The Daily Hailey

A Prayer for Brady on Surgery Day

Dear Jesus,

Today we bring Brady before You.

You know this day. You know the room he is in, the hands of the surgeons, every nurse, every monitor, every scan, every decision, and every quiet moment where Hailey and the kids are trying to breathe through the weight of it all.

And You know Brady.

You know everything he has already walked through: the surgeries, the tumors, the treatments, the loss of mobility, the weakness, the fatigue, the vision changes, and the years of having to adapt, adjust, fight, and keep going.

Through all of it, he has kept showing up for the people who love and need him. He has had every reason to quit, yet he has continued to live with strength, humour, purpose, and stubborn hope.

Lord, we thank You for the miracle his life already is. We thank You for every time Brady has outlived a prediction, surprised a doctor, pushed past what seemed possible, and reminded all of us that statistics do not get the final word. You do.

Your Word says in Isaiah 53:5, “But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.”

So today, we stand on the finished work of Jesus.

You healed the sick, opened blind eyes, and made bodies whole. You were moved with compassion then, and we believe You are still moved with compassion now.

As it says in Mark 16:18, “They shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.”

So today, whether our hands are physically near Brady or stretched toward him in prayer from wherever we are, we agree together in the name of Jesus: Brady shall recover.

Father, we ask You to guide the surgeons with wisdom, steadiness, and peace. Help them remove everything they are able to remove safely. Give them clear eyes, calm hands, and sharp discernment. Let there be no confusion, no unnecessary complications, and no fear in that room.

And Lord, for the places human hands cannot safely reach, we ask You to reach. Touch what has diffused. Touch his brain, his spine, his vision, his strength, and every part of his body that needs healing.

We speak life over Brady’s body in Jesus’ name. We speak peace over his brain, restoration over his vision, strength over his body, protection over every function, and healing over every cell.

The Bible says in Mark 11:23, “For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart…”

So we speak to this mountain today.

Tumor, be removed.

Cancer, bow to the name of Jesus.

Fear, be silent.

Body, recover.

Brain, heal.

Vision, be restored.

Strength, rise up.

We also pray for Hailey.

Lord, cover her today in a way that feels personal. Give her peace in the waiting, strength when updates are slow, and comfort when her mind starts racing. Surround her with people who bring calm, not chaos. Let her feel held, not just by the people around her, but by You.

And Father, cover the kids.

Let peace settle over their hearts. Let them feel safe. Let them laugh when they need to laugh and cry when they need to cry. Carry for them what is too much. Let the love in their home be louder than the fear around it.

Your Word says in 2 Timothy 1:7, “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”

So we reject fear today.

We reject the fear that says this is too much, that Brady’s best days are behind him, or that this family will be crushed by the weight of this. Instead, we receive power, love, a sound mind, peace beyond understanding, and hope that stands firm even while our voices shake.

And Lord, we give You our imaginations. We refuse to let fear write pictures in our minds. We choose to imagine Brady waking up, healing, laughing, recovering, coming home, watching his kids grow, and living to declare the goodness of God.

Psalm 118:17 says, “I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the LORD.”

So today, we declare that over Brady.

He shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the Lord.

Father, let this surgery be successful. Let his recovery be strong and the reports be better than expected. Let the doctors see what only You can do.

And when this day is over, let the story not be about what cancer did. Let it be about what God did.

And Lord, in the name of Jesus, we bind and cancel every word, fear, curse, agreement, prediction, or ill will that has tried to rise against Brady’s healing, his surgery, his recovery, his future, or his family. We believe Your Word that no weapon formed against us shall prosper, and that Christ has redeemed us from the curse.

So we refuse to partner with fear, death, despair, or any spoken word that does not line up with life in Jesus. Instead, we speak peace over Brady, healing over his body, wisdom over the surgeons, and strength over Hailey and the kids. We declare that every voice raised against God’s purpose for Brady is silenced under the authority of Jesus Christ, and every blessing You have spoken over his life will stand.

We love Brady. We trust You with Brady. And we believe that You are not finished with his story.

In the mighty, healing name of Jesus,

Amen.

Guest Post By Cher

Tomorrow is the day. Brain surgery day. I NEVER would’ve guessed my husband would need brain surgery, much less a second one. But here we are.

