Former Minnesota Twins baseball Hall of Fame slugger HARMON KILLEBREW announced he will no longer battle the esophageal cancer ravaging him.
In a statement released jointly by the Twins and the Baseball Hall of Fame, Killebrew said "it is with profound sadness" he will no longer receive treatment for the "awful disease."
The cancer has been determined incurable by his medical team at the Phoenix branch of the Mayo Clinic.
“I am very comfortable taking this next step and experiencing the compassionate care that hospice provides," Killebrew said.
Killebrew, who's 11th on baseball's all-time home run list with 573, thanked fans and well-wishers for their support.
At the time of diagnosis last year, Killebrew had said he hoped to make a full recovery BUT also admitted he was in "perhaps the most difficult battle" of his life.
The baseball legend made 11 All-Star appearances during a 22-year career spent mostly with the old Washington Senators and then the Twins when they moved to Minnesota in 1961.
Killebrew was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1984 and remains fifth on the all-time career home run list when he retired in 1975 after one last hurrah with the Kansas City Royals.
