Of course, no one knows the answer to those questions, but there was one thing I knew for sure, and that was who would be the love of my life. Rudy Valladares and I were high school sweethearts, and I knew that whatever I chose to do in the future, he would be by my side. Rudy was one of the funniest people I ever met.
He was quick-witted, sarcastic and had a dark sense of humor (which probably explains why we worked so well together). He wasn't overly sentimental or the kind of person who needed a lot of attention, but he had a strong sense of fairness. Rudy always rooted for the underdog and believed strongly in holding people accountable, so after serving as a police officer, he became a detective because he loved helping people.
Then there was Rudy outside of work. We have two sons, aged 7 and 3, and nothing else mattered more to Rudy than our boys. He could be playful and silly with them, but he also made sure to teach them important lessons.
We were just a normal family doing all the mundane things you assume you’ll get to do forever. In January 2024, Rudy’s resting heart rate was unusually high, often around 100 to 120 beats per minute. He also developed persistent back pain, but who doesn’t complain of back pain every now and then?
By June 2024, Rudy developed an occasional ache in his testicle, but it was extremely infrequent. He did not have a lump, however, one of his testicles became quite firm. Nonetheless, Rudy exercised regularly and thought he may have injured himself somehow.
Over time there were other things that, in hindsight, were probably related, including a lingering cough and a swollen lymph node in his neck. Rudy was in and out of urgent care for months, and doctors originally thought he had digestion issues. They tried treating his symptoms with pain medication, but we grew increasingly frustrated with the lack of answers.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
