Greg Hoff has been waiting for months to receive cancer care, but says he still has not received any timeline for when he'll get it.

By Tommy Osborne

Cancer Care

“It takes hope away:” Prince George man says healthcare system is failing as he waits for cancer care

Mar 27, 2025 | 5:26 PM

PRINCE GEORGE – In November of 2024, Greg Hoff was diagnosed with esophageal carcinoma, a type of stomach cancer. Since receiving the diagnosis, Hoff has been travelling across the province to places like Kelowna, Vancouver, and Victoria to receive tests and consultations, but months later he still has no timeline on when treatment could come.

“It takes hope away, because the thing is, you’re trying every day, to fight every day, for that day to come, but you really start to lose perspective. Am I going to be strong enough to battle this when they finally get to it? Am I going to be able to be there for my family?” Hoff said.

“My children really want me in their life, and they don’t understand why they have to maybe lose me this early in their life, and I don’t know how to explain it to them,” he continued.

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Hoff explained his main communication up to this point has been through his family doctor, and from there the referrals, consultations, and tests are scheduled, leaving him in a situation where he says he doesn’t know much about when the next tests, or treatment, could be on the way. Treatment in Victoria was discussed as a possibility, which could last more than two months, but the question of when this treatment could take place is still present.

“I’ve been just feeling bounced around, and when I talk to my specialist, I am on the top of the list, priority number one for care. But there’s no place to care for me here,” he said.

“The system is just stressing me out to the point where… the thing is, I get stomachaches. I can’t take the medication they gave me, like morphine. I can’t take it right now because it just upsets my stomach so bad and I get sick,” he continued.

While travel costs are covered by BC Cancer, Hoff says the physical toll has been immense as he battles stomach cancer. This is on top of him being legally blind, further complicating accommodations. He knows he isn’t alone when it comes to cancer patients across the province struggling to receive treatment, and he hopes that something is done soon to allow patients like himself to receive care in their own communities and own homes.

“We’re going by the wayside and we’re getting left behind because the thing is, everything is just so overwrought,” he said.

“Why do I have to be bounced around, ripped away from my family, from my comfort, to get help? They want to ship me to Victoria and spend up to two and a half months there doing treatment in Victoria, and we (Hoff and his wife) are supposed to walk away from our home and everything for that amount of time? Who can do that?”

As his condition worsens, Hoff says he has lost more than 100 pounds, as he is struggling to eat. He says he usually can only eat one pudding cup or apple sauce a day, and also struggles to drink water.

“I’ve had to quit everything in my life, including eating, smelling, I got the taste of cancer in my mouth and the smell of cancer in my mouth,” he said.

BC Cancer and the provincial Ministry of Health were not available for interviews, but provided written statements. While both institutions couldn’t speak specifically on Hoff’s case due to privacy laws, the Ministry of Health says “we recognize the added stress that travel can place on a patient who is undergoing treatment, as well as the toll that extended absences from loved ones and community can have; however, supports are available.”

“In September 2023, we announced $10 million each to the Canadian Cancer Society and Hope Air to expand travel programs and support cancer patients. Funding was expanded in August 2024 with an additional $20 million over two years to the Canadian Cancer Society,” the statement continued.

As for BC Cancer, it says it understand the importance of providing cancer care close to home, and while there are some cases where someone like Hoff would have to travel for specialized services, BC Cancer says it has a 10-year plan to improve care across the province. This plan includes:

• Recruiting hundreds of new physicians, clinical staff and support staff including radiation therapists, physicists and other specialized staff required to deliver radiation therapy.
• Leading initiatives to expand operating hours and upgrade equipment.
• Developing four new cancer centres in Burnaby, Surrey, Nanaimo and Kamloops.

“While we cannot comment on this patient’s experience, we can share that our team is working directly with this patient to reschedule their appointments and coordinate their travel in a way that works best for their personal and medical needs,” BC Cancer’s statement added.

Ultimately for Hoff, he just hopes to get treatment as soon as possible.

“They’re accommodating them (other issues, like his blindness). But every time they have to do that, it takes them a month, another three weeks, another six weeks, to plan. And I don’t know how many of them I got left.”

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