Ruben won his battle against cancer! Help us put him to rest

Hello everyone, as you all know, Ruben is home on hospice. He has been battling a grade 3 anasplastic oligodendroglioma (Brain Cancer). His health has declined further since Thursday and it’s time for me to start planning and arranging for his passing! I have created this GoFundMe to help with the funeral expenses for my husband.

For the past 2 years, I have been the only one working due to his illness, and honestly, I don’t have anything saved. I truly hope you find it in your heart to help us in our time of need or help us by sharing our story!

Ruben and I started dating while attending Adamson High School in Oak Cliff during our freshman year. At the age of 16, we decided to move in together, and since then, we have been inseparable and loved each other deeply!

In August 2016, he was diagnosed with brain cancer (grade 3 anaplastic oligodendroglioma). In May 2017, he was told he would need radiation, but they made us aware it wasn’t ideal to have kids for 6 years because of the toxins from the treatment. We were saddened by the news because we still hadn’t been blessed with a baby, but God works in mysterious ways because right before starting radiation, he blessed us with the news that we were expecting our miracle baby! Our unborn baby was Ruben’s biggest motivation while receiving his radiation treatment. In January 2018, our son was born and brought so much joy to our lives!

Fast forward to 2020, the cancer spread, and Ruben had another surgery to remove as much of the cancer as the surgeon could. In 2021, we were blessed to become homeowners, and I graduated college. I was on my way to start nursing school at Texas Tech in 2022, but life had other plans for us. Ruben lost his strength from his right side, and we received the news the cancer had spread further. Surgery was not an option, so he needed to start chemo, and I had to drop out of school to become his caregiver while still working and caring for our son.

In August 2023, Ruben had a sudden fall. I took him to the hospital. While waiting to be transferred to rehab to get physical therapy for his strength, the chemo he was receiving caused a perforation in his bowel. He went into septic shock, and the doctors didn’t think he was going to make it! After his bowel surgery, Ruben was connected to every type of machine you could think of. I honestly thought he wasn’t going to make it, but if anyone knows Ruben, you know that man is a fighter, and my baby pulled through! Due to all the complications and the extra help Ruben needed, he went to a long-term facility in December 2023. Everything stayed the same; the tumor wasn’t growing, but he wasn’t getting better. In August of 2024, after one year of being in a bed/wheelchair, he was finally able to stand up. We were seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. The physical therapist made us aware that the following week, Ruben was going to start taking steps, and soon, with God's help and his strength, he would walk. But we didn’t know that day would not happen. On that Saturday, my son and I arrived and noticed Ruben wouldn’t look straight at us. After that, his health started to decline, so I asked the facility to transfer him to the hospital. We got there, and they made us aware his cancer had spread. While in the hospital, he lost his ability to see and his ability to speak. He also had a stroke, and that’s when I knew things would not get better. The oncologist made us aware it was time for hospice! I decided to take him home and care for him while still working and caring for our 6-year-old. I have stuck by his side and made sure to care for him and our son I made a promise to him to love and care for him until he was called to heaven.

Ruben is a fighter. He battled his cancer with all his strength because I know he didn’t want to leave me or our son behind. Ruben grew up without his father; his father also died when he was a 6 year old boy, and that was one thing that would get him down, knowing that our son would also grow up without his father.

Also, the reason I am giving you every detail of our story is to explain why I am asking for help. I have been the caregiver, the wife, and the mom, and times have been hard for me. I understand we all have hard times, but anything will help, from a donation, a prayer, or just by sharing our story! If you personally knew Ruben you know he was filled with life he was the most funniest guy in the world and if something wasn’t funny just his laugh would make you laugh. Thanks in advance, and may God bless you!