Aspire

From Jerry Wehrle, Lancaster

Many people in the area, and even on a county and state level, may know of Lancaster's former mayor, Jerry Wehrle. But what many probably are not aware of is his remarkable story of strength and miraculous recovery from stage IV bladder cancer.

It's no secret that Jerry loves Lancaster and spent many years dedicated to improving our community through service, advocacy and civic leadership. His positive outlook and vision led Lancaster to achieve many impressive milestones, and his infectious personality made folks feel at home from the minute they came to visit or moved to town.

If you have been lucky enough to get to know and talk to him, you will understand that his roots run deep in Grant County, and he only wants the best for his friends, family and neighbors. For Jerry, that is having a vibrant community with a strong business economy; local organizations that support each other; and, above all, health care services that are there for you—
as they were for him when he needed them most.

Jerry's story is a perfect example of someone who did not give up when most people would lose hope and who continued to fight by being determined to live a long life. If you talk to Jerry today, he says he's here with us because of "my heroes." Here is his story….

Grateful for 'his angel'

It was March 2019, and what seemed to Jerry like minor aches and pains turned into a three-year fight for his life. He was in for a routine doctor visit when a nurse he now refers to as "his angel"—Michaela—asked him about his back pain and didn't take it lightly. She also noticed something in his lab work and wouldn't let him go until a follow-up ultrasound was scheduled.

Jerry was certain it was nothing, as he really didn't have any other symptoms. But an appointment with Urologist Ian Stormont, MD, brought out his worst fear—he had stage IV bladder cancer.

Grateful for the innovative, local care provided by Grant Regional's Outpatient Department, Jerry began a six-month regimen of immunotherapy. Bacillus Calmette-Guerin, or BCG, is the most common intravesical (within the bladder) immunotherapy for treating bladder cancer. It's used to help keep the cancer from growing and to help keep it from coming back. Each two-hour treatment involved having BCG injected directly into his bladder. He was carefully positioned and would lie for 30 minutes on each side (front, left side, back, right side) to coat his bladder with the lifesaving medicine.

Heroes of hope and humor

During those frequent visits to the Outpatient Department, Jerry and his wife, Judy, got to know the nursing staff very well. Penny, Janet, Paula and Joan are a few more he refers to as his heroes, who helped him through this phase of his treatment.

"They are the best of the best," Jerry explains. "They took excellent care of me and made me feel comfortable through it all. Their knowledge and skill were evident, but we also had fun and could make each other laugh. They would try to pull a fast one by always giving me too small of gowns to wear. There were always jokes and laughter, and I can't thank them enough for being there for me."

In September, when the treatments were complete, Jerry recalls getting a phone call from Penny when he was on his way to a family wedding in Appleton.

"I'll never forget when Penny called to tell me the cancer was gone. The treatment had worked! I would be lying if I told you we didn't celebrate that at the wedding!" Jerry says with a smile.

A second bout, plus a pandemic

Unfortunately, a few months later in January 2020, the cancer returned with a vengeance in Jerry's bladder and this time also in his prostate. His treatment options weren't as straightforward as before. Dr. Stormont connected Jerry with Urologic Oncologist Kyle A. Richards, MD, FACS, at the University of Wisconsin in Madison. Dr. Richards shared that there was only a 17% chance that BCG would work this time. He said that, since at least the cancer had not spread into the lymph nodes, Jerry's best—and really only—alternative was to have his bladder and prostate fully removed.

Dr. Richards was up-front and honest in saying, "This really isn't how men—or anyone, for that matter—like to live, by having a urostomy (otherwise known as a stoma) and some serious daily maintenance, but it is a viable option and a way to beat this."

And that's just what Jerry wanted to do. He wanted to overcome the cancer and live. He wanted to continue to be there for his wife, and he was determined that this course of action would save his life.

The four-hour surgery took place on March 3, 2020, a few weeks before the world turned upside down with the onset of COVID-19.

