Monday, December 31, 2012

Dec. 28, 2012:
We all would like to thank everyone near and far for ALL THE SUPPORT ALL THE LOVE AND ALL THE KIND WORDS . WITHOUT any of that I don't know how we would have gotten through this journey but we did. Sy fought a great battle just shy of two y...ears ...he truly amazed us all with his strength and his will to live. SY WAS OUR INSPIRATION ...
He showed us so much and for that we are thankful to him and for him. He had his bad days and hs good days and then his Great days and we were thankful for each and every one of them. Now we.just sit here and stare at your empty bed and just wish we could hear you say "daaad" "veeeero" one more time =…( .
Our hearts feel empty but we.know you are at peace now no more pain no more vomiting no more meds no more doctors and nurses. Now you can be a ten year old child again to live forever carefree. WE LOVE YA KID MORE THAN YOU WILL EVER KNOW!
As of DECEMBER 28, 2012 @ 730 pm Sy was embraced by God and given his beautiful angel wings where he can now live and play happily with all of the other angels FOREVER! cancer.you took so much from us bt you can NEVER HAVE OUR MEMORIES OF OUR SY ...MAY YOUR BODY FINALLY REST EASY AND YOUR BEAUTIFUL SPIRIT FLY HIGH SWEET ANGEL ..
we will be listening for you from time to time baby!
 
We have been getting calls, texts, messages, and emails from so many people asking hw to donate so here is sys account for anyone who wants to donate ...we DONT like to ask for anything because ...we can manage but so many people are so gracious to wanna help and we continue to be forever grateful to you all for your amazing support!
WELLS FARGO BANK
SYS CANCER ACCOUNT
2681221061
There is also a PayPal account the link to that is on sys blog... sy-story.blogspot.com
Again we thank everyone for all the support and love! WE WILL FOREVER BE TEAM SY
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Thursday, November 29, 2012

Still fighting

Nov. 29, 2012: with the month coming to end I want to take a few minutes to say thanks. First, thank you to my brother Matt and Sy's mom Maritsa for not just bringing Sy into this world but for letting me be a part of his life from day 1. Thank you to Veronica and her family for welcoming Sy in as one of their own and taking such good care of him. I am so thankful for every memory I have with Sy from when he was a baby, to our day trips to the boardwalk and our vacation to Disneyland and our trip to Chicago. I am thankful he is such a strong willed kid and such a fighter. I am thankful for the doctors at Stanford Children's Hospital for not just prolonging Sy's life but for also being wrong with every time line they have given us. I am thankful for all they prayers sent Sy's way, all his followers, and my friends who have been here for not just me but for him as well.

Now for an update. Sy has grown more and more weak and tired. He is very frail and sleeps the majority of the day. He hasn't been eating or drinking much which does not help him gain any strength or weight. The best way I can describe him is skin, bones and belly. It is devastating to see him in this condition and I just pray he finds the strength to eat so his fight can continue. Sy we love you more then you will ever know, we aren't giving up and are not going to allow you to give up either.

So as this month of thanks comes to an end, take the time to remember the good times and be thankful for those memories with your loved ones. Look to do something for someone else this holiday season and whenever you think times are bad for you remember somebody else has it worse.

Thursday, November 1, 2012

Doctors can't explain it

Nov. 1, 2012: From Matt and Veronica
 
Got some sort of good news today from the doctor...well as we all know sys tumor was bleeding and his hemoglobin kept going lower and lower which lead to him needing weekly blood transfusions ...this is the second week he hasn't needed one ...
and Matt and I were a lil surprised why we hadn't heard from the doctors about his labs so we figured things must still be OK and he probably doesn't need a transfusion, well today they called and said last week his hemoglobin was 9.1 which is awesome! And this week its 10.1 even more awesome! With that being said one of his doctors couldn't explain it, other than its a miracle because according to his labs his tumor has stopped bleeding out and she says that her and sys main oncologist have questioned sys progress they are both so happy but kind of stumped because he has come so far battling this cancer they can't explain why he is still here other than its really a miracle :) ...but we are worried on the other hand that his tumor may burst since it has stopped bleeding out and that is the last thing we want him to go thru because that would be very traumatic so as of now we ask for strong continuous prayers that his tumor does not burst but pray that he is getting his miracle and his body is healing instead! FOR ALL OF TEAM SY EVERYWHERE WE ASK FOR MORE PRAYERS FOR SY. THEY ARE WORKING :) ...PLEASE LORD HEAR US ALL AND HEAL OUR LIL SOLDIER!!! NEGU NEGU NEGU SY WE LOVE YA KID!

