A Wonderful Witness

Media attention highlights Jesus in Denise Kreighbaum’s battle with breast cancer

Denise Kreighbaum from Covenant Harvest Church in Pittsburg is featured this month in the Pittsburg Women of Distinction Calendar (Mrs. December).  As most of you know, she went through a battle with breast cancer and God has opened some amazing doors for her to share how Jesus enabled her to overcome in the midst of the battle.  She spoke at the candelight vigil for the breast cancer awareness month in October.   Here are a couple of excerpts from the front pages of the Pittsburg Morning Sun newspaper as well as the December calendar page.

The Morning Sun, October 6 2011 – Record crowd gathers for 13th annual breast cancer candlelight vigil  PITTSBURG -

A record crowd gathered Wednesday night at the Pittsburg State University Lake for the 13th annual breast cancer candlelight vigil.  “This is the biggest crowd we’ve ever had,” said Kelly York, Southeast Kansas regional outreach coordinator for Early Detection Works, which sponsored the vigil along with Susan G. Komen for the Cure Mid Kansas Affiliate…

Guest speaker was Denise Kreighbaum, who shared her story of battling the disease with prayers from friends around the world, the love and support of her husband and four daughters, her faith family at Covenant Harvest Church and, of course, her God.
“I’m not a courageous person, I’m a timid person,” Kreighbaum said, “but God has given me the courage to fight cancer.”

The Morning Sun, October 5, 2011 -  Denise Kreighbaum spreads a message of hope  PITTSBURG

Denise Kreighbaum, front and center, stands with her high school students at Covenant Harvest School. Her students and many others in her church family and natural family were very supportive during her battle with breast cancer. She will share her story during the 13th annual candlelight breast cancer vigil at 7 p.m. today at the Pittsburg State University Lake.
“We thought it very fitting to invite someone to speak whose faith is so strong,” said Kelly York, Southeast Kansas regional outreach coordinator for Early Detection Works.  Kreighbaum and her husband, Doug, came to Pittsburg on Sept. 27, 1991 to serve as senior leaders at Covenant Harvest Church. He is senior pastor, and she teaches at Covenant Harvest School…
Dr. Boban Mathew, her oncologist, told her that she would probably begin losing her hair after her first treatment. This was especially painful to Kreighbaum because her daughter, Katie, was getting married on Oct. 17. “I didn’t make an appointment to have my hair done because I thought it would be falling out, but God was really faithful to me,” she said. “The day before the wedding my hair still wasn’t falling out. I had to make a last-minute appointment to get it fixed, and I had my own hair for the wedding photographs. Then, the day after the wedding, my hair started coming out in handfuls and my husband shaved my head.”

Her chemo lasted for six months and ended on April 1, 2010. “In the middle of my chemotherapy, I got news that my daughter Nicole was going to have a baby and I was going to be a grandmother,” Kreighbaum said. “That helped me through it.”…

Kreighbaum said she was surrounded by love and prayer during the ordeal. “People prayed for me, which meant so much; people brought in food,” she said.  “A friend came and cleaned my house every week.” After the chemotherapy was over, Kreighbaum recovered well and continues to do well…

Kreighbaum was a little surprised to be asked to speak at the vigil. “I’m not much of a public speaker,” she said, “but I have a story.”  Part of that story is to share a message of hope and faith.  “It doesn’t do any good to ask ‘Why me?’,” Kreighbaum said. “You have to find things to be grateful for. This helps me to help others in difficult situations. I tell them that I’ll pray for them. I tell them that God is faithful, He helped me and He’ll help them.”