Benefit salsa event on Sept. 29

By SARAH DOOLITTLE, Four Points News

Beloved Four Points fixture Rudy Roberson (a.k.a. Mr. Rudy) has been living with prostate cancer since April. He shares his story and where it has taken him this year.

Roberson — a very youthful 65-year-old children’s entertainer/musician/personal trainer/former Broadway performer/music teacher — only learned of his cancer thanks to a comment from a client.  

“I had a friend I teach piano lessons to, a guy who had his prostate removed,” explained Roberson. “And he was 55 and had to have his removed because (the cancer) had spread. And he made a comment that really bothered me. He said, you know anybody that dies of prostate cancer is stupid.”

That spurred Roberson, whose own father died of prostate cancer ten years ago at age 79, to get a routine checkup. That’s when doctor’s discovered elevated PSA levels, a marker for prostate cancer.

Doctor’s performed a biopsy and determined that his tumor was still at Stage I and could be fully removed with surgery.

The surgery, however, would cost $50,000 and would involve potentially serious side effects.

Despite having made multiple attempts to sign up for Medicare, Roberson was still not covered. Without insurance, he faced tens of thousands of dollars in medical bills with no idea how to pay them.

“You know that 50 grand was just to pay for the surgery and not to do with recovery time. So I’m going, I don’t know what I’m going to do for a living for the two or three or four months that I take to recover.”

Nonetheless, Roberson agreed to the surgery and scheduled it for June.

Only days before the surgery, his friend Jake called from New York to ask if Rudy had already had surgery. Jake had also had his prostate removed, and when he learned Roberson had not yet had surgery, “He says, good. Don’t,” said Roberson.

Instead, Jake sent Roberson information about a treatment being performed in Germany.

“This was an alternative treatment. And the treatment (was) a procedure that has no surgery, no knife, no cutting, no removal of any kind. And they have 90 percent success… in eradicating the cancer.”

The treatment, in use in Germany for over 20 years, uses heat to target and kill cancer cells, heating them to 120 degrees fahrenheit in a series of sessions conducted at their clinic in Munich. Furthermore, as opposed to surgery, this treatment would cost only $10,000.

After doing a considerable amount of research, Roberson decided to try this alternative approach. He was already scheduled to go to London in July to see his son Kele perform with the Royal Ballet School and decided to piggyback his treatment onto that trip.

Still, Roberson had no idea how to pay for his treatment. Some friends in Austin recommended he create a GoFundMe campaign to allow anyone who wished to to contribute to the cause.

And contribute they did. “I raised $17,000 in eight days,” said Roberson, a significant portion of which came from the Four Points community.

“If I wasn’t humble before, now my mouth is on the floor,” he recalled feeling. “Mr. Talks a lot? Absolutely speechless.”

His travel plans went off without a hitch. Robeson was able to see his son perform Sunday afternoon in London then got on the next flight to Munich to begin treatment Monday morning.

Roberson’s ten days in Munich were full of surprises, from how many strangers stepped up to help along his journey, to how well Germans speak English, to how good he felt after each treatment.

“And this is the thing that got me excited. They said, you can have these treatments and you can go out and play golf or tennis in the afternoon,” said Roberson.

Besides a little fatigue, Robeson felt very few side-effects from the treatments and spent his free time exploring the area on foot.

A highlight of the trip was the opportunity to do what “Mr. Rudy” does best — to perform.

The clinic was also home to Lyme disease patients also being given hyperthermal treatments. Roberson met many of them in the lobby on days he visited the clinic, and hearing their stories of living with Lyme for sometimes even decades put his own disease into perspective.

“And I’m going, I’ve just got a little prostate cancer! What do I know?”

A staff member had loaned Robeson a guitar, and when he came to clinic to return it after finishing his final treatment, he decided to perform an impromptu concert in the lobby.

“There were some Lyme disease patients there — parents, patients… There was a guy that was suffering from prostate cancer… And I said, I don’t want to disturb anybody, so I’ll sing a couple of songs,” he explained. As he began performing, “I was whispering.”

With Roberson’s customary exuberance, what started as a performance turned into an event. “Two and a half hours later I was not whispering. And I call it my gratitude concert.”

Now back in the U.S. and awaiting more tests to determine the current status of his tumor, Roberson is back to work but knows he still faces more medical and travel expenses.

To that end, Roberson has organized a night of salsa dancing and a wine tasting to be held in Steiner Ranch on Sept. 29 at the Towne Square Community Center. The complimentary wine tasting will be held from 6 – 7 p.m. and dancing, including lessons from Roberson’s cousin, an accomplished salsa teacher, will begin at 7 p.m.

Tickets to the adults-only event are $15 in advance and $20 at the door. All proceeds will go to Roberson to help cover his medical and living expenses during the course of his treatment. For more information, email Roberson at rudytoonsltd@gmail.com.

Until then, Roberson wants to reassure everyone that he is not suffering. “I’m not back to what I was before. I’m better than that. Because I’m doing stuff that I have always done.”

In addition to continuing to perform his two weekly children’s shows at Cups & Cones in Steiner, Roberson is also working on two new CDs, including one with songs for adults. He’s making plans for the future and hoping to travel more, seeing friends whenever possible.

Will cancer slow him down anytime soon? No, said Roberson. “I’ve got too much stuff to do.”