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Tired but still Touching Peoples lives

Oct. 9, 2012: The last 3 weeks have been tougher for Sy. He has a lot less energy, sleeps a lot more, smiles less, vomits more, talks less but that isn't stopping him from touching people's lives and continuing his adventures. In the last 3 weeks he has met Patrick Willis from the 49ers, honored at a youth football game, was Bruce Bochi's guest at the Giants game where he met Bruce and Sergio Romo and attended his first 49er game thanks to Patrick Willis.
 




Below is from Matt and Veronica:
Sunday- Sy had a good time experiencing his first Forty Niner football game unfortunately as we know the cancer always seems to wanna make itself known when its not wanted and Sy got tired and uncomfortable at the beginning of third quarter so we left, he slept all the way home but I will say he Did not vomit and that's a good thing ...he was fine when we got home he was in the kitchen talking with everyone while TIA Sabrina made pozole for dinner but then it hit he started to get tired and so he took a shower but when he got out he came to his bed to lay down he said he was having some pain so we gave him oxycontin he couldn't lay down because he said his side hurt too much so we sat hos bed up all the way and he quieted down a bit and then out of nowhere he yelled out "ouch it hurts it hurts!!" And he just cried out in pain he has around the clock pain med patch on plus the oxycodone and oxycontin also to help ...we gave him an ativan also to h...
elp relax him ...we finally got him comfortable at about 1:00am and at that time he asked to get in our bed so that whr he slept the rest of the night. We have been through a lot and have watched Sy go thru so much but when he cried out in pain the way he did it really scared us he has never cried out like that we have heard him cry before but for some reason this time was diffrnt and we just felt so helpless =…( all we could do is wait for the meds to kick in and try to comfort him as much as we could.
MONDAY- Well with Sy not having a great nite Sunday nite of course he was extremely tired today he slept pretty much all morning til his nurse came to do weekly labs he wouldn't talk to his nurse he was just grumpy which is understandable, after the nurse he wanted an egg so I made him an egg but before he could eat it he started to vomit :( after that when he finished he asked for potatoes so I made those and again before he could eat them he vomited again and as he was finishing he just looked at me and said "I just wanna eat" :( after that he was able to eat about 4-5 lil bites and he just went to sleep and slept the rest of the day only waking up for meds but that evening he did muster up energy to come out and socialize with the family because everyone was over for dinner AMD cake for his sisters birthday he did vomit a couple of times but he insisted on staying out with everyone :) he slept better that night thank God we are able to mange his pain
TUESDAY - today he is back in the hospital for another blood transfusion
My heart breaks for you Sy I pray and wish I could fix this for you and cleanse you of all this uglyness but I can't we can only pray that the lord heals you from all of this and eases your pain ...we carry you with us even when you aren't with us and we will continue to fight with you til this is gone or until you say you are ready :( WE LOVE YOU SY THERE ARE NO WORDS TO EXPLAIN HOW MUCH WE LOVE YOU WE JUST HOPE YOU CAN FEEL IT! NEGU SY!!!

Thursday, September 13, 2012

THE CALM BEFORE THE STORM

Sept. 13, 2012: Below is from Matt and Veronica...

Now that all family has been informed we can now update.everyone else...
We have been at Lucille Packard children's hospital for the past 3 days Sy had a CT scan ...
done AND there is no cancer in his brain thank god but unfortunatly his tumors are now starting to bleed out . He had a blood transfusion today to help perk him up a little bit but...we have been told by his oncologist this is it, we have no other options for him ...we are losing him . He is still up AND around but very slow and weak he will be on a fentanyl patch for pain 24 hours AND at this point we just want him to be comfortable ..
The oncologist estimated his time left with us at 1-2 weeks he could go sooner or he could go later but at this point he is dying. There are no words to express the emptyness we are feeling but we all know that he put up such a BRAVE FIGHT! HE IS AND WILL ALWAYS BE OUR LIL HERO!! Sy is a true fighter... at diagnosis when the doctors gave him 3-6 months he fought longer. When they said he could only handle 6 chemo rounds he did eleven and when they said in February he only has 1-2 months,  here he is 7 months later. He/we refused to give into the cancer and we applaud him for his courage and determination to live ...But we now see he is tired and weak and now we will just follow his lead and take it instead of day by day we will be on hour by hour...but we would like to thank EVERYONE again near and far for all the support all the love all the well wishes just everything everyone has done to help support Sy in his fight with cancer he/we couldn't have done this without you all...like.we have said before WE ARE TEAM SY AND WE FOREVER WILL BE!!! WE LOVE YOU SY TO THE DEATHSTAR AND BACK!

Sunday, September 9, 2012

Tired of Cancer

Sept. 9th, 2012: I'm sorry there have not been more updates or news to share. Most people think no news is good news but at this point no news is good enough. It's hard to believe that almost 18 months ago we got the horrible news about Sy's diagnosis. Dr's continue to give "expiration dates" and Sy continues to prevail past them but as time goes on the Cancer continues to fight as well. Sy is growing more an more tired, sleeping the majority of the day trying to find energy each day. He is now on oxycodine 24-7 to help prevent any pain. His appetite is not what it was but he continue to fight and the family has not given up. If there is a miracle out there I think Sy has proven he deserves it. I've never met anyone with the strength and courage that he has. Sy we love you so much and we are all praying, hoping and wishing for you go prevail and come out on top.

Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Even the Strong Get Tired

July 30, 2012:

        Over the last few weeks Sy's social calendar hasn't slowed down. A few weeks ago he was asked to throw out the first pitch at San Jose Municipal Stadium for an Adult Men's League All Star Game. Although he was quiet and not so energized he threw a strike to the plate and even showed a few smiles when talking about all the movies he has seen lately.
         This last weekend Sy was in celebrity mode again at the Guerrero/Aydin fight. Sy enjoyed some shopping with his friend Sam Garcia where he of course came back with more legos. After relaxing for a few hours, it was dinner time. After eating some appetizers...the excitement from the day caught up to Sy. Because the food took longer then expected Sy returned the the hotel room to get more rest and relaxation with a movie while waiting for food to be delivered. Sy rested and returned to fighting mode the next day where he cheered on his boxing family.

Matt and Veronica can now see the exhaustion from Cancer really kicking in. Monday Sy's nurse came to do his weekly labs but even his nurse noticed his quiet disconnected grumpy demeanor. As soon as the nurse left Veronica said to Sy, maybe you should go lay down some more and without hesitation he went and fell asleep before his head even hit the pillow. At this point, Matt and Veronica feel like they can see the cancer starting to take over. We have to remember that although we see Sy as this amazingly strong fighter that he too gets tired. Sy isn't giving up and neither is anyone else. He is a fighter and with continued prayers his fight will continue.

Monday, June 25, 2012

No Visitors

June 25, 2012: About two weeks ago we went to visit Sy and I witnessed one of the saddest things yet. Fun loving Sy was barely up for company and was not in the mood to have any fun. In a matter of a week, his mood has made a drastic change. It was so hard to sit there with him at lunch while he sat there in silence. Emotionally you can tell he has changed and is becoming depressed. It broke my heart seeing the sadness in his eyes. I would do anything to take his pain away, bring a smile to his face and a happiness back to his eyes. Since this last visit he has started to detach himself from people and doesn't want any visitors. I so badly want to be selfish, not listen to his requests and soak up every minute with him in hopes of making him laugh and making more more memories with the kid I love so much...but if he doesn't want visitors then I guess I will have to obey his request and hold my breath until his mind changes.

As I pray for Sy, I pray that nobody ever has to witness a child fight cancer.

Friday, June 15, 2012

Negative

June 11, 2012: Sy went to LCPH for a CT scan. With fingers crossed and high hopes for good results Matt, Sy and Veronica waited. Well when the oncologist first walked in his first word was NEGATIVE! YAY YAY YAY NO TUMOR IN HIS BRAIN!!! ...for those of you who don't know well Sy had an incident of vomiting and a headache that came out of nowhere one morning. Because this was new the oncologist wanted a CT scan on his brain to see if the cancer was spreading to his brain... well its not THANK YOU for something decent going his way! I know its just a glimpse of good news but at this point we will take any and all the good news we can get :) NEGU SY!!!! WE LOVE YOU KID!

Thursday, June 7, 2012

No Words Can Fix a Broken Heart

June 7, 2012: Please forgive me as I write this as I have no good words. People ask how Sy is...how do you answer this? You spend a day with him and he appears to be doing great. He eats well, he jokes, laughs, plays....the 10 year old we all know and love. But inside is a different story. So when you ask, and any of us hesitate it is because we don't know what to say or how to explain it. Sy is amazing on the outside but he is dying on the inside. He is fighting and fighting, has beaten all odds given, continues to smile but is up against something so big! Tuesday Sy's most recent scan were read...the news is not good despite his amazing attitude. Sy's primary tumor in his liver is growing again and at a rapid rate. He has new tumors in his lungs...too many for doctors to count and growing rapidly as well. Doctors are now saying 4 good weeks before things start getting even worse. Sy recently started feeling worse, got a headache and even threw up (which hasn't happened in awhile). Because of this Dr's want to do a CT scan and are afraid the cancer may have spread to his brain. I know Sy and he is a pretty hard headed, strong willed kid so until I hear otherwise I am going to believe he was too hard headed to let that happen. But remember Dr's are not God and he has surpassed every expiration date they have given him yet and I will continue to find some hope because of this. Sy is a fighter and inspiration to everyone he has come across.

