Charleston police chief to end chemotherapy, enter hospice care for cancer
Less than two years after going public with a cancer diagnosis and entering treatment that would claim his right leg, the Charleston chief of police has announced that he is entering hospice care.
“After speaking with my doctors and praying for God’s guidance and grace, (my wife) Caroline and I have decided that the time has come for me to end my cancer treatments and enter hospice care,” Chief Luther Reynolds wrote in a statement released Wednesday.
In consultation with Reynolds, Charleston Mayor John Tecklenburg has asked the department’s three deputy chiefs to lead the department for the immediate future, said Jack O’Toole, a city spokesman. They will be assuming a role that they held during Reynold’s periods of absence since his diagnosis.
“Luther Reynolds may well be the finest, bravest man I’ve ever known, and I love him like a brother,” Tecklenburg said. “I ask our citizens to join me in keeping him and his beautiful family in our hearts and prayers throughout this difficult time.”
Reynolds was named chief of one of South Carolina’s largest police departments in 2018. Prior to arriving in Charleston, Reynolds had a 30-year career in law enforcement and was the assistant chief for Montgomery County Police Department, covering an area just outside of Washington, D.C.
In his message, Reynolds thanked the citizens of Charleston. “Five years ago, you welcomed me and my family into this remarkable city, and with your support, we have built an even better, even stronger police department. I cannot tell you how proud I am of the men and women of CPD, and how honored I am to have led them.”
Reynolds first announced his cancer diagnosis in November 2021, almost four weeks to the day after he had gone to the doctor due to a sore back.
At the time he announced he was entering a “rigorous” treatment program to address the sarcoma, a malignant tumor, growing in his pelvis. In February, 2022, Reynolds underwent a two-day surgery at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota to remove his right leg, hip and part of his pelvis, the Post and Courier.
Following the surgery, Reynolds learned to walk with an advanced prosthetic and re-learned how to drive a converted police cruiser. The department and Charleston community rallied around Reynolds — his SWAT team shaved their heads in solidarity with their chief’s diagnosis.
Since announcing his diagnosis Reynolds had become an advocate for those battling cancer and urged people not to suffer in silence.
“I can’t begin to tell you how many people have told me privately their battles,” Reynolds said in a March 2022 interview with ABC. “I would tell everybody, look to your neighbors, listen, open your ears and be mindful that there’s a lot of people that really need help.”
In his his statement Wednesday, Reynolds wrote that he hoped that by sharing his news publicly, ”we can also share with these other families some small measure of the love and support we’ve received over the past two years.”
“We want them to know that in these difficult moments, they are not alone, and that our larger Charleston family prays for them as well.”
A devout Christian, Reynolds regularly spoke about cultivating an attitude of gratitude and faith throughout his treatment.
“As I set out on the final journey that God has planned for me, I’m thankful that I will be able to spend these days in the city I’ve come to love, surrounded by family and friends. It is the last great gift in a life that’s been full of them.”