Many people may know my husband, Juan Carlos Estrada, from his active presence in both Horse Racing and Boxing/MMA (Combat Sports) industries. Most likely, you know him as dedicated, a hard worker, and a considerate, easy-going man who will eat almost anything you place in front of him (especially if you give him jalapenos or hot sauce). You may also know him from the boxing gym, where he sparred on weekends with friends. What you may not know is that we are expecting a child in October (a surprise and small miracle), and that we got married in a hospital, on March 21, 2026 (instead of week later, in our back yard as planned) surrounded by Juan’s amazing daughters, my parents, Juan’s mom and brothers and sister (and brother in law), Juan’s nieces and nephews, and a few close friends. Although we are overjoyed for the love and support both have brought us, we are also humbled by a sudden health emergency at the same time- Cancer.

On Monday, March 16, we went to the ER because Juan’s cough worsened and he couldn’t breathe well. We thought we would hear that he had a bad case of pneumonia. The moment they mentioned cancer, following a CT scan of his lungs, will forever be burned into my memory as one of the worst moments. Despite the compassion and support of so many friends, family, and nurses that following week, I will still remember that time as the single most devastating week of my life. We were told, over the course of scans and tests, biopsies, and draining of fluid in Juan’s lungs, that he has Stage IV Large Cell Neuroendocrine Carcinoma, an aggressive type of lung cancer, with metastases to various organs, including his brain, and that he would need emergency chemotherapy and radiology. We were given a prognosis of one year.

We quickly planned for our wedding to occur in the hospital chapel two hours before his first chemo, so we could have one last normal moment before we had to keep our distance and use separate bedrooms and bathrooms (chemo is dangerous to developing babies during pregnancy, we learned). It was a beautiful ceremony, surrounded by immediate family.

Since then, Juan has finished his first set of chemo (3 days on, followed by 18 days “off”) and will undergo radiology and immunotherapy beginning sometime next week. He has been the most patient, kind, and considerate patient that I have seen in a hospital and is open to trying anything he can to improve his chances in the most difficult bout he will ever fight - cancer.

We have researched the average cost of fighting cancer, accounted for fees required by this platform, and used that amount to budget, though there is no guarantee or budget for cancer. We are not including costs of childbirth or pregnancy, though we expect those will also be substantial.

Any amount you donate, or even sharing this story, will help give Juan his best chance in this fight and help him obtain the care he needs.

We are so grateful for our friends, family, and community’s support during this most difficult time, in the form of meals, help around our home, research and contacts to help with care, home supplies for sanitation and cleaning, or financial donations toward his chemo and radiation treatments. If there are extra funds after Juan’s medical bills are paid, we plan to ask this group to vote on several options for use of those funds, so please be assured we will only use what is absolutely needed for his healthcare.

We also welcome safe visits, brief calls (he can’t talk for long due to coughing/breathing), tips or suggestions from those who have fought cancer, nutrition ideas/recipes, or any ideas for Juan to keep busy without much physical movement.

We are blessed with people who want to make life beautiful or simpler for us any way they can. We love and thank the many people who love and support Juan and our family for all the ways they have helped and supported us these past weeks, and in the weeks to come.

With all my love and appreciation,

Caitlin Vanderkarr