Support our baby Adrian “Yan Yan” Max!

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My nephew, Adrian “Yan Yan” Max was in the emergency room at Rady’s Childrens Hospital on January 19, 2021 for inability to move his left arm. CT scan and MRI results showed a tumor pushing up his cervical spine on the C1, C2 and C3 eroding its bone. He was immediately admitted to the PICU that same night.

His initial medical team consisted of Neurosurgeons, Neuro Oncologist, ENT, and Plastic Surgery for the operation to remove the tumor. The only option was to surgically remove the tumor or further complications can occur within a couple of days. Leaving the tumor can paralyze the rest of his body from the neck down or constrict his airway making it difficult to breathe.

My sister Abby Ruiz and brother in law Paul Ruiz has had to make the most difficult decisions at a time when they themselves couldn’t process what was going on medically with their two year old son because everything was happening so fast due to the severity of the condition.

With the way the tumor was positioned on the cervical spine, Yan Yan had to undergo three major surgeries in two days after only being in the PICU for two days. The tumor had to be removed from an anterior position through the palate for the first surgery and took about 10 hours. The 2nd and 3rd surgery were combined the same day and took about 10 hours. The 2nd surgery removed most of the tumor from the back of the neck. And the 3rd surgery was to put titanium rods and fused the bone to stabilize the spinal cord that was damaged from the tumor. As a result from surgery he is expected to only have 50% head mobility after recovery.

While he is still in the PICU recovering from surgery, the removal of the tumor resulted in a recoil injury and lots of swelling in the cord (spinal edema). This alone will cause a delay in how he recovers as we hope the swelling goes down in order for him to gain full mobility of his arms and legs. Doctors are hoping that the spinal edema is just a spinal shock and not a static issue and that it takes time and with rehab he will progress.

They are still awaiting results from pathology to determine how to treat the small amount of tumor that was not able to be removed because it was in a critical spot close to the arteries. Radiation and/or Chemotherapy will most likely be needed to treat the rest of the tumor.

As Yan-Yan is in the PICU recovering from his surgeries he is showing some progression of movement in his toes on both feet and is able to show more movement on his right leg and arms. The recovery period in the first month is crucial for him to show some improvements, although the trajectory is not as fast. He is weak and his muscles are weak, he is reliant on a feeding tube and ventilator as his body heals. But there are risks to having him intubated for longer periods, especially since he has a difficult airway from the sutures in his mouth, he is more prone to infection and pneumonia and even neuropathy. Later this week he will undergo two more surgeries, a total of 5 surgeries in one week, a Tracheostomy (to help his mouth heal and have a better airway) and Gastrostomy Tube (he doesn’t have the strength to maintain his eating w/o choking because of how the spinal cord & nerves were affected). These procedures will hopefully help him get out of the PICU and move forward with rehab. And from rehab it is projected to take months or even up to a year to get a clearer picture. A Rehabilitation Doctor, Occupational Therapists, Physical Therapists, Speech Therapists and so on will continue working with him as well.

Each day is a milestone for Yan Yan, whether he raises his eyebrows indicating a “Yes”, or moving his toes the next, each and everyday we celebrate this little warrior, praying that each in everyday the Lord fully heals every single part of his body.

My sister Abby and brother in-law Paul, and two other children ages 6 and 7, and of course Yan yan (2) will need all the support and prayers they can get.  This life threatening illness is definitely a lifestyle change for them and the road to healing and recovery is long and emotional one.  They are a single income family and it is inevitable that hefty hospital bills will stack up, continuous and daily transportation would be needed to visit Yan Yan every single day in the hospital (only parents allowed due to COVID), and let alone trying to balance spending quality time with their two older children during this crisis. Daily household needs for upkeep will be a struggle because of this unfortunate situation as their schedule will revolve around the recovery of Yan Yan. They willl need to take even more precautions because of the global pandemic as they are in the hospital regularly.  If we can ease their burden by just a little, it would help greatly!  Please consider supporting and sharing!

IMPORTANT NOTE: If you'd like to donate directly to Abby and Paul instead, please use

VENMO @Ab33gail

Thank you for praying for our family and especially YanYan! We are especially grateful for all the support the Ruiz family is getting.  Please continue to have them in your thoughts and prayers.