05 Dec Good News for Cheryl Leighton

In early October, an urgent call to prayer was sent to the denominational email list for Cheryl Leighton, wife of Joe Leighton, pastor of Salem Chapel UB in Junction City, Ohio. On September 4 she went into the hospital, experiencing some problems, and cancer was discovered. Her condition was extremely critical. Reports were published here on October 9 and November 2.

On December 4, Joe Leighton sent the following report about Cheryl.

“After weeks and now months of setbacks and discouraging news, I am glad to be able to share some glad tidings. They were able to successfully tap Cheryl’s lung today and removed 1200 cc of fluid. This will dramatically improve her breathing and will help her gain the strength that she needs in order to take full advantage of her physical therapy. This was a last ditch effort because of the risk of her lung collapsing for a second time. She sailed right through it without incident, and she was resting easily when I left the hospital today. In addition, her level of nutrition is improving. They changed the formula and removed iron from her diet, and she is no longer getting sick, but is processing all of it through her digestive system; and they have raised the feeding input from 30 cc/hr to 55 cc/hr (the target is 70 cc/hr).

“It appears that dialysis is becoming permanent, but it is down to three days per week for 3.5 hours at a time. Her filtering system is still impaired. While less than ideal, it is certainly something to which she can adapt and have a good quality of life.

“Cheryl completed her fourth round of chemotherapy on November 30. Her final two sessions are scheduled for December 21 and January 11. On November 23 they did a specialized CT scan and our daughter called with the results about an hour ago. There is no evidence of the cancer in her chest and under her arms. It is gone! We praise and thank God for that! We won’t know about the pelvis or the bone marrow until after her January treatment, when they will perform another type of diagnostic exam. But for now the chemotherapy is having the desired effect. If the exam in January is clear, then Cheryl has the option of using her own marrow for a transplant, and remission should be achieved at that point. At best, Cheryl only had a 60% chance for remission, and her impaired health further reduced those odds. But it appears that she is on her way toward achieving that very thing and we are grateful for these reports and for what has been accomplished thus far! There are still the matters for the need for oxygen, the trache, and the dropfoot, but these are a lot easier to face with the momentum that is now being realized in these other areas.

“Thank you for the cards, prayers, and encouraging words–those things along with God’s grace have sustained us and enabled us to get to this point. It is good to see that the light at the end of the tunnel isn’t an oncoming freight train after all.”

27 Nov Donald Palmer No Longer Licensed

Donald Palmer, a former pastor in Michigan, is no longer licensed with the United Brethren church.

21 Nov Frank Strine Undergoes Heart Bypass

Frank Strine, a longtime UB pastor (now retired), underwent quadruple heart bypass surgery today. Everything went well and there were no problems. As always, the next 24 hours are critical. Frank and Phyllis Strine can be contacted at PO Box 613, Markle, IN 46770.

02 Nov Update on Cheryl Leighton

Joe Leighton sent the following update on October 29 concerning the condition of his wife, Cheryl.

“Cheryl has been discharged from The James Cancer hospitalm because at this point she can be treated on an outpatient basis. Her next round of chemo is November 8. She has been admitted to a rehabilitation hospital for several different types of therapy: speech, so that she can learn to speak with a trach; respiratory, so she can have the trach downsized and hopefully removed altogether (she has a lot of swelling on the inside of her throat that currently hinders this; eating by mouth, which she has seldom done for the past two months, so the appetite must be rebuilt; physical, as she has been hospitalized for nearly two months now.

“Further complicating this is that the chemo she needs for the cancer can cause nerve damage, and we are beginning to see that with a condition called drop foot. We don’t know the severity as yet. Sometimes it can be treated with therapy or with surgery, and sometimes it does not respond to treatment, which means the patient will never walk again. So the hits keep on coming, and truthfully, it is a bit staggering at times.

“I sure do appreciate the prayers of everyone. It is good to know we are not in this alone. Hopefully the therapies will be effective and from this center she will be discharged home.”

