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Hi, my name is Cheyenne, or Shay Castro and my sister and I Mariah are raising money to help go towards funeral costs and other related expenses for my father, Rene Paul Castro, who after a nearly 12 year long battle with Multiple Myleoma has decided to make the transition to treatment of his cancer to Hospice care focusing on his comfort in what will be the end of his life’s journey. While I want to stress he is still fighting up until this moment as of Thursday June 29, his body is rapidly deteriorating and is tired and ready to rest from the long fight he has endured.
His strength and bravery to push on has been such a blessing and we were lucky enough to have 10 more years with the person we have called Mom and Dad since 2003.
My sister and I are really struggling to comprehend the impending loss of our other parent and caretaker as we have had to switch the roles and be his nurses and caretakers. We want to be angry, but are trying to be brave ourselves and be his strength as he has made the difficult decision to pass on to the next chapter of his journey where he can be with his Beloved wife and our Mother Alisha, his father Sol, and his closest friend Scott Watkins.
This 10 year battle has come with so many ups and downs, but the last 6 months have been so grueling for him that it is time to spend his final days in comfort surrounded by love and prayers.
We only ask that if you come across this page, whether you know the Castro family of Paso Robles, California or not, that you could please take a small amount of time out of you day to send warm wishes his way so he is receiving nothing but love, prayer, good energies and light.
Rene has been suffering from Multiple Myleoma since 2011. He was diagnosed after three years of pain we assumed to be a work related injury that turned out to be more bad news that my family had hoped and prayed against. I was a sophomore in high school as remember the very day I came home to this horrible news. I still remember exactly how it felt to feel my gut sink to my feet as I’m hearing my father, my second parent has cancer.
Cancer has stripped so much away from my small family, and yet here again it has come to take and take more at that. After years of trying to manage the pain and push through it, he was taken to the hospital where scans revealed that he had developed a large tumor in his spine, and several more yet through his body. Biopsies were taken and an emergency surgery was scheduled the next day to remove the mass in his L3 and replace the whole bone with a titanium mesh graft implant with screws to anchor it in place and act as artificial bone..
Our family was told to prepare for the news it was cancerous, and bone tissue was sent for biopsies and it was shortly after that it came back positive for Multiple Myleoma.
Unlike 20 years ago where my mother was fighting her battle with Cervical and Metastic lung cancer and we were considered lucky to here in the central coast where they offered radiation and chemo in the first place, there more options available to us now and a plan was devised for his care plan and treatment.
I wish more than anything that we were fortunate to have the advantage of medical technology now back
then but we were limited with income and doctor bills we’re stacking up so we did what we could to fight her cancer and make her healthy. After rounds of chemo and radiation and eventually surgery to remove the cancerous mass in her lungs, a near 3 year battle of cancer ended In March of 2003.
I was 7 years old, my baby sister was 6, and suddenly we went from a happy family to a family that was suddenly thrown into loss and pain and it was unbearable for us all.
Life from that point has never been the same for any of us if that is so hard to imagine. For locals in the area this story might not be new to anyone, or it’s filling in some blanks that never made sense until now but cancer has been around for decades now in my life and it’s the most evil of all yet humbles us every time it come around to take another loved one to the gates of heaven.
Our father was fortunate to be accepted into Stanford Medical Center Clinical Research for MM and has been a patient in their study since 2013. We are so blessed and honored for that opportunity thanks to the quick work from the doctors at the hospital level, to his oncologist and radiologist and everyone in between. There is real compassion for the patients and families at these facilities and if it were not for them we would be at such a complete loss that the suggestion to make this post would have gone unfollowed if it wasn’t for the urging to ask for help.
In addition to being part of clinical trials for new chemotherapy options for blood related cancer he was accepted as part of a stem cell research study for groundbreaking advancement in the fight against cancer through the harvesting of his own cells as a transplant. He went through the process of having stem cells harvested and went through therapy in the spring of 2014 after it was discovered that the new clinical trial methods of Revlimid among many others were not working for my father, and he was actually quite allergic to the medication that was supposed to help save his life. When his cancer was no longer in remission as of 2021, as a family we decided to give Revlimid along with other “cocktails” of chemo a try to see if we could put this cancer to rest.
