Jeff Hoffman standing strong after cancer - Daily Republic
Pushed aside to make room for vacuuming, the walker sits around the corner from the stairs, out of Hoffman's eyeline and his reach. His "upstairs walker" normally rests in the hallway next to the stairway that bridges the main level and downstairs of the Hoffmans' rural Bridgewater home. A longtime educator, FFA adviser and lifelong farmer, Hoffman said he's always been physically fit, staying active and doing his best to stay healthy. At the urging of Deanna, Jeff went to a doctor, and his troubles were diagnosed as a blood clot. All through 2014, Hoffman said he still had breathing issues. A trip to the emergency room revealed another blood clot in his left leg—the fourth one to that point. Further tests showed the mass in his thigh—what doctors had originally thought was scar tissue—was a tumor. In August 2014, right before the start of the school year, Hoffman was diagnosed with synovial sarcoma, which is a malignant (cancerous) tumor of the soft tissues, usually around joints. "Because it is so rare and it takes multiple forms in multiple locations, sarcoma is difficult to detect, often misdiagnosed and complex to treat," according the site. The Hoffmans said the original treatment plan was four rounds of chemotherapy, enough to shrink the tumor, then remove it surgically. Source: www.mitchellrepublic.com
