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Family, faith, and ‘my little angel’ helped Harley Meiners overcome cancer’s odds |
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By Tom Murphy
Special for the Argus
“The doctor told me to go home for two days and get my affairs in order and come back for surgery.”
That’s what Harley Meiners, of Caledonia, was told on July 6, 1998 at the Mayo Clinic. Four hours after his examination began for a constant, unexplained, unseen, and pervasive itching, he was told he had a tumor in his bile duct.
“I was itching and scratching everywhere. It was driving me crazy,” he recalled. After trying some medications and getting no relief, he asked Dr. Cochran to get him into the Mayo Clinic.
How do you ‘get your affairs in order’ in two days?
“I mowed the lawn,” he said. “When you run a business, there are so many things to do so I turned to what needed to be done right then.” Harley and his wife, Joanne, owned the Crest Supper Club with 31 employees and the 25 unit Crest Motel.
On July 9, he returned for a surgery called a “Whipple Procedure.” At the time, only the Mayo Clinic and Johns Hopkins performed the procedure and Dr. Farley, was the only surgeon doing the procedure at Mayo.
At age 53, Harley would undergo a seven and a half hour ordeal. “Afterwards, I learned that only one in five people recovered after this surgery.” Once the surgeons discovered the tumor was malignant, the surgery continued to remove 60 percent of the pancreas, the gall bladder, and part of the intestines.
Joanne remembered the first thing I asked when I came out of surgery was whether I had anything left. “It was really difficult,” he recalled. “That day proved to be a long day for her.” Recovery time would take 10-15 days.
Harley and Joanne’s four children were all out of high school. Todd and his wife, Angela, were expecting their first child in October. Troy and Kevin were still in college and Kim was home at the time, but going to tech school.
By choice, few people knew about the surgery. “Except for my family and a few friends, we kept it quiet,” he said. “My whole family really supported me with frequent visits.” A prayer chain was started by his brothers Devoine and Allen. The kids came as often as they could and Joanne was always there. “You also need to trust in your Lord,” he said.
The birth of their first grandchild was “something we waited our whole life for,” he said of Angela’s pregnancy. “Angie told me she could feel the baby kicking. She let me feel the kick on one occasion in her stomach. It was one of the main reasons I had to survive. I had to fight to get through this to see our grandchild.”
Alyssa was born on October 25, 1998, “I called her, and continue to call her, my little angel. She will always be that to me.” When the picture was taken of Alyssa with her siblings was taken for this story, he asked, “Do you see those freckles on her face? They are angel kisses.”
Before he was released from the hospital, oncologists visited him with the good news that he would not need radiation or chemotherapy. “The tumor had not broken and there was no sign of the cancer in any other area. They told me their visit was a rare opportunity for them to deliver such good news.” Early detection had been important.
Harley was released 11 days after surgery. It was a struggle. “At first, I couldn’t even walk down to the foot of the little hill in front of the Crest. It took me a week to walk around the building. But I gained my strength with a treadmill and more walking.”
Ever the carpenter, he made up his mind he would build a 12 foot storage shed for his motorhome. “I still had those tubes sticking out of me and, except for help from Todd to put on the tin, I did it in two weeks.” That included digging the holes and placing the poles and climbing the ladder. He also recalled how much he enjoyed playing some golf, even with the tubes in his sides. “I could only take half swings,” he remembered.
Now, he has blood tests and a checkup every six months with Dr. Cochran. Harley is happy to talk to others facing the Whipple procedure to give them hope.
“I also came home persuaded that I had to change my business plan. I had to get away from the stress of the supper club. We decided to lease it and we went to one employee with us at the motel,” he said of the big change. They sold their motel last month, they are even happier with local, capable owners.
This interview was done 10 years and 10 days after that fateful appointment at Mayo Clinic. “I have a new appreciation for the people in my life and for those who supported me. Joanne has always been my greatest support. I know we are looking forward to watching our grandkids grow up and attending their events.”
The Houston County Relay for Life, a benefit for the American Cancer Society, will be held at Caledonia Area Elementary, Friday and Saturday, August 1-2. This year’s Mardi Gras theme has a motto, ‘Celebrate, Remember, Fight Back.’
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