Rolando's Fight

Hello world, my name is Tara Ruesta and I'm speaking on behalf of my mom and brother for Rolando Ruesta, my dad. If anyone has ever met my dad they would know that he is known by few but loved by all. He is a loving father and husband who has always been there for us whenever we needed him and we’re very grateful for that. At this point in his life, he needs us more than ever.

If you’re new here, here is a little background. My dad has been diagnosed with Stage IV pancreatic cancer back in April earlier this year which has been an extremely difficult battle, we’ve all been fighting together. He has been a strong fighter throughout this entire journey but lately, he’s been facing the toughest of the toughest challenges that even a healthy person couldn’t be able to handle. Just about 3 weeks ago on Wednesday, October 25th, he was rushed to the Emergency Room for having severe stomach pains, weakness, high fever and low blood pressure. He was then being treated for Sepsis (a life threatening infection throughout the body). Given his already compromised immune system due to the chemotherapy treatments he’s been receiving, we were told by the doctor that if he had waited to come to the hospital for just a few more hours to one more day, that he would have been gone forever.

Following the diagnosis, he was admitted to the hospital receiving a broad spectrum of antibiotics to treat the infection until the doctors and medical staff could find the source of the infection so they could target it with a specific antibiotic. He had then been diagnosed with sepsis and the infection had spread throughout his bloodstream which is fatal if left untreated especially for a cancer patient. After an MRI and CT, he then underwent an emergency procedure to clean up and fix the source of infection in his stomach. They were also able to see that the cancer has increased in size since he’s been diagnosed meaning the chemotherapy hasn’t been working. He continued to stay in the hospital on antibiotics until the infection showed up clear on blood test results.

He was discharged on Monday October 30th with antibiotics. Shortly after being discharged, on Wednesday, November 1st, he was complaining of pain and swelling in his hands and legs so he was rushed to the Emergency room once again. After more imaging and testing, he was diagnosed with DVT’s (blood clots in the deep veins) in his legs and in his neck which is also fatal if there are complications. He was then admitted to the hospital again and was put on a Heparin drip (blood thinner IV medicine). He was discharged again on Friday November 3rd and is now recovering at home.

Since then, he’s been having trouble getting solid foods down due to the cancer causing him pain and making him unable to tolerate it so foods have to be puréed. He has lost a significant amount of weight and strength as a result. He has also not received his disability checks therefore even with our help, he cannot cover the out of pocket costs.

Immunotherapy is our last hope. His oncologist can’t move forward with treatment because the insurance will not cover the cost.

We are leaning on God for strength at this time. With that being said we are also turning to you, our friends and family. Any donation given is greatly appreciated. Thank you all for taking the time to read our story as we continue to pray for our miracle.