Kilgore to be honored tonight at SPFP Strikeout for Cancer

By Myra Bean
Pastor Larry Kilgore knew he was weak but the pancreatic cancer diagnosis was totally unexpected.
“September 25 (2016) we were vacationing in Arkansas and I had to go to the ER for another reason. That’s when they found it,” the 69-year-old Crowder Baptist Church pastor said.
Kilgore will be one of three people honored by the South Panola fastpitch softball team in today’s Strikeout For Cancer (SOFC) game against Grenada beginning at 4 p.m. Also honored will be James Jenkins and Johnny Earl Jones.
The SOFC game benefits local citizens who suffer from cancer to help them financially and to also lend spiritual support.
Kilgore said he was humbled when Lady Tiger third baseman Morgan Parker told him she was submitting his name for consideration.
“I was touched in a deep, deep way,” Kilgore said. “It’s an amazing feeling to know I was chosen and I will get to throw out the first pitch.”
At the time of Kilgore’s diagnosis, he was not sleeping, had lost weight and was tired all the time. The last few months he has taken six rounds of chemotherapy, the strongest drug out there and 28 radiation treatments. Yesterday, he had a CT scan and will meet with the doctor to read it Thursday.
December 28, his tumor was three centimeters and had not shrunk or grown. His surgeon, Stephen Behrman, believes the tumor is dead, but wants to be sure with this latest scan. For his treatments, he goes to the Baptist Cancer Center in Oxford and sees Dr. Aleksandar Jankov. His blood count has been good and his immune system has not been compromised.
Kilgore gives a lot of thanks to his church family and their support for him and his wife, Betty. His first wife died 17 years ago from breast cancer. The couple has two sons, one daughter and one grandchild. He has been at Crowder Baptist for 15 years.
He describes the Crowder Baptist family as “great church with great people.”
“Their prayers are humbling,” Kilgore said. “They told me to take whatever time we need and they will take care of everything. That makes me stronger to have that support.”
He describes Betty as his chauffeur and best friend.
“We are totally confident I will beat this. We have a real peace and will continue to have it. I respect the face that cancer is serious but it will not dominate our lives. I am thankful to the Lord that He is faithful to us. I believe I will be a cancer survivor,” Kilgore said.