Get Well Soon Rudy

GREAT NEWS on the Scan Results! 11/1/12

Hello family, friends, and everyone out there thats been following Rudy's progress! Sorry that we haven't updated all of you in such a long time. But we have such GREAT NEWS! Rudy was finally scheduled a PET scan and MRI last week and today got the most miraculous phone call from the doctor! Results showed that there weren't any new tumor growths detected, a PET full body scan showed a reduction of 60 to 66% of tumor on the body and an MRI for the brain showed the tumors has shrunk to 50% since arriving at the Burzynski Clinic in July!!! This is the BEST news we've had in a very long time, MIRACLES do happen, we just need to BELIEVE! It has also been about two weeks now since Rudy had his catherer removed. He's had the catherer on for about 4 months because he was having a hard time using the restroom on his own due to the tumors in his kidneys. Good news is that there aren't anymore tumors in his kidneys which explains why he's been able to use the restroom on his own! Rudy has been in high spirits since we arrived home from Houston. So far, his weight has been maintaining at 154 pounds, gaining 10 pounds since the last update. We've also been doing small exercises and a lot of walking around the neighborhood with Rudy to help him gain some muscles. Rudy is still on the same treatments and will continue to be on them until he is healed. The other thing at concern is his white and red blood cells have been on the low side for about a week now. We are waiting for the doctor to see if he will need a shot to bring those levels back up. The next scan for progress will be in three months. Once again, thank you to everyone following Rudy's progress! He is truly a walking miracle! We love you all, and Thank You from the bottom of my heart for the donations you've poured out to us to SAVE RUDY's LIFE! The journey isn't over yet until he is completely healed! Please continue to help us in this time of need! Thank you once again, and God Bless you all. Love, Sara.

Home! 9/5/12

Hi everyone! It's been a while since the last update; we've been busy for the past couple weeks getting things situated. This is because after two months in Houston receiving treatment at the Burzynski clinic, we finally flew to our home in Stockton, CA! Now that Rudy is receiving the proper treatment pills that Burzynski prescribed, Rudy was discharged from the clinic and is able to continue the treatment at home while still communicating with our doctor in Houston. For the two months being at the clinic, we have spent roughly $90K in treatment alone, now that Rudy is on the right treatment that Burzynski prescribed, we are looking at spending about $20K per month now on the new treatment pills. Rudy finished his second round of chemo ten days ago and is causing him to eat a little less. Good news is that Rudy is still maintaining his weight at 144 pounds; his goal is to get to 160 pounds so that he will have more energy to do more physical activities. Rudy will be getting a PET scan in the next few weeks to see how his body is responding to the new treatment. Tomorrow, Rudy will be getting blood work done to monitor his red/white blood cell levels since some of the pills he is on can alter those levels to be low. We know from previous experience that chemo can make the white blood cell count to drop significantly which we all know is not good. As of now, Rudy is looking really good and we are all very excited to be back home! Thank you all for the prayers and support you’ve given us. It’s amazing what miracles can happen when great people come together. Your generous support has helped Rudy so much with getting his proper treatment, please continue to help donate, as his road to healing is right around the corner! Thank you all and God Bless!

Looking Good, Rudy! 8/18/12

I am excited to say Rudy is doing much better since the last update! He has been very independent; he's been walking on his own with help from his new cane, using the restroom on his own, and eating even more now and maintaining his weight! Rudy is progressing and responding to the new treatments very well. Its been about a week now that he is on the new treatments and he still hasn't had much, if any, side effects at all. The new treatment is very costly, running $6,000 each week! The doctor pushed his chemo back another week once again due to the blood work, it shows that the new treatment is working much better than the chemo would at the moment. Yesterday, Rudy wanted to go out to the mall to take me shopping! It was the first time we went out in a long time as a family. Things are slowly but surely getting better each day. Can't wait for his full recovery soon!!! He is looking forward to be back home in California real soon! Thank you for your generous support and donations! It is helping a lot with paying for his treatments. Please continue to support and donate to help Rudy defeat this disease! Love you all, Sara <3

August 7th UPDATE!

Hello again family and friends! We have great news, after three weeks of waiting, Rudy received his gene profile last week and Dr. Burzynski is giving Rudy new treatments that will target his melanoma cancer! In about four weeks or so, Rudy will get a PETscan to see his progress from the treatments. On another note, Rudy was found to have very low white blood count (wbc) from a recent blood work that was done. The doctor then ordered for Rudy to have a Neupogen shot to help bring his wbc to normal. Since Rudy has been very weak following the chemo, he had an energy booster infusion which gave him the energy he needed to eat, walk, and sleep more! Rudy’s weight this past week went from 137 to 144 pounds! Next week, he will start another round of chemo pills for five days. The plan is to have the energy booster before the chemo and another booster after the chemo, that way it can help Rudy  maintain his energy level. As of now, Rudy is feeling a lot better this week and is in high spirits! We will keep all of you posted next week! Thank you all for the AMAZING SUPPORT, LOVE, and PRAYERS! Rudy needs all he can get! Let's go Rudy!!!

Love,

Sara

THANK YOU & UPDATE ON RUDY

Thank You!

Hello family and friends! My Husband Rudy and I would like to take this moment to thank all of you for your continued support and generosity during this turbulent journey. We want to send a special thank you to our "Brothers" that have done so much for us, we wouldn't be here without you guys! And to all of our loved ones back home working hard every weekend coming up with creative fundraising ideas and working together as a family, thank you all very much from the bottom of our hearts. Also, to our friends from Juniper, Cisco, the Facebook community, and everyone who believes in this great cause, THANK YOU! 