And here is what’s left.

Today is about the final preparations for the things we can control for the upcoming days. Which are few, but still important.

We ordered groceries, and restocked lunch things. Granola bars of all kinds. Mini cucumbers. Cherry tomatoes. Apples. Oranges.

Oat milk for the dairy free one. Other milk for everyone else. Formula for Munchie.

Diapers in all the sizes.

I washed my hair and Cher tightened up my dreads a little. What a gift to me. The coffee and music time spent between Brady, her, and I was more important though.

Saw Tom and Rae as well this morning. Very important.

Dekker wrote his final final this morning 🥳 and he’s currently out picking up prescriptions. When they’re home, I’ll top up the pill container.

Brady is napping, but will need to do his surgery prep, which is just a good shower and a tight beard trim. He needs to pack his hospital bag, as well as one for me to bring the day after his surgery. Too many unanswered questions still to know how much to pack, so we’ll just aim for the day itself and go from there. I need to pack a bag, also.

Make a plan to pick up a birthday gift for one of Laela’s friends. Dekker is scouting this while he’s out picking up meds.

Try to do a quick fix on Brady’s chair. Good reminder to go pull that out of our room before he’s too asleep.

Pay for camp. Lol! Of all things to do today 🤣 but time snuck up on us and the cutoff is TOMORROW! Ack!!!

My mom is bringing supper tonight. Thank you, mom.

Please pray for us all. We have been here before, and all was well. But, brains.

But God! 💜 ALWAYS God.

Tomorrow at noon. Thats the aim. Steady hands and hearts. Please Lord. Cover Brady.

The uprights are out there with ankles and knees,
just raw-dogging sidewalks like life is a breeze.
They’re shifting their weight like exhausted flamingos,
just praying their arches survive where the line goes.

So basic. So vertical. So painfully plain.
Just two little sticks with a balance campaign.

Meanwhile, I roll in unbothered and hot,
like a seated machine with the best parking spot.
No blisters or limping, no “Where is a chair?”
Plot twist: I brought one- I’m already there.

Doors open faster,
And crowds gently part.
People become helpful,
It’s honestly art.

“Oh, let me grab that!”
“Please, you go through!”
Suddenly everyone knows what to do.

VIP service? I’m not saying yes,
but I am saying life got a seating upgrade, I guess.

But wait.

That was the brochure.
The glossy edition.
The wheelchair fantasy.
The sales floor rendition!

Because in real life, and I hate to report,
the VIP service is shockingly short.

The chair isn’t noticed.
The wheels don’t part seas.
Nobody salutes me
or offers me cheese.

No velvet rope opens, no trumpets appear.
Half the time people don’t know that I’m here.

The wheels are not tired.
The wheels have a mission.
The wheels could be flying
with basic permission.

But uprights drift sideways and stop with no plan,
like software updates in the shape of a man.

Some block the whole path
Like a bear in the wild.
Some talk to my face
like I’m still a child!

People ask others
“Does he need us to move?”
I’m right here, Janet.
And yes, I approve!!

I’m not asking for trumpets,
or cheese, or a crown.
Just don’t become furniture
when I roll through the town.

This chair has momentum.
And my wheels have good pace,
The problem is Bruce
Clogging my space.

So cherish your kneecaps, your toes, and your stride.
Your luxury option to step to the side.

And when I come rolling,
composed and elite,
please act like your legs
came with more than just feet.

My exaggerated take on getting places in a chair through Brady’s eyes.

-Cher

It was a nice peaceful day at the lake. Brady and I skipped breakfast and got up a bit slower. I got a fire going, and he got his cards and gifts once the kids were back from eating at the camp. We moved slowly through the morning and eventually went and joined the crowd for a lunch of BBQ and sides. It was a HUGE feed, and no one was complaining.

The afternoon hit a little bit different. Brady pulled out the guitar and played some beautiful songs. Encouraging, faith filled songs. He sang loudly and confidently, and a couple of us sad sacks cried on the deck. Friends and loved ones came and said goodbye and good luck. So many beautiful people have invested in our life and our family, it was very meaningful to see them come and intentionally touch base before a big week ahead. There was SO much love there this weekend. There always is, but it was different today. Heavier. And deeper.

