It all started in September of 2018, when April arrived on Chester Street to take care of Stephen's mother Petrina. If you know Petrina, it won't come as a shock that she had no interest in getting to know April. She went so far as to pretend she was sick and not feeling well. Little did Pet know, the care office called Stephen to let him know his mother was sick. He of course didn't hold back and let them know she was not. So April decided to go back, and that's just how the story began, as April became a part of the Ruma Family.

Stephen had been sick for some time but in 2019 Stephen's health wasn't getting any better. His type 2 diabetes severely progressed. He was living on dialysis with kidney failure and was later diagnosed with kidney cancer. The cancer had metastasized to his lungs, pancreas and lymph nodes. After a few months of immunotherapy, he began to enter remission. But his heart condition had become terminal.

In 2023, Stephen survived three massive heart attacks. Little did we know, his last heart attack in August was the one that would change his life forever. His mitral valve was severely damaged and leaking into two different directions and was unrepairable. The doctors attempted to performed an angioplasty - that appeared to be successful but nothing but complications came shortly after. In order to survive Stephen needed to have an emergency intra-aortic balloon pump inserted to keep his heart pumping. The average lifespan of a heart balloon pump is 40 days. Stephen prevailed for 42 days. The fighter that he is.

On September 27, 2023 Stephen's fight came to an end, peacefully surrounded by his wife April and closest family. Although it's always hard to ask, any help to assist with the long list of medical bills and expenses would be greatly appreciated, while his wife and family try to pick up the pieces that were left around them.