Update on Rudy's Progress

This week, Rudy has been feeling a little tired due to the chemo that he finished last week. It has affected his taste in food to change from normal to a slight bitterness taste, which is one of the side effects of the chemo. His appetite has gone down, but for those of you who knows Rudy well, he does not give up. He is doing his best to eat as much as he can even taking Ensure to get his energy back up. The Dr. said that the side affect should mild out in one week or so. In the meantime, Rudy is staying very positive and has high faith of recovering soon! -His wife, Sara

They say that, "When life gives you one hundred reasons to cry, show life that you have a thousand reasons to smile."

Lesson Learned

We have been with Kaiser Permanente insurance for the past 13 years, so we trusted their protocols. We now learned that Kaiser protocols for treating cancer patients is out dated. The cancer could have been detected early on if Kaiser just did a PET scan of his body every six months. When we asked the Oncologist, shouldn’t a PET scan be done? His reply was, “Why do you want to know if its anywhere else on your body, the cancer is already in your brain.” He only gave two options, which were radiation and chemotherapy. Surgery was not an option; it would be too dangerous to operate.

After three weeks of radiation treatment, my husband started experiencing pain on his lower half of the body, where it was hard for him to move around because the pain was so excruciating. For weeks, my husband was mostly in bed throughout the day, lost all of his appetite and his weight went from 193 pounds to 160. He is currently at 146 at the moment. The pain from his lower body started affecting his bodily functions. He was unable to use the restroom when he needed to go for many days. Concerned, I called 911. After having done a CT scan on his lower half body, the result showed that the cancer had advanced to his bones, spine and tailbone region which explained his immobility.  An x-ray on his upper half showed lesions in his abdomen, kidneys and lungs. One day while in the hospital, a doctor came in the room, woke my husband up and told him point blank, that if the cancer keeps progressing at this rate, then you would have 2-3 weeks at most to live. For a whole week in the hospital, my husband was receiving only pain medications. When we asked the doctor from Kaiser if chemotherapy was a possibility, they said that it would do no justice because it would buy only a few more weeks.

A little about Rudy

Rudy Suy was born in Cambodia, on April 8th, 1973. He is the youngest son of eight siblings. Around the age of two years old, my husband lost his mother due to intense labor in the rice fields dictated by the Khmer Rouge. His father was forced by the Khmer Rouge to marry his second wife who also lost her partner during that time. His stepmother would become an important figure in his life, grooming him to become the great person he is today. From the marriage, two more sisters were added to the family. In 1979, in an attempt to save the family from the war with Vietnam and Khmer Rouge troops, Rudy’s father made a life and death decision to take his family through the land mine infested forest to get them to a safe refugee camp on the Thai and Cambodian border. After a month of dodging bullets and avoiding land mines, they successfully made it to the camp without losing any family members. His father’s belief was that “if it’s not your time, then it’s not your time, you must keep fighting”. And fighting they did.  A year after arriving in the refugee camp, Rudy's family was able to get sponsored to the United States in search of a better life and to grab a piece of the American dream.

Rudy arrived in the U.S. in 1980 at the age of 7. He started school in the fourth grade, worked multiple jobs to put himself through college. One of Rudy’s biggest beliefs is that education is power because you can lose everything, but you will always have your knowledge. This is one area that I respect most about my husband because many people he grew up with did not make it through high school.

Rudy and I met in 1996 and got married in 1998. In 1999, we had our first son named Devin. The following year, we adopted another son, Billy. They are currently 13 and 24 years old. In 2002, we bought our first home in Stockton to start our new life. Rudy dedicated every weekend to spending quality time with the boys. Together as a family we enjoy frequent road trips, camping, fishing, and visiting family and friends. My husband’s favorite hobbies are playing pool and gardening. 

In 2004, we decided to take a family trip to Cambodia. We have not been back home since we got to the United States 20 plus years ago. When we arrived, we were culture shocked by our own culture. We were not used to the weather, environment, and the way of living. Since poverty was everywhere, Rudy and I ended giving most of our funds towards donations to the poor. Two weeks into the vacation, it was time for us to hit our second destination, which was Phuket, Thailand. Instead of using the money to go to Thailand, I asked Rudy, could we use the funds to donate to the poor instead of going to Thailand. Without hesitation Rudy agreed. You will not believe this, but two days later, the 2004 Tsunami hit Phuket, Thailand where we were supposed to be. Because we believe in the power of giving, that is why all of us are still here today. 

Current Condition

Fortunately, with support from family and friends, we were able to get Rudy out of the hospital from the ICU to the Burzynski Clinic in Houston, Texas. Due to Rudy’s critical condition at the time, flying was not an option.  His close friends who we see as brothers, immediately got together and drove Rudy and I for 40 hours in an RV from California to the clinic where he is getting his treatment.

Since he began his treatment, my husband has been slowly regaining some energy back. He’s able to walk a little now, slowly building his appetite back up, and most importantly staying positive and happy. The treatment seems to be doing its job. Unfortunately, due to the treatment being very costly with some pills ranging from a few hundred to a thousand dollars each, our funds will diminish very soon.  Within this week alone, we have spent approximately $40K.

“If it’s not your time, then it’s not your time, you must keep fighting” –Rudy’s Father