12 Oct Update on Cheryl Leighton

On October, an urgent call to prayer was sent to the denominational email list for Cheryl Leighton, wife of Joe Leighton, pastor of Salem Chapel UB in Junction City, Ohio. On September 4 she went into the hospital, experiencing some problems, and cancer was discovered. She has been hospitalized ever since, and her condition was extremely critical.

On October 9, Joe Leighton sent this report about his wife’s condition:

Cheryl went to have a mass removed from an ovary on September 4. It was supposed to be an outpatient procedure. What the doctor found instead were enlarged lymph nodes behind the ovary, and those he removed. Cheryl has been diagnosed with mantel cell lymphoma, a rare form of cancer. It responds well to treatment and can be brought into remission, but presently there is no cure. This cancer has released a chemical that causes a disorder known as FSGS, which severely messes with the kidneys’ filtration process and ability to function.

Cheryl’s kidney function fell to 25%. As a result, her weight ballooned from 135 pounds to 240 pounds. Complications from dialysis led to internal bleeding, and she came within minutes of dying on September 25. She suffered respiratory failure and her bowels also quit. Two liters of blood were drained from her chest cavity and she was given 6 units to replace what was lost.

In the last five days there has been remarkable improvement. She is fully awake from the sedation. Dialysis has removed 85 pounds of fluid and her bowels have regained function and her kidneys are working at about 50%. She had a trach put in, but has been removed from the ventilator and is breathing on her own now. Tomorrow (October 11) she is scheduled to have a blood clot removed from her left lung. Our hope is that within the next few days she will be released from ICU and be returned to The James for her second round of chemotherapy (which she seems to be tolerating well). After that a couple weeks of therapy and then I get to bring her home, where she will continue chemotherapy on an outpatient basis as we try to get her into remission.

There is a lot of research in this area, and if we can get her into a good remission of 2-3 years, it is possible that a cure may be found. If not, and the cancer returns, it is possible to get her back into remission and extend her time while research continues. Or, perhaps the Lord will extend mercy and bring a miracle.

To be honest, it has been a most difficult time, but the Lord has really sustained us and many people have supported us. I cannot say enough good things about our wonderful congregation at Salem Chapel. Those folks have been incredible and awesome. And Cheryl has remained positive and kept her sense of humor and is determined to fight this disease and overcome the complications it has thrown her. And so again, please accept my thanks for making our situation known, and for the wonderful and uplifting response it has solicited.

The Leightons can be reached at this address:

Joe and Cheryl Leighton
3850 Tschopp Road NE
Lancaster, OH 43130

19 Sep Death of Bishop Clarence A. Kopp, Jr.

Dr. Clarence A. Kopp Jr.,  who served as a United Brethren bishop 1981-1993, passed away on Monday evening, September 17. He was 80 years old.

Bishop Kopp began his ministry as the first associate pastor at King Street Church in Chambersburg, Pa., working under Dr. Clyde Meadows. He went on to serve several UB churches in Ohio, including Prescott Avenue (now Lighthouse Community) in Dayton and Redeemer (now Living Word) in Columbus. He was pastoring Redeemer when the General Conference elected him bishop in 1981.

Bishop Kopp graduated from Huntington University and its seminary, and earned a Doctorate from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School.

During his first eight years as bishop, Bishop Kopp provided oversight of Central, Sandusky, and Southeast conferences. From 1989-1993, he oversaw Central and Southeast conferences, plus all of the western conferences (Rock River, Midwest, Northwest, California, and Arizona). Throughout his tenure as bishop, and afterwards, he remained a strong advocate for church planting. Upon retiring from the bishopric in 1993, he was granted the title “bishop emeritus.”

Bishop Kopp is also past president of the World Society of Christian Endeavor.

Bishop Kopp is survived by his wife Virginia, daughters Debra and Denise, and sons Dan and Dale. There are also 11 grandchildren and one great-grandchild. One grandchild describes “Popp Kopp” as “a devoted husband, loving father, kind friend to anyone in need, a minister to so many devout worshipers, a respected mentor to innumerable people, and a caring grandfather to me, my siblings, and many cousins.” Also known as the Eager Eagle, Clarence inspired folks almost everywhere he went with his contagious smile and outgoing, authentic presence. If you asked him how he was doing, he would invariably reply, “Better than I deserve!”