Yun-Han "Rico" Tsai's Medical Fund

Many of you have reached out asking how you can support his family. We recently found out the last few days of his hospital stay will not be covered by insurance because he was deemed a "failure to thrive". In addition to the hospital stay, Yun-Han needed additional medical support during home hospice. A donation would be tremendously helpful as Miriam continues to navigate this journey without Yun-Han. We are beyond humbled and grateful for the outpouring of support and everyone's presence, and stories and for loving the family so fiercely. Please keep the stories coming - it has helped us remember him as the "strongest person" we knew.

April 2023 Update:

My brother, Yun-Han “Rico”, passed late last night, no longer in pain and no longer suffering. It is a strange to feel both relief and sadness. It seems surreal that he is no longer with us.

Yun-Han made his family and friends his #1 priority. This was evident in the amount of love, sadness, support and stories shared by the many people he touched throughout his life and over the last several weeks. The time we had with Rico over the last 2-3 weeks has helped us get through such a difficult time. Through stories, games, laughter and celebration with all the people in his life, I know without a doubt, that he left this world feeling love and finally at peace.

Please keep all of us in your prayers - especially his wife, Miriam and his four kids, Mellisa, Romeo, Monica and Kailei. As Yun-Han always said, “stay positive, live life, praise God.”

2020 Post: Yun-Han was complaining of stomach pain with major difficulties in swallowing. Over the course of a few months, his ability to swallow began more painful and difficult. He began to lose weight. Finally, after a few doctor's visits, a mass was found. On June 4, 2020, the biopsy results showed Yun-Han has cancer. Over the course of a week, we quickly became familiar with the type of cancer and the course of his treatment. As you can imagine we are in shock and was extremely saddened to hear of this news. We are also thankful for the incredibly outpour of support. There is a facebook page where we are bringing family and friends together, to keep everyone updated on his treatment and to share how you can best support them. It is private, so if you would like to add anyone, please reach out to Yun-Han, Miriam or I. 

Yun-Han has Adenocarinoma of the stomach. It was determined that his cancer is Stage 1, 2 at the most, Grade 3. At this time, all scans show the cancer has not breached the walls of the stomach which is the best result. On June 17, Doctors will exam the liquid within the stomach walls (liquid in the peritoneal cavity) to confirm that the cancer has not breached the walls of his stomach as his PET scan has shown. In addition to the need for confirmation that the cancer has not spread, he will also be getting a feeding tube to support his nutritional intake so that he does not continue to lose weight. Over the course of a few months, he has lost 18% of his body weight, down to 110. If the results come back negative for spread of cancer, the course of treatment will be Chemotherapy in approximately 1 1/2 weeks for 6-8 weeks. Upon completion of chemotherapy, Yun-Han will undergo surgery for a complete removal of his stomach. 

Any monetary support with specialized diet, medical bills and changes to the house so he can safely recover from the effects of treatment is greatly appreciated.  

We ask that you keep Yun-Han and our family in your thoughts, prayers and send forth positive energy as he embarks on his cancer journey. He is in positive spirits as the prognosis is much better than we were initially told. 

Lastly, the best way to also support the family is by socially distancing and/or not visiting. As much as he would love to see everyone, this very short period of treatment time is critical for him to defeat this thing. As you can imagine, the chemo will deplete Yun-Han's ability to protect against any germs... not just Covid but even a common cold will complicate his recovery.

Thank you again. With love, from Yun-Han, Miriam and family