Multiple Myloma has no cure, like every cancer, but there is a point where you are considered to be in remission if you cancer protein count is so low and My dad went into remission from 2017 into early 2021. But then our worst nightmares came to life: the cancer had come back. And this time it came back more aggressively. More tumor masses growing in his body, causing severe pain. Back in his lumbar area, now a new mass we can see getting bigger over time progressing in his pelvis, new neck pain, the same kind of all over tiredness of the body you can only know if you yourself or someone you love is suffering with disease. Given his older age of 66 with the rediagnosis in addition to it being relapsed cancer our options were different. We tried the research study with Stanford once again, as he is a patient for life, but those methods were again too harsh on what is already a weakened body, but his spirit ever strong was not ready to give up. We now have an amazing cancer care facility here on the central Coast through Dignity health. I cannot express enough gratitude to our medical team we have had here in the last year of this ever changing time in our life. Dr Akpeck, NP Robin Dibiase, Nurse Kelsey, Nurse Alex, Nurse Morgan, Dr Johnson, Radiation Tech Alex , Tech Alfredo, have all brought us a wonderful 9 months more with our father to allow 2 daughters to have 1 more Christmas with their father.
Rene has been rapidly declining since June of 2022. Since then, he has suffered 2 heart attacks in the spring of 2023, dangerously low blood pressure, anemia, and 4 falls this year which fractured his hips and his spine. We tried more chemo which has completely weakened the body and 10 rounds of radiation which held off his pain for 2 months in 3 years when that was a daily occurrence of life and we are at peace that the effort was there.
I watched him be taken away by ambulance 4 times this year and we saw him have 9 hospital “vacations” in a span of 6 months before this person that I love so much decided he simply cannot do it anymore. I don’t blame him. I don’t blame anyone who makes that decision but it hurts so much to have to type this and prepare for a goodbye I never wanted to make.
His cancer has progressed throughout his body and is causing GI bleeding from all the failed chemo and overall anemia that is making his ability to produce clean red blood cells that much more difficult than it already is. The heart attack he suffered earlier this spring has weakened his heart and it is struggling to pump blood in his body now. He hasn’t been able to walk without assistance since January and now he cannot walk at all. The last time he tried we went to the hospital for a fall.
Rene put up one hell of a fight, the best one anyone could ever ask someone they love to put themselves through day after day for over 10 years of their life. Being his caretaker these last months has been one of my greatest life achievements, to go from someone who is cared for to a caretaker is not easy, but I was so happy to do it for my father and if given the option I would happily do it again, no questions asked or second thoughts. I am very proud to have been someone that he picked to help him when he needed it most, and if anything even through the hardships and struggles of being his nurse and companion, I am so lucky to have been there to do what many people cannot and I hope to someday find comfort in those memories.
We have decided together it is now time to wave that white flag and call it for what it is ❤️ Mariah and I were hoping my father would have another 10 years with us, to walk each of us down the aisle when we married, to see us start our families... to meet his future grandchildren. We are struggling to grieve the future he will not be apart of. A fathers wish to see his babies be mothers for the first time after a life of loss and pain to kiss them goodbye as they go to their groom hopeful to make a new family with the one that is the most special in their heart. We all wanted dad to have those moments with us as they are more than deserved. I am not one to ask for help ever, and anyone who knows me personally would say I’m stubborn about it but this isn’t about me. This is for my father, who has been solid ground for my sister and I. We are scared for a future in which he is not in it. He has been all we have had this last 20 years and being left behind in this life is terrifying for both of us.
We're hoping any donation will help cover medical bills, transportation, chemotherapy bills, hospice care, and ultimately funeral costs and cremation. Any and all help is very much appreciated and thanked whether it is a prayer sent our way, a share is this on your own pages to share the word of his life, spirit and eventual passing or more if that is something you are able to do.
