Brad
In 1997, Brad’s family moved him to Sarah House in order that we might care for him in the last months before his death. Thankfully, that was not to be.
We fed him morning, noon and night. We got him an old computer, which became an enormous source of satisfaction. We drove him to dozens of doctor appointments so that his medication therapies could be effectively refined. Within a year, his T-Cell number had gone from 2 to 122. A few years and seventy pounds after that, he moved into one of our Scattered Site apartments, thrilled to be on his own and independent once again.
In early 2004, following a diagnosis of colon cancer, Brad moved back into his old bedroom in our front wing. It was a heart-wrenching return to a place that had once been “home.” Quickly, we all became experts on chemotherapy and complex medical regimens. Five times weekly, we drove him to Santa Barbara’s outstanding Cancer Center for radiation. Although the early prognosis was grim, we never allowed Brad to give up, insisting that hope could only help.
And it did. Today Brad is back in his downtown apartment, once again loading programs onto his computer and tending his collection of fish. The doctors are optimistic that he has made a complete recovery.
