Hi friends, my name is Melissa and I am writing on behalf of my gang Rudy.

Rudy was first diagnosed with testicular cancer in 2016. He had surgery the same week we received the news. He recovered well, and we continued going to appointments every week to check his tumor markers.

The numbers hadn't improved as well as we hoped, so we did more scans and tests. Doctors found suspicious lymph nodes in his lumbar region. We did a biopsy and confirmed it was cancer. Rudy was then scheduled for a Retroperitoneal lymph node dissection (RPLND): This surgery removes lymph nodes from the retroperitoneum, the space behind the organs in the belly.

This was the longest surgery for Rudy thus far (8+ hours). Recovery was long and challenging, but he persisted! As we continued with check-ups, tumor marker numbers were finally decreasing! As the numbers continued to improve, our appointments became less frequent.

Rudy was in remission for about 7 years.

Fast forward to earlier this year (2025). Rudy started to notice occasional discomfort in his abdomen. At the beginning of August, the pain became too much and we went to the hospital thinking appendicitis.. hah.

All day, the hospital did scans/tests that were inconclusive. They recommended us to an Oncologist, and I think both of us already knew.. and we knew how fast things were about to happen.

The oncologist confirmed Rudy's tumor markers were exponentially high and recommended he start a rather aggressive chemotherapy treatment. Rudy's base levels tested well, and so we proceeded.

He had surgery to insert a port in his chest. This is how he would receive treatment. The plan was 4 treatment cycles, with each cycle lasting 3 weeks.

He has been so strong during all of this, powering through his so-called "Hell week" (referring to the first week of the treatment cycle). The clinic and staff have been so caring and kind.

I am happy to say, Rudy's tumor markers have significantly decreased since he started chemo! I'm proud of him for continuing to push forward. I swear he was dealing with new symptoms every week.

One thing we had to keep an eye on was his lungs; he had this cough that seemed to be getting worse. He developed pneumonia and was treated for it, but the cough came back. The doctors think it may be a reaction from one of the chemo drugs. The doctors decided to stop treatment so Rudy could recover.

Presently, it has been a few weeks since we stopped treatment. Rudy is now beginning to feel some relief in his lungs. We meet with his Oncologist next week to talk about what's next.

We appreciate all of our family and friends we've had during this time. <3

As this is ongoing, so is the cost. So we're just starting with Rudy's and Taylor Swift's lucky number 13.

With love,

Rudy and Melissa