Mariah and I and the rest of our family and friends appreciate all the love and well wishing that is coming our way. Our father did the best job in the whole world anyone could have asked for. I’m proud to call him my father and one of my best friends. Thank you for taking the time to read our story and think about our little family today.
His strength and bravery to push on has been such a blessing and we were lucky enough to have 10 more years with the person we have called Mom and Dad since 2003.
My sister and I are really struggling to comprehend the impending loss of our other parent and caretaker as we have had to switch the roles and be his nurses and caretakers. We want to be angry, but are trying to be brave ourselves and be his strength as he has made the difficult decision to pass on to the next chapter of his journey where he can be with his Beloved wife and our Mother Alisha, his father Sol, and his closest friend Scott Watkins.
This 10 year battle has come with so many ups and downs, but the last 6 months have been so grueling for him that it is time to spend his final days in comfort surrounded by love and prayers.
We only ask that if you come across this page, whether you know the Castro family of Paso Robles, California or not, that you could please take a small amount of time out of you day to send warm wishes his way so he is receiving nothing but love, prayer, good energies and light.
Rene has been suffering from Multiple Myleoma since 2011. He was diagnosed after three years of pain we assumed to be a work related injury that turned out to be more bad news that my family had hoped and prayed against. I was a sophomore in high school as remember the very day I came home to this horrible news. I still remember exactly how it felt to feel my gut sink to my feet as I’m hearing my father, my second parent has cancer.
Cancer has stripped so much away from my small family, and yet here again it has come to take and take more at that. After years of trying to manage the pain and push through it, he was taken to the hospital where scans revealed that he had developed a large tumor in his spine, and several more yet through his body. Biopsies were taken and an emergency surgery was scheduled the next day to remove the mass in his L3 and replace the whole bone with a titanium mesh graft implant with screws to anchor it in place and act as artificial bone..
Our family was told to prepare for the news it was cancerous, and bone tissue was sent for biopsies and it was shortly after that it came back positive for Multiple Myleoma.
Unlike 20 years ago where my mother was fighting her battle with Cervical and Metastic lung cancer and we were considered lucky to here in the central coast where they offered radiation and chemo in the first place, there more options available to us now and a plan was devised for his care plan and treatment.
I wish more than anything that we were fortunate to have the advantage of medical technology now back
then but we were limited with income and doctor bills we’re stacking up so we did what we could to fight her cancer and make her healthy. After rounds of chemo and radiation and eventually surgery to remove the cancerous mass in her lungs, a near 3 year battle of cancer ended In March of 2003.
I was 7 years old, my baby sister was 6, and suddenly we went from a happy family to a family that was suddenly thrown into loss and pain and it was unbearable for us all.
Life from that point has never been the same for any of us if that is so hard to imagine. For locals in the area this story might not be new to anyone, or it’s filling in some blanks that never made sense until now but cancer has been around for decades now in my life and it’s the most evil of all yet humbles us every time it come around to take another loved one to the gates of heaven.
Our father was fortunate to be accepted into Stanford Medical Center Clinical Research for MM and has been a patient in their study since 2013. We are so blessed and honored for that opportunity thanks to the quick work from the doctors at the hospital level, to his oncologist and radiologist and everyone in between. There is real compassion for the patients and families at these facilities and if it were not for them we would be at such a complete loss that the suggestion to make this post would have gone unfollowed if it wasn’t for the urging to ask for help.
In addition to being part of clinical trials for new chemotherapy options for blood related cancer he was accepted as part of a stem cell research study for groundbreaking advancement in the fight against cancer through the harvesting of his own cells as a transplant. He went through the process of having stem cells harvested and went through therapy in the spring of 2014 after it was discovered that the new clinical trial methods of Revlimid among many others were not working for my father, and he was actually quite allergic to the medication that was supposed to help save his life. When his cancer was no longer in remission as of 2021, as a family we decided to give Revlimid along with other “cocktails” of chemo a try to see if we could put this cancer to rest.
