Greg Hillis & Family Cancer Journey

A New Chapter, and an Invitation

When we first set up this site in late 2023, Greg had been diagnosed with cancer (cholangiocarcinoma) and given a prognosis of 2 – 5 years. During the intervening months, thanks in no small part to your generous financial support, Greg has received excellent care and treatment, including at the Mayo Clinic and Mass General in Boston, where he had an intensive course of radiation a few months ago. Initial scans showed that the tumor at the origin site was responding well to treatment, and we all had a couple of months of optimism that Greg would live far beyond his doctors’ initial predictions.

Unfortunately, that relief was only temporary. After experiencing some painful digestive issues during the spring and summer, Greg had a PET scan in early August 2024, which revealed that the cancer has spread into his abdomen and bones. His new prognosis is measured in months, not years.

This was shocking and discouraging news for Greg, his family, and all those who love and care about him. Even in the midst of disappointment, however, Greg and Kim have been resilient in warding off despair. The support—financial, spiritual, bodily—of so many friends has gone a long way to confirm for them that though we are mortal, love and not death is the deepest truth of this life. Just yesterday, Greg told me about a bleak moment that was interrupted by a phone call from a friend. The conversation “put my heart back together,” he told me. Afterward, his body responded with real hunger for the first time in weeks, and he ate a huge portion of pasta with homemade sauce that had been dropped off by another friend. Even in the darkest of days, accompaniment generates a hope far greater than optimism.

Greg’s new situation does call for a shift in how we think about financial support for Greg and Kim and their boys. No longer focused on treatment options and their associated costs, the family faces unfamiliar and daunting practicalities. As many of us know, it is not cheap to die. Beyond funeral and burial costs, Kim must consider a future without Greg and his earnings. Isaac just started college, Sam is not far off, and Leo will be there before you know it. Kim is considering going back to school for training in a new career. More than his own death, Greg spends a lot of time right now thinking about his family and seeking some assurance that they will thrive even when he is gone.

Financial support cannot allay all of those concerns, but it can certainly help. This is why we are asking you once again to consider donating to this fund—now less for Greg and his treatment and more for Kim and the boys and the next chapter of their lives. Greg and Kim are tremendously grateful for all of your generous contributions over the past nine months. If you are able, please consider giving again, for newly challenging yet hopeful reasons. Share with friends and family. And don’t forget to stay in touch by voice and in writing when it’s possible. For more regular updates, check Greg’s CaringBridge site too. Thank you!