Help us fund Dylan's Cancer treatment

I would like to share something very important that my family is currently dealing with. My best friend, my identical twin brother, Dylan, was diagnosed on 3/11/2025 with a very rare and aggressive cancer known as Ewing's sarcoma.

For 10 years my parents tried to start a family through IVF, and finally after years of infertility treatments, they had us, identical twins, Dylan and Daniel. We were premature, we spent the first month of our lives in the NICU. Dylan was a very sensitive baby, he was always crying, and the only thing that would calm him down was being in his mother's arms. She sacrificed her sleep in order to work full time while also caring for us.

My brother and I were always attached at the hip. We would always get on each other's nerves as siblings do, but we always knew that at the end of the day we would always be there for each other. We always shared with each other. We shared toys, friends, and secrets, and we always did so without a single complaint because we wanted to support each other.

We both did very well in school. I knew since kindergarten that I wanted to be a doctor. The idea of diagnosing and treating health conditions sounded like an interesting and important task. Growing up, my brother Dylan wasn't completely sure what he wanted to be when he was older. But what he knew for sure was he had a strong creative side. He loved to draw, write stories, and brainstorm interesting ideas. During high school he realized he had a knack for physics and thus decided to major in mechanical engineering.

Dylan enrolled in the University of Texas at Dallas as a mechanical engineering student in 2023. Although it took some time to adapt to college life, he began to achieve his potential and excelled in his engineering classes. He even started working at the UTD student success center as a math and physics tutor. He made it onto the dean's list twice in a row. However, this was all put on pause.

In December of 2024, Dylan pointed out to his mom a 4cm bump on his lower chest next to his ribs. Dylan saw a dermatologist a day later who thought the mass was a large lipoma and recommended removal. After waiting two months for surgery, the dermatologist attempted to remove what he had initially believed was a lipoma. When the doctor made his first incision, he was baffled. He didn't know what it was, but he knew now that it wasn't a lipoma. A sample was taken in order to perform a biopsy, but they did not believe it was cancer. About a month later, the biopsy came back, and it was Ewing's sarcoma, an aggressive form of cancer.

After this diagnosis, Dylan must undergo a very long and aggressive chemotherapy treatment in order to kill the cancer in his body, as well as several rounds of radiation. Due to the harsh effects of chemotherapy, Dylan must put his life on hold. He had to request a non-academic withdrawal because he can't focus on school during chemo. Because his immune system will be nonfunctional during chemo, he will be confined to his bedroom, as any illness or infection could kill him.

Cancer treatment in the United States is extremely expensive, and my family needs your help covering medical costs, including lab tests, imaging, surgeries, chemotherapy, radiation, parking, transportation, and doctor’s visits. Please share this with your friends and family in case someone may want to help Dylan and my family. If you cannot donate, we simply ask that you keep Dylan in your thoughts.

A special thank you to our mom, Rita, and our dad, Alex.

contact info:

Dylan’s Instagram: dylans_account.v2

My instagram: danielrudnikov

Rita’s instagram: ritarudnikov

Alex’s instagram: alexrudnikov