 I find myself more silent then ever. I do not want to talk, I just want to cry. I am too sad to even focus on the anger I have. I am trying to be strong not just for Sy but for my family but yet I find that more and more difficult. I am not a religious person but over the last 15 months I have spent time praying and trying to understand why. Recently I have been getting angrier and angrier when I hear people praying or asking for prayers for a job, a car and so on. I am sure God is an extremely busy man and those prayers take up more time then he has, time he could be spending on those who are sick and who need his strength. So next time you think about praying for something petty...please remember there are things out there bigger then you and people who need prayers more then you. So please take a moment and pray for Sy.

Friday, May 11, 2012

No fight too big for Sy




May 5, 2012: this last weekend Sy was able to cheer on some more of his boxing family in Las Vegas. As always he was welcomed by celebrities and the boxing community as the strongest fighter there. Thanks to Garcia Boxing Company Sy has rode in more limos and met more celebrities then you can imagine. The smile these events put on his face keep him fighting and happy, so thank you!

Thursday, March 22, 2012

A day of many meanings

On March 20th 2002 Sy was born and became such a big part of so many of our lives. I know for Matt and myself our lives were forever changed and each day was so much brighter with that smile. 10 years later on that same day when we all should have been celebrating another year older for Sy we found ourselves devastated and holding onto every memory of the last 10 years and not knowing what the next few months bring. Sy went to LPCH for another routine scan reading, everyone with high hopes of good news like the last appointment only to be crushed.


From Matt: "so everyone has been asking of Sy's results and honestly I don't have the strength to tell each and everyone separately. Drs. Told us next few months are going to get bad. Sy's main tumor in the liver has grown 15% since the last months scans which is fast and not what we expected, in addition to his tumors in his lungs there are several new tumors. Drs. didnt have an exact count but it's up over 30 now.:( We are out of options in therapy and it's all about quality if life. We love each day to the fullest with Sy and enjoying the good days. Please pray for him to pull off another miracle and prove drs. wrong again. I love my son and it's breaking me to come to this point. :( NEGU!!!"

Over the last year I have seen more strength from my brother and Sy then I knew was possible. Sy is my hero for everything he has gone through and still facing each day with a smile, a joke and caring for others. Matt has held it together on the outside to only be crumbling inside so that Sy never sees him down or sees his worry. They are both so special, please continue to pray and give them strength. I love you both so much.

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Still fighting

February 7, 2012; in just over two weeks Sy will reach an anniversary. One to celebrate but yet at the same time one nobody wants to hear. Almost a year ago we were told Sy would only live 3-6 more months...well it's been almost a year and Sy continues to beat the odds. Today Sy's oncologist said despite minimal tumor growth in his lungs, his liver tumor continues to die and Sy is doing well (relatively). Keep praying and sending good thoughts.

Monday, January 9, 2012

F Cancer- A Night of Laughs for Sy

Come join us in a night of laughs at the San Jose Improv. 70% of ticket sales will go toward Sy and his fight against Cancer. Buy your tickets online at San Jose Improv-ticket sales

27 Days of Christmas-Trip to Chicago

January 3-6, 2011: Despite the low temperatures, Sy's heart was warmed by surrounding legos and good times. Thanks to KRXQ radio Matt, Sy and I were flown out to Chicago to visit Legoland Discovery Center. Uncle Brian joined us for the trip, surrounding Sy with family and laughs. We all flew in Tuesday evening (the coldest night of the week). After checking into our hotel we went to world famous pizza at Lou Malnati's Pizzeria. No joke, best pizza ever. According to Sy "this is blowing my mind." After a night of Sy talking his uncle's ear off about everything and anything we got up the next morning to head to Legoland. Sy couldn't have been happier. We spent several hours there, mostly time spent building and racing Lego cars. After a brief stop at the hotel for some meds we continued our tour of Chicago. From there we headed to Wrigley and had lunch/dinner across from the ball park. After "linner" we headed to Dave and Busters for a night of video games and fun. We all had a great time in the giant arcade and Sy left with a remote control helicopter (money well spent). After a quick stop for icecream on the way back to the hotel we all went to bed to get up and do it again. The next morning we headed to the Museum of Science and Industry where we got to go on a real submarine, see a Dr. Suess exhibit and spent hours playing in the museum. Next stop was Sears Tower (Willis Tower now). Matt, Brian and I really wanted to go on the skydeck and see the amazing views of the city. Sy was hesitant at first since it is 103 floors up. But like usual he was fearless and enjoyed every moment of the thrill of stepping out onto the glass deck to see the city. From Sears tower we headed to dinner at Ed Debevics where they are famously rude to the customers. Sy loved this! The waitress flirted with him all night while being rude to us, throwing menus and straws at us and making us get up for our own drink refills and sauces. That was our last night there and we headed to the airport to come home the next day. The smile on his face was worth the sore feet, late nights and exhaustion for us. But in the end Sy still showed his amazing character by thanking us for the trip and said he had the best time ever. So thank you KRXQ for giving us such an amazing time with such an amazing kid.