Remember ten years ago when I delivered a huge baby and moved in the same week? I wonder if school wrapping up the day after a brain surgery will feel similar in terms of output 🤔 I guess we’ll know soon 💜

Brady, my sweet man, you have touched the hearts and lives of SO MANY. I hope you know how dearly loved you are. And on a day to celebrate fathers, I hope you know how important you are to your children and your family 💜 Yes, things have shifted and your role has changed in some ways, but we all love you deeply, exactly where you are, as you are, without any question.

I hope you feel honoured today, my love.

Ok let’s go eat pudding in bed now.

It’s been a lovely weekend 💜 Behold 🙌 highlights of today.

Overflow Coffee was open! We went twice 😁 The iced dirty chai stole my heart today.

Camp food and green juice. Kiwi, I believe. It was magically delicious! And I felt like a kid.

We had a beautiful fire going almost all day.

Supper was also delicious. I’m rarely super excited to eat a baked potato but it really hit the spot today! Yum!

It was an auction day! My latest Kinasao blanket sold in the live auction, meanwhile I snagged a lovely quilt out of the silent auction for Munchie. Sadie got a pie 🤣

The kids played hard all afternoon at many activities and a kids carnival. They had a GREAT rowdy day, and we had a GREAT quiet day 💜

Thank you Lord for this beautiful place 💜 it is such a blessing to our family.

It has been pretty amazing these last couple of days. As bizarre as that sounds even to me. To see and feel and remember how many people care about family has been so refreshing. To know with real confidence that we could call out for just about anything and we would have eager friends come to us. Its incredible. The offers for childcare. For food. For rides. All the open doors. All the lifelines. While our faith is in God and God alone, it is a beautiful gift to have a loving community of people come around us as well 💜 So thank you.

Currently, we have childcare worked out for surgery day and a couple of days following that. Thats the end of school. I have no idea when I’ll be at the hospital in those recovery days, but we organized childcare for those full days, just in case. Hopefully the recovery is very similar to Brady’s last brain surgery, where he only stayed in hospital for two ish days. But the days to follow were VERY quiet and sleepy. Last time, Brady had a lot more mobility and independence, and this time is different. So we’ll see whats to come.

IF you are someone who wants to offer to help with childcare, there are steps, so you have to actually want to 🤣

IF you want to, I need your full name and number, and date of birth. A very recent (not just current, but recent) record check. And then you need to sign a declaration from the ministry, which I have a copy of and can send to anyone. But as you can see, its fussy. That also only gives you permission to babysit at my house or places like the park.

To have kids in your house is a different system. Not huge and difficult per se, but time consuming and a little invasive. They will need to approve your house, and the bulk of that will be requiring gates, possibly door handle covers, and to make sure meds and chemicals are baby proofed or out of reach. Not much else. Just a little fussy.

There is no pressure for these things, but I wanted to put the steps out there as people have offered to babysit and unfortunately its not quite so simple. One of the hardest parts of fostering, honestly.

But. For the time being, child care is managed for the biggest days. We have a meal train set up for the first week ish with the promise of more to come. We just need to wait and see how recovery goes.

Thank you, all, for coming around us in all the different ways 💜 We see your efforts and we really appreciate them.

Off to Kinasao this afternoon! ☀️

Let’s go over how we got to the current plan of brain surgery.

Brady had an MRI in February, as he does every three or four months. Everything seemed fine in there. Some spots were visible, some changes, but they were more likely post surgical changes than anything concerning. Some necrosis, maybe. The scan wasn’t clear clear, but there were just some things to watch, which isn’t unusual. 

Early in May, we all got eye appointments, and Brady got a fresh prescription. His new glasses came on May 12th. SUPER handsome, hey?? 😍 

It was literal days after that when his eyes started to play tricks on him. He seemed a bit extra zoned, or just far less accurate getting around. We gave it a bit of time for him to adjust to his new prescription, going back and forth between old and new, contacts, glasses, etc. 

Bradys silver MRI was at the end of May. His 25th, on the 25th 🤣 Remember how hard it was to get the first one?! We got the results a couple of days later. The findings were very similar to the February scan. A spot here or there. We saw the word “stable” a couple of times. We agreed with our family doctor that a “nothing to see here” scan would be nicer than a “keep an eye on it” scan, but its still better than “there’s a tumour in there” scan. So we called it good and forgot about it. 

