Amy and Leo

"There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: a time to be born and a time to die" -Ecclesiastes 3: 1&2

This has been quite a year for all of us. Things started out with a pretty grim diagnosis of a very rare, hard to treat cancer. And quite honestly, things didn't get much better as we went along. We knew from the start that we had very limited options as far as treatment, and the fact that his cancer metastasized to his liver complicated things even further.

We have run out of options. There is just too much cancer and it is growing too fast everywhere. It is hard to tell how much good liver he has left. A liver transplant is not an option because there is too much cancer on and around the liver, and there is also too much cancer on his left side, chest, and lung areas. Surgery is also not an option for the same reasons.

Our doctor is going to keep him on the current chemo pill for the sole purpose of giving us a couple more months. He will need to be watched carefully since this chemo is hard on the liver, and if it is compromising his liver we will stop. Our main goal now is pain control and quality of life. He has approximately 4-6 months left to live. Of course this is just a professional guess based on his scans, history, and the doctor's experience, but regardless he has very limited time left.

We our going to sell our house and move in with his dad and step-mom in Beulah. Our goal is to be moved in by Christmas break. We think this will be an easier transition for transferring schools for the kids.

This has been an incredibly difficult couple of days for us. We know everyone has been anxiously waiting for our update, but we needed time to tell immediate family the news first, so thank you for being patient and understanding.

With how Leo has been feeling for the past month or so, we were expecting these results. It is very hard to accept, but we have made our peace with God's will for our lives. Leo has no regrets and is at peace. The kids are dealing with it in their own ways, but seem to be doing ok. We just have to keep praying for them and give them lots of love.

Thank you all for your love, support, and prayers. Keep praying especially for strength, acceptance, peace, the kids, and that God's will be done.

Love,

The Hoepfner's