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As the disease is caused by a genetic mutation, his sister’s cancer was caught early. Sophia was just four years old and the tumour was in the exact same place as her brother’s cancer. Sophia was treated and went into remission. Years ago, their father had a benign tumour removed from his leg. Three people in a family of five with tumours. It’s difficult to grasp.

Her middle child, Liam, is healthy but the heartbreak he’s enduring is displayed in family photos where he’s often seen hugging someone or helping to cook family meals. Liam has been a source of strength.

Last February, the unthinkable happened, the situation got worse for the West Quebec family.

Jacob had complications due to surgery and almost died. Malignant cancer had been found on his kidney. It happened the very same week it was discovered that Sophia’s brain tumour had returned. It was growing rapidly and had invaded her spinal cord. For a brief period both siblings shared the same room at CHEO before needing different levels of care in other parts of the hospital.

Liliane granted permission to share some of her Facebook posts and the following is also shared on a gofundme page set up by another oncology family (to date almost $85,000 has been raised for the family). You might want to grab a tissue before you read on:

“As parents, we’ll do anything for our children and would go to the ends of the earth for them. We do everything we can for them and I would for my children. But sometimes, doing everything we can for them means doing nothing anymore. Quality of life versus quantity is always a big decision for oncology families. And we have all agreed together today that we need to focus on Sophia’s quality of life. Yesterday’s MRI images are devastating, more than we could have ever imagined. This is the end of the road now for treatments and our number one goal is for her not to suffer. More than anything in this world now, I just want her to not suffer and that’s exactly what Jason and I and the doctors will focus on. We will fight with her until the end. Our prayers now are for a different kind of miracle. Our prayers now are for a peaceful and comfortable end of life for Sophia whenever that time comes. My beautiful, kind, loving, smart, sassy, perfect Sophia. We will continue living our life together and take it one day at a time doing nothing but seize the moments we have left on this earth together … It is with a broken heart that this mama writes this update. I am broken. We are broken.”

Liliane has moved a larger bed into Sophia’s room so she can be with her constantly until the end. Sophia now has periodic episodes of blindness, but the one thing that brings me any kind of solace is that the last thing she will see is love.