On June 3rd, Brady got a call from the oncologist who regularly orders his brain MRIs. He called Brady out on missing their in-person appointment, which was super strange because we didn’t have one in our calendar. He proceeded to give Brady bad news. New tumour. New growth. Not stable. Must be addressed ASAP. He said he would get a referral to Dr. Fourney, Brady’s neurosurgeon from the last two surgeries, and they would discuss further steps to take. Brady took this as his cue to take the rest of the day off. He came home and told me about the call. We sat together, completely shellshocked. Finally I asked “Well what were we reading before then??” We went back into Brady’s most recent MRI report and sure enough, everything was stable and well. Maybe the oncologist had messed something up and meant to call someone else? Or gave us someone else’s results? We didn’t know about that apparent appointment, either. It had to be a mistake. Brady tried to call back and confirm things, and the cancer centre refused to even give the doctor his message since we had a follow-up appointment already booked for that next week. That was going to be a LOT to sit with for the next eight days. We texted our family doctor about it, and she agreed that it was a VERY stressful spot to be in. She committed to helping us figure it out. 

Track was two days later on June 5th. After a day or two of chasing, our doctor called in the afternoon. Brady was at chemo. I was at track. She was in her office. We set up a three way call and she told us the results were, in fact, Bradys. The bad news was ours. Deep breath.

Brady saw the eye doctor again on June 10th. His field of vision had changed drastically. He had lost most of his peripheral vision on his left side. Alarmingly quickly. Luckily, at the office we go to, we are very comfortably among friends 💜 Everyone came around us and absorbed the news. It was nice to process together. We made some plans for what’s to come with his vision, and we confirmed that his eyes themselves are very healthy. Optic nerves, too. But any concrete plan was waiting/hinging on the appointments the next day. 

June 11th carried two very important appointments. 

First was the oncologist. He is really awesome. He has that same character quality as Dr. Guselle where he can leave a person feeling somehow so reassured even in an impossibly bad situation. He apologized for all the confusion we had felt the week before and explained the disconnect. The February scan results were accurate, AND the May scan results were also accurate. But the radiologist who dictated the results did not compare the two scans. The spot from February had gone from 2cm to 6cm. That is incredibly significant. He spoke to us about our options and told us who he had already been in talks with. But we didn’t lock down any plans because that was the next appointment. 

The neurosurgeon was next. Dr. Fourney. He is not known for his bedside manner, but he was incredibly kind to us, as he has absolutely always been. He explained to us exactly what we were looking at. 

A new tumour. In the exact same spot as the last one. Right temporal lobe. This time, however, it had begun growing further back, and it was infiltrating the white matter. Really pronounce the H in there, the way fancy people do. It went into the occipital lobe. Lots of things cross in the brain, so in this case, the tumour on the ride side of his brain was getting in the way of the vision pathways of the left side. The obvious choice was to surgically remove the tumour, which oddly, it what we were hoping for at that point. Dr. Fourney agreed, and said he would come alongside another doctor, who he referred to as his protege. Apparently this guy was also his resident and assisted on Brady’s initial spine surgery! Cool, hey? 

So we agreed. 

1. Surgery
2. Four weeks for healing
3. Radiation to clean up edges

The date has been set for June 24th. Aiming for midday. Noonish. But we all know that lots of things can happen unexpectedly during brain surgeries, and Brady isn’t first on the docket that day. So we expect the unexpected, in all the ways. 

In the meantime! 

Risks are not too too scary. They are working in the same area as last time, which didn’t leave Brady with any deficits. However, the hhhhhwhite matter is higher stakes. Surgery will not bring his lost vision back. In fact, it could make it a little bit worse than it already is. Or it could pause it in its tracks. Either way, the goal is to stop the progression of the tumour. 

Brady is not driving. Which has been a tough pill to swallow. It simply isn’t safe as his eyes get progressively worse. With that, Brady is home 💜 Working at a surprisingly nice setup in our garage as much as he can.

