Noe Rodriguez

Last April, Noe underwent major surgery to remove stage 2 lung cancer, causing him to lose the lower lobes of his right lung. Post-surgery he did all the things he needed to recover- eating healthy, walking daily with mom around the neighborhood, going to physical therapy, and generally fighting like crazy to regain lung capacity before chemo and radiation were started.

He never got back his full stamina but dang-near close. He went back to working 10-12 hour days, only taking breaks to go to his chemo or radiation appointments and successfully completed them both without much disruption to his work.

Life was mostly back to normal with some minor tweaks to his stamina and getting used to constant medical check-ins. He began embracing the fact that the weekend or days in between a scan and the results would be stressful and anxiety-inducing. It’s not something you get used to. Ever.

After only two scans they found something and scheduled a PET to get more detailed views. On Monday, July 6th we received the news that he has stage 4 cancer and that it has spread into his ribs, shoulder blade, spine, and hips.

We were devastated but at that moment, he had a choice. And like all things in life, you can lean into the dark; into your feelings and let them eat you up OR you can get up and out of it and lean into the light; make the best of it and trust in your faith. Dad, as usual, has leaned into the light.

He’s had his moments of sadness but ultimately comes back to the same place- “I trust in God and my doctors and I will do whatever I have to do to fight this.”

Now, if you ask my parents, they would say they don’t need financial help and that it seems crazy to ask people, sometimes strangers, to give. My response is that we all have to help each other and the reality is that they constantly give and never take. Sometimes it’s ok to let others help you.

My hope is that with this funding it will relieve the pressures of the day-to-day. In their free time, they volunteer their time to Meals on Wheels, run programs for underprivileged youth, and take care of friends and family members at every turn.

Now it’s time for us to take care of them.

All funds will be used for Dad’s medical care or day-to-day needs (food, utilities, private care, medication, medical visits, alternative treatments, and travel) to ensure they have what they need and don’t have to stress about anything other than the battle for his health. Currently, his medication costs between $7,000-15,000/month!  They do have insurance, which helps, but the cost is still significant, ranging from $300-500 or more/month.

Your donations will help in so many ways!