Tony Samudio Jr.'s Recovery Fund

Hello, my name is Tanya, and I have been married to Tony Samudio Jr for 18 years. On Aug. 20, 2022, at 5:50 pm there were signs that Tony was suffering a stroke. He was rushed to the VA Medical Center’s emergency room and found that his blood pressure and glucose were sky high, and scans showed that he had suffered a stroke due to a blood clot. The following morning, we saw the full impact of this stroke as the right side of his body had no movement. The clot had obstructed blood flow and subsequently there were 4 areas that the CT Scan showed were impacted in Tony’s brain. His speech was heavily impacted, his right leg could only move about an inch and his right arm/hand had zero movement. Thankfully sensation is 100% all along his right side, so there lay the glimmer of good news. There was an additional surprise: during his 5 weeks in a rehab facility, a sonogram revealed that two tumors were discovered, one on each kidney. If he had not had this stroke, we would not have known about these tumors!

This means that there is also surgery and treatment that may or may not impact his stroke recovery timeline. He is scheduled for lab work and another CT Scan at the end of November. The treatment of the tumors will be coming during the first quarter of 2023 once his primary physician reviews the labs and scan at the end of November. Since there is a window of 1 year from the date of a stroke occurring to gain as much function back as you can, exactly how the treatment plan for his kidneys will impact his recovery is unclear at this point.

Since the day of the stroke, Tony has not been able to return to work. While his job of being a forklift operator & picker/packer is being held for him, which is a blessing, at this time there is no set date for his return. Our family has lost income of roughly $3,000 per month, which is a huge adjustment for a family of 5 as Tony was the primary breadwinner. Unfortunately, there is nothing coming in the form of disability to help fill the gap since Nevada does not have a state disability program automatically in place for employees and he had not yet hit his anniversary date with his new employer. We are hopeful that he will be able to return to work within the next 6 months, but at this time we are not certain of what the future months hold. Any financial support to aid in the next several months while he is battling to regain the function of his right side would be extremely helpful in reducing some of the stress of meeting living expenses. While I am self employed and working during the day, the majority of each day requires that I be present to assist Tony, as well as shuttle our 3 children to and from school/school events, which has cut into my productivity. I am also trying to secure work in the evenings to cover our expenses, especially as our family vehicle’s engine died the same week that Tony’s stroke took place and now needs to be replaced. (To the tune of $5,300.)

His spirits are positive and he laughs a lot to keep himself in the right frame of mind. We are all incredibly proud of him and are so thankful that he is continuing to recover. Tony’s trying to gain back full function as quickly as possible. There has been an outpouring of support from family and friends, many instances that have brought amazement and tears. This journey has been extremely difficult and still has quite a way to go according to the doctors and therapists that have been working with Tony during his recovery.

He is fighting like mad to get better. Day by day God has been showing up big time for him. His speech has improved tremendously and he's pushing hard to go beyond the reps that the therapists are asking of him. His leg is still waking up and needing to build back strength, so Tony has been learning to walk with the assistance of a footed cane and brace. Balance is an issue while walking and is still being thrown off, so as the day goes on someone needs to assist him to ensure that a fall does not take place. There has been improvement in his arm since he was discharged on October 5th. Contracting and releasing his grip is extremely difficult and unfortunately holding or picking up an object, regardless of weight, without continual support from his left hand has not been possible yet.

PLEASE continue to pray for complete healing in his body and that his brain will continue to make new pathways so that his movement and muscle function will be fully restored. Our family thanks you for your prayers and support as we walk down this new road.