Hi, my name is Jeffrey Baloy Olaes.  Please pray for me and my family.  I am currently on hospice care at home for end of life care.  I have faith in God's purpose for me, and he's calling me home.  I want to say a final goodbye to all the people who have touched my life, and who have been on this journey with me, especially my family.

Recently, I went to the hospital and the doctors told me that my labs and tests revealed that I'm experiencing liver failure, and that my kidneys aren't too far behind them. I have multiple swollen Iymph nodes in different regions of my body. One of the lymph nodes is a concern because it's located in my stomach and is blocking bile distribution from the liver.  I also have a lymph node on my jaw that's grown to the size of a golf ball on my face, and it has been bleeding profusely. The list seems to be endless, and since no hospital would take my case, I was given the option of hospice care, which I'm currently on.  Father Efrain has given me my last rites, and I am grateful for my faith to help me through this.

As I reflect on my life, I'd like to share some things about me.  I was born on September 21, 1977 in Virginia Beach, Virginia.  I was baptized at the Chapel of the Good Shepherd, also in Virginia Beach. My family moved to Lemoore NAS where I received the Sacrament of Holy Communion at the NAS Lemoore Chapel. One year following receiving the Eucharist, my parents made the decision to carry out receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation abroad during a visit to the Republic of the Philippines.  While attending Lemoore High School, I joined the Newman Club, which was run by Saint Peter Prince of Apostles.

I graduated from Lemoore High in 1995 and was one of two students to accept admission to Cal State University, Bakersfield where I'd frequent Sunday Mass at Saint Phillips across the street on Stockdale Highway. This is the time when I worked on my Pre-Nursing prerequisites. Then, during my sophomore year, I found myself transplanted across town attending Bakersfield College and attending Our Lady of a Perpetual Help Church.  Over the years, I moved to Chicago, Ann Arbor, Miami Beach, Miami, and Virginia Beach.  Then, I found myself back in Fresno, CA in 2000. I was a student at Fresno City College and successfully transferred to Fresno State in the fall of 2003.

I want to fast forward to the best days of my life.  Once I was back in Lemoore, I started attending St. Peters regularly.  After attending Good Friday Mass in 2016, I was inspired to join choir, something I've never done but always dreamed of doing. The following week, I began attending weekly choir practices and the first weekend performing in the choir, I attended every mass. Dorie pointed out that I was only obligated to attend one, but I wanted to clock as many miles as I could.

One special moment with choir was performing for the Diocese of Fresno Choir under the direction of Kathi Hernandez for Diocesean Congress held at the Visalia Convention Center.  Somehow, the few choir members from Saint Peter's Choir all got solos.  I sang "Let Your Mercy Wash Over Us," which was a very special song for me and my mom who passed away a few years prior. How I wished she could hear me, but my faith let me know that she did.  Years passed and eventually I joined Spanish choir and began singing at all the weekend masses.  Even though I had issues with mobility and standing on my own, the congregation gave me strength.

This is the point when Jeff had to stop typing due to his poor health.  He wanted to share his love for God, for his family, and his friends.