Meet Terry Tulak and Ray Szymanski
Ray and Terry's Story
If you were to meet Terry Tulak and Ray Szymanski for the first time, you would probably mistake them for long-time comedians rather than long-time survivors. They trade jokes and playful remarks; the kind of teasing only true soulmates can pull off; the kind where you can say “I love you” without ever needing the words. But behind this laughter and their smiling faces lies an empowering journey forged from grief, resilience, and a strong commitment to stand by each other and uplift those around them.
Terry Tulak’s health journey began back in the late 1990s. An incident with an unregulated herbicide led to a chemical accident that would impact her organs for decades to come. Most of her body fought back and healed, but from 1997 onward, Terry would be afflicted with chronic kidney disease, a silent battle that demanded constant vigilance.
After years of searching, Terry finally found the care she had been searching for in Dr. Rastogi. He offered a perspective blending both experience and compassion. With his extensive background in pharmacology, Dr. Rastogi joined Terry’s care team, creating a regimen that kept her stable at Stage 3 chronic kidney disease, living without needing dialysis. But this regimen was not what truly made a difference; it was his commitment to care. Even across different time zones and during work related trips, Dr. Rastogi never faltered in answering her nagging questions, always making sure to check in. Dr. Rastogi added an extra layer of commitment that Terry had never felt before. A few years later, Ray Szymanski’s own long-standing issue with kidney stones resurfaced. When it came to facing his own kidney problems, he knew exactly who to turn to. There was no one Ray trusted more than the doctor who treated his wife not just as his patient but as a person, truly reminding her that she is a person.
Though Ray and Terry had faced many hurdles, they were met with their biggest challenge in 2017 when their son, Eddie, was diagnosed with Stage 4 colon cancer and given 18 months to live. But just like his parents, Eddie was a fighter. The couple immediately reached out to Dr. Rastogi. Within a day, Dr. Rastogi referred them to an oncologist in Santa Monica, and within a week, they had started treatment that would last the next 6.5 years. But it wasn’t just a one-time referral. Dr. Rastogi kept reaching out, keeping Eddie from fighting this alone. Eddie turned what was supposed to be 18 months of life into six years of amazing memories.
During that time, Dr. Rastogi worked beyond the clinical setting. He invited Ray and Terry to attend his monthly UKEEPs, where he aimed to empower patients by sharing their stories. He invited them when he was awarded “The Younes Nazarian Medical Humanitarian Prize.” Most importantly, he invited them to the CORE Kidney Rose Parade Float in 2024, where they could place a rose in memory of their son, Eddie. These repeated instances of Dr. Rastogi’s care outside the hospital are why Ray notes that “the way Dr. Rastogi works is the way the world should work.”
If you mention Dr. Rastogi to Ray and Terry, their faces light up immediately. “He’s more than just our doctor,” they’ll tell you. “He is our friend.” A friend who gets hugs, not handshakes. A friend who gets invited to dinner. A friend they lean on not just for answers, but for strength.
Through it all, Ray and Terry have never let their illnesses or grief define them. Instead, they use their journeys to empower others and give back however they can. If you ask them their secret, they’ll say one word: proactivity. Fighting for your life, showing up for yourself, and asking every question until you understand. Your doctors may guide you, but this is your fight.
Maybe that’s why their laughter is so infectious. Because in choosing to laugh, they have chosen to live.