perspective, was the topic of suffering that was addressed in the letter Peter wrote.  i tried to convince our Sunday School class that we should actually look forward to trials in our lives, because of what comes through them by God's hand.  listen to these few verses from the book of James and from first Peter that Jas and i talked about tonight as we processed the news we got from the doctors:

James 1:2-4 "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."

First Peter 1:3-9, 5:10 "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls."..."After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you."

the Bible doesn't say that we have to enjoy pain, because pain hurts, or it wouldn't be suffering...  or that we have to enjoy difficult times, because difficult times are hard, or we wouldn't call them difficult times.  the thing that the Bible tells us over and over again is that suffering we endure today is short, and should never make us lose perspective of the joy we have in what God did for us through His Son Jesus Christ, who was sent to earth to endure the same pain and suffering we do, to teach us what it really means to Love the way we were designed to Love, to lay down His own sinless life in order that our sins could be paid for and forgiven completely...  and the good news, should we choose to trust in what the scriptures say about Jesus, and what Jesus teaches through His words, is that we are "born again" into a new life, transformed and given security in the hope that when our frail bodies fail, Jesus will take us with Him to a place where sin and death and pain and suffering and aches and cancer and hate and loss and shame and deceit don't exist, and we live together with God as we were designed to from the beginning, for all eternity.

so yeah, there'll be tears, like there already have been, because it hurts...  physically, mentally and emotionally.  but don't be surprised when you see smiles on our faces, and a calm joy in our eyes through the hardest times, because spiritually, there has been nothing but peace and Love from God and from the awesome community of friends and family we have around us.  thank you all for being there for us, for all you've done for us, and for any prayers you say for us.

Love you all,
Brady, Jasmine, Sadie, Wyatt & Samuel
October 12, 2012

"However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me — the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace." - Acts 20:24

"...But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.” - Joshua 24:15