Father John Vaughn, 71, Episcopal Priest Submitted by N.O.V.A. July 2005 Times Picayune 10-24-1997 ************************************************* Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm ************************************************ The Rev. John J. Vaughn, an Episcopal priest who was the first American to undergo an experimental treatment for a rare form of cancer, died Thursday at University Hospital of an inflammation around his heart. He was 71. The condition that caused Father Vaughn's death probably was related to mesothelioma that had attacked the outer lining of his left lung, but not to the treatment he received last month, said Dr. Jay Kolls, director of the gene-therapy program at Louisiana State University Medical Center. Two patients who have received the experimental treatment since Father Vaughn are doing fine, Kolls said. The test involves injecting patients with harmless cancer cells and following up with an antiviral drug. The testing program, which is still evaluating prospective participants, is the first stage of a process that could lead to federal approval of this weapon against mesothelioma, a cancer that strikes fewer than 3,000 Americans annually and resists conventional therapy. At first, Kolls said, Father Vaughn had been doing well, but he was put on heart- failure medication after developing an irregular heartbeat and swollen feet. Moreover, he wasn't eating or gaining weight. He was hospitalized late last week. Surgery showed fluid on the right side of his chest, but, Kolls said, there was no way to tell then whether it was a result of heart failure or the cancer's spread. Dr. Paul Schwarzenberger of LSU Medical Center, the project's leader, said the tumor probably had invaded and surrounded his heart by the time Father Vaughn's disease was diagnosed in March. Because the rindlike cancer around his heart was so thick - about one fifth of an inch - it is unlikely that any of the chemicals Father Vaughn received last month could have invaded that organ, Kolls said. Born in Kansas City, Mo., Father Vaughn was ordained a Catholic priest in 1951 and an Episcopal priest in 1968. He studied at St. Joseph's Preparatory College in Kirkwood, Mo., and the Episcopal Theological School in Cambridge, Mass., and earned a master's degree at Northeastern University in Boston. In addition to serving several churches, Father Vaughn was an alcoholism counselor, a specialist in family therapy and, most recently, a consultant who tried to bring spirituality to business. He kept friends informed of developments in his fight against cancer on his World Wide Web site. By the time he joined the gene-therapy program, Father Vaughn was already fighting mesothelioma with a regimen of vitamins, shark cartilage and prayer. Most mesothelioma patients die within two years, Schwarzenberger said. Despite the long odds against him, Father Vaughn remained optimistic. In an interview shortly before his treatment, he said, "I feel very fortunate to have this opportunity. I'm approaching this with unbounded optimism and expectations." Survivors include his wife, Yvonne Dufrechou Vaughn; and two sisters, Betty J. Conway and Jo Anne Gassman, both of Kansas City. Funeral arrangments are incomplete.