Multiple Myloma has no cure, like every cancer, but there is a point where you are considered to be in remission if you cancer protein count is so low and My dad went into remission from 2017 into early 2021. But then our worst nightmares came to life: the cancer had come back. And this time it came back more aggressively. More tumor masses growing in his body, causing severe pain. Back in his lumbar area, now a new mass we can see getting bigger over time progressing in his pelvis, new neck pain, the same kind of all over tiredness of the body you can only know if you yourself or someone you love is suffering with disease. Given his older age of 66 with the rediagnosis in addition to it being relapsed cancer our options were different. We tried the research study with Stanford once again, as he is a patient for life, but those methods were again too harsh on what is already a weakened body, but his spirit ever strong was not ready to give up. We now have an amazing cancer care facility here on the central Coast through Dignity health. I cannot express enough gratitude to our medical team we have had here in the last year of this ever changing time in our life. Dr Akpeck, NP Robin Dibiase, Nurse Kelsey, Nurse Alex, Nurse Morgan, Dr Johnson, Radiation Tech Alex , Tech Alfredo, have all brought us a wonderful 9 months more with our father to allow 2 daughters to have 1 more Christmas with their father.
Rene has been rapidly declining since June of 2022. Since then, he has suffered 2 heart attacks in the spring of 2023, dangerously low blood pressure, anemia, and 4 falls this year which fractured his hips and his spine. We tried more chemo which has completely weakened the body and 10 rounds of radiation which held off his pain for 2 months in 3 years when that was a daily occurrence of life and we are at peace that the effort was there.
I watched him be taken away by ambulance 4 times this year and we saw him have 9 hospital “vacations” in a span of 6 months before this person that I love so much decided he simply cannot do it anymore. I don’t blame him. I don’t blame anyone who makes that decision but it hurts so much to have to type this and prepare for a goodbye I never wanted to make.
His cancer has progressed throughout his body and is causing GI bleeding from all the failed chemo and overall anemia that is making his ability to produce clean red blood cells that much more difficult than it already is. The heart attack he suffered earlier this spring has weakened his heart and it is struggling to pump blood in his body now. He hasn’t been able to walk without assistance since January and now he cannot walk at all. The last time he tried we went to the hospital for a fall.
Rene put up one hell of a fight, the best one anyone could ever ask someone they love to put themselves through day after day for over 10 years of their life. Being his caretaker these last months has been one of my greatest life achievements, to go from someone who is cared for to a caretaker is not easy, but I was so happy to do it for my father and if given the option I would happily do it again, no questions asked or second thoughts. I am very proud to have been someone that he picked to help him when he needed it most, and if anything even through the hardships and struggles of being his nurse and companion, I am so lucky to have been there to do what many people cannot and I hope to someday find comfort in those memories.
We have decided together it is now time to wave that white flag and call it for what it is ❤️ Mariah and I were hoping my father would have another 10 years with us, to walk each of us down the aisle when we married, to see us start our families... to meet his future grandchildren. We are struggling to grieve the future he will not be apart of. A fathers wish to see his babies be mothers for the first time after a life of loss and pain to kiss them goodbye as they go to their groom hopeful to make a new family with the one that is the most special in their heart. We all wanted dad to have those moments with us as they are more than deserved. I am not one to ask for help ever, and anyone who knows me personally would say I’m stubborn about it but this isn’t about me. This is for my father, who has been solid ground for my sister and I. We are scared for a future in which he is not in it. He has been all we have had this last 20 years and being left behind in this life is terrifying for both of us.
We're hoping any donation will help cover medical bills, transportation, chemotherapy bills, hospice care, and ultimately funeral costs and cremation. Any and all help is very much appreciated and thanked whether it is a prayer sent our way, a share is this on your own pages to share the word of his life, spirit and eventual passing or more if that is something you are able to do.
Mariah and I and the rest of our family and friends appreciate all the love and well wishing that is coming our way. Our father did the best job in the whole world anyone could have asked for. I’m proud to call him my father and one of my best friends. Thank you for taking the time to read our story and think about our little family today.