Memories and Celebrations of Life:

Kaleb Michael Hochstedler

October 6, 2009 - May 12, 2020

Kaleb Michael Hochstedler was born on October 6, 2009 and lived ten and a half full years until his homegoing on May 12, 2020. He was born, lived, and died in Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil.

Since birth Kaleb displayed an unusual tenacity and energy for life which he demonstrated throughout his battle with leukemia (diagnosed September 11, 2018) and sarcoma (diagnosed November 9th, 2019). Kaleb was known as happy and independent with a penchant for adventure.

His favorite activities included night games, camping, playing on the farm, creating with Lego, and listening to music. Kaleb spent hours outdoors in imaginary battles or drawing lands and creatures. Three days before his bone marrow transplant on March 3, 2020, he took a last kayak ride, paddling forty minutes despite his weakened state. In a final act of kindness and care before his intubation, Kaleb asked to share his bottle of Gatorade with his siblings. Kaleb will be remembered for the steadiness of his spirit, his refusal to complain, and his humble acceptance as he depended on his best friend and Savior, Jesus Christ, through all of his cancer journey. In his last journal entry he wrote, "God will provide a way': While the transplant was successful and cancer receded from his body, a severe lung side effect claimed his life.

Sweet remembrance lives on for Kaleb's parents, Delton Vaughn Hochstedler and Fernanda Brasiliense Fernandes Hochstedler, and siblings, Naomi, Joshua, Priscilla, and Lucas. Kaleb is also fondly remembered by his maternal grandparents, Silas Fernandes and Vera Lotte Schrage Brasiliense Fernandes, uncle Fabio (Taissa Soler) Brasiliense Fernandes in Sao Paulo, Brazil as well as his paternal grandparents William Michael Hochstedler and Susan Jeanette Miller Hochstedler, uncles Collin (Deborah) Hochstedler and Evan (Heidi) Hochstedler in Sioux Lookout, Ontario and aunts Amy (David) Yoder and Bethany (Joshua) Foley from Hartville, Ohio and Quarryville, Pennsylvania respectively. He will be dearly missed by his fifteen cousins, especially his cousin Brennan with whom he shared much.

Kaleb’s body was laid to rest in Peace Cemetery (Cemeterio da Paz) in Sao Paulo on May 13, 2020. Many of his closest friends threw Legos on his casket in a final act of caring memory. He was also honored by the presence of the midwife who assisted in his birth, one of his favorite nurses, his dear oncologist representing his oncology team, and his favorite play therapist.

Due to the limitations of current pandemic restrictions, the family is planning a memorial service for October 2020. The family expresses their thanks to God for his sustaining power and amazing love, to all the health professionals at Hospital lsraelita Albert Einstein who worked tirelessly on Kaleb's behalf and who taught us so much about love and life, and to our family and friends without whom it would not have been possible to scale this mountain. Our lives are forever changed by these ten years with Kaleb.

In memory, the family wishes to honor Kaleb's caring spirit raising funds for a lung CT scan machine for the public hospital run by Kaleb's team of oncologists. More details will soon follow on Kaleb's Facebook group "Kaleb’ s North Face Journey”

Thank You

We want to extend our heartfelt thanks to the people of Sioux Lookout and surrounding community for the generous outpouring of love and concern shown to Kaleb and us, his extended family, during the time of his illness and since his passing. You adopted him as one of your own! We have felt so supported by your prayers, words of condolence, cards, phone calls & texts, and practical acts of kindness as demonstrated through meals, flowers & plants, paper products, and special snacks & gifts for the children. We feel blessed & grateful! The total amount of money raised at the community fundraiser for Kaleb's family that was held at the end of January was $17,000, an incredible amount!

We say a special thank you to Geraldine & Lew Morgan for organizing that event, and Delton & Fernanda ask us to express their thanks as well. In Kaleb's obituary there is mention of a memorial fund that has been established to purchase a piece of equipment for the public childhood cancer treatment center in Sao Paulo that Kaleb's team of doctors work with. The hospital provides cancer treatment to kids that come from all over Brazil. Here is the link: https://ca.gofundme.com/f/fx2pvr-celebrating-kaleb

From the Sioux Lookout Hochstedlers

Bill & Susan

Collin, Debbie & family

Evan, Heidi & family