Salem pastor rejoices in tiny,

yet huge, step on health path

By JOHN FORTMEYER
CNNW publisher
    SALEM — They say it’s often the little things in life that can get you down. But John Stumbo knows the little things in life also can make a very big, very uplifting difference.
   And often it’s the kind of things that most everyone takes for granted.
    Such as the ability to swallow.
   After a year and a half battling a serious illness that could have proven fatal, Stumbo, the associate pastor at Salem Alliance Church, took a huge step in his recovery a few weeks ago by suddenly regaining some ability to swallow. He is still only able to eat very slowly in very small amounts, but it is true swallowing.
   “It’s just thrilling,” said Kathy Bletscher, executive assistant to Stumbo and lead pastor Steve Fowler. She said the church family at Salem Alliance is praising God for this significant step in Stumbo’s path toward renewed health.
    So is Stumbo. At his blog site, www.johnstumbo.org, he describes his gratitude and elation.
   “For thousands of you, who — for almost a year and a half — have prayed for this moment; this is a huge ‘Thank You, Jesus!’ ” he wrote.
    He also tells how revolutionary this achievement is for him:
   “While being able to swallow small amounts of food has been wonderful, perhaps of even greater relief has been the freedom to swallow my own saliva. While I used to wake up dozens of times in the night to spit, I no longer need to do so. Also, almost completely gone is my embarrassing need to spit in public throughout the day with an omnipresent spit rag in my pocket or hand. This simple fact alone has changed my life significantly.”
    Stumbo became the focus of intense prayer after his illness struck him in October 2008. Bletscher said the illness has never been 100 percent confirmed, but is believed to be an atypical form of dermatomysitis, a muscle disease characterized by inflammation and a skin rash. Among common symptoms are severe muscle weakness and difficulty swallowing.
   The severity of the illness caused Stumbo, who formerly held the church’s top pastoral job, to step last June into the associate position. Fowler, who had been associate pastor of outreach ministries, was named lead pastor last August.
    Bletscher said that by last spring Stumbo had gradually regained enough strength that he was able to start getting around with a walker, then a cane. He started coming in to the church office a few hours a week and has since then slowly increased in capacity and energy level, to the point that he is now working about 25 hours weekly.
    But the one thing that wasn’t improving during the whole time was his swallowing function — until April 27, when he took a very small bite of yogurt and found — to his amazement — that he had no overwhelming need to spit it out. While it took another three hours to finish the small container of yogurt, it was a heavenly experience for Stumbo.
   “I’m still relying — depending on the day — 60 to 90 percent on my feeding tube, but I’m making progress,” Stumbo wrote last month. “While I’m still a long way from taking on a buffet, my nibbling and sipping are gradually getting stronger.”
    In the past year, Stumbo has helped write a new Bible study curriculum, has headed up the church’s Broadway Commons expansion project and has pursued a doctorate in ministry through George Fox University.