Zak’s has, of course, been incredible. One of the owners came to our house, sat on our couch, and told Brady to let work be last on his list. They will carry us. If you know about how well they cared for us last time, I’m sure you can read between the lines to know how well they will be caring for us again. They are an enormous gift to our family. 

The days leading up to surgery day are fairly full up, but frankly even if they weren’t, we’re keeping them as is 😅 As I said earlier – the unexpected, right? We still have some appointments. Some foster things. Meetings. Preparing. And arranging all the childcare for surgery day and those to follow. 

I cannot express how overwhelming this whole thing has been. I don’t mean its all been bad, though. Overwhelmed with gratefulness. Overwhelmed with support and love. Overwhelmed with offers to help and pitch in. And the obvious – overwhelmed by the impending surgery and all that comes with it. All around, its been a LOT. 

But God is even bigger than all of this mess. So, as always, forward we go. That is the only way. We don’t get to choose our cards, but we do get to choose how to play the ones we’re dealt. And we choose to look UP. 

Praise the Lord! It is well with our souls 💜

Do you guys remember Pythagoras? The mathematician that Mrs. Dament would dress up as from time to time? I mean. No. 😳 Pythagoras just came to school. For reals.

I don’t know about this rule because of Pythagoras, but Brady taught it to me because its a concept that carpenters really like! It goes like this.

Say you’re hypothetically squaring up a corner. You want 90 degrees, right? So if you measure 3″ up and 4″ across, your connecting line that makes it into a triangle should be 5″. If it is, you got a perfect square! Cool, hey? I know. I used all the technical terms 🤣 Pythagoras Jr over here.

Anyway. This is not the point. Brady has now put a new spin on the 3-4-5 rule.

Let’s start with 5.

Five is the number of tumours that Brady has grown. One in his spine, one in his brain, two more in his spine last year, and now, a new one in his brain.

*sigh*

Four is the number of cancer reoccurrences he has had. 2021, 24, 25, and now 2026.

Three is last. Can you guess what it represents? Three is the number of surgeries Brady will have after next week.

Ok so if this has all been a little long winded and dumb, I’ll give it to you straight.

Brady has grown another brain tumour, and is having it resected next week.

We covet your prayers 💜 They are what we need the very most. I will offer more details in the next day or two regarding how we figured it out, where its at, risks, needs, plans, etc.

If you’ve noticed the blogs have lacked recently, this is why 😅 It is HARD to blog every day when you’re not ready to talk about the thing that is at the top of your mind. We wanted to wait until we knew the date so we could at least answer that one question.

June 24th. One week.

Surgery #3.

We trust you, Lord, no matter the circumstance.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – I LOVE this stage for writing. The stage where spelling is a low priority and its more about building the confidence to actually write words and get ideas across!

Kids are bringing home their work from school as the year wraps up, and Wavy brought home her duotang with all of her science stuff in it. She researched a lot of animals, it seems, and she wanted to read me every single word of it. Which took a while but was very cute.

At one point, she struggled with reading a portion that went like this:

“They eat meat and…. beeeeeers.” 🍻

🤣🤣🤣

I laughed SO hard!!! And cried from jealousy, because who doesn’t want meat and beers?

It has already been quite a full day. I went in for a doctors appointment first thing this morning. It wasn’t long at all but it still takes time, and anyone with babies can likely attest to the fact that the rest of the morning is rarely routine. Upon arriving home, babes were all a bit disgruntled, considering they were still fast asleep when I got them up this morning 🤣 Not complaining, to be clear. I expect these things, and I love the life I’ve chosen. Disgruntled babies and all!

So we got home and I worked to appease the babies for a while. Meanwhile, I got a few details organized for the rest of the week, and I registered the girls for ballet in the fall.

Lunch was early because it needed to be for their little annoying sakes 😅 And now they’re all tucked in and I’m taking a minute on my cozy chair before I get back up and clean up their mess, and find myself a little something to eat as well. But first, I’m enjoying the clouds out my window and daydreaming about camping.

If I saw these suckers at camp, I’d be running down to the water to take some pictures. Not that my pictures of the water are anything special, but more than the lake, even, I love CLOUDS. Clouds over the lake are 😘👌

Next is lunch. Making a list. And hopefully washing my hair. Let’s see if I get there 🤞