"It was an incredibly difficult and scary time being in and out of hospitals during all that," Jerry says. "As if the cancer surgery wasn't enough, multiply your fears and stress by tossing on a global pandemic at the same time."

Thankfully the surgery went well! Although recovery wasn't easy, it went as well as expected. Jerry's procedure was different than a colostomy. Because the bladder was removed, the surgery modified the urinary system to allow urine to be diverted out of the body through a stoma, an opening in the abdomen.

"I can't describe how impressed I was with Dr. Richards and his crew—more heroes who cared for me and saved my life," says Jerry. "This is their specialty, and what a miracle it was."

One drawback with a urostomy, Jerry learned, is that sometimes both kidneys do not drain into the stoma bag. Because of this he needs to have a small surgery every three months to drain his left kidney.

More obstacles—and heroes

Challenges crept in again when a sore around the stoma turned into a wound that wouldn't heal. So the Wehrles began the long journey to get around this new hurdle. Since the stoma was vital to Jerry's health, Jerry and Judy both knew how important it was to help it heal as fast as possible, or the stoma would have to be relocated. And Jerry was not excited at the thought of another surgery.

Dr. Stormont referred Jerry to Grant Regional's Wound Care Clinic. Jerry was grateful for yet another important service that is offered locally. To find experienced wound care nurses for a situation like Jerry's is not common. But Jerry received excellent care and treatment right away. The outpatient nursing team of Janet, Ashely, Emily and Darcy took Jerry through nearly nine months of wound care, with visits twice a week, to help the wound heal. He received silver nitrate on Tuesdays and iodine on Fridays. These ingredients added up to a recipe for success with a full recovery, and healing was achieved.

"My experience was better than I ever expected," Jerry says. "I saw the same nurses, and we picked right up where we left off with our jokes. Patty, who is Penny's sister, was at Registration, and she'd tease me that I had my shirt buttons buttoned wrong to get my goat. Sometimes she was actually right. But all in all, knowing these familiar faces and knowing that they really cared about me and my wife made the unbearable bearable—and almost enjoyable. It was also encouraging to see the SWTC nursing students who were in their rotation at Grant Regional during my treatments. I was able to share with them my story and how a career in health care is so important. COVID-19 could have been a very long, lonely time for us, but Grant Regional's staff definitely got us through some very tough days, and I will be forever thankful for my heroes."

A hero at home

Another hero that Jerry doesn't want to leave out is his wife, Judy. Being married over 50 years, they've been through a lot together, including Jerry's heart surgery in 1996 and her battle with breast cancer in 2006.

"When you say for better or for worse, you hope to have more better days and not as many for the worse," Jerry says with a smile. "Judy has been the best 'nurse' I could have ever asked for. She's a natural. Even though she admits she always wanted to be a nurse, her mother talked her out of that and insisted she go on to be a teacher."

Jerry says he couldn't have gotten through all this without her compassion and excellent nursing skills. "She does anything and everything that is needed, from daily cares to flushing my lines—she definitely is a hero in my book and is a big reason I'm doing so well today."

Heroes in hard times

The story doesn't quite end there, as Jerry was back in surgery recently for laparoscopic hernia repair by Ryan Juza, MD, to alleviate pressure by the stoma. Jerry took a brave step forward by having leading-edge technology with robotic surgery. He admits he didn't think he'd see that in his lifetime but is thankful for another successful procedure.

Jerry wants to share that at his last appointment, all scans indicated he is cancer-free.

"Through all my treatment and many hospital visits, I received excellent care by everyone involved," says Jerry. "I am so grateful for our local hospital in Lancaster. I call them my heroes because that is exactly how I feel. These last few years have been hard on all of us, especially our health care workers. To see the same people time after time and receive the same outstanding care is really quite remarkable. Knowing what they have gone through with the pandemic and not missing a beat—I couldn't be more proud of how our community hospital has grown into such an amazing organization with so much to offer."

Categories: Providers