Harvest Of Friends
On June 19th of this year a handful of family members anxiously gathered around the neurosurgeon that had been called in for an emergency consultation. Melissa Waller’s husband of 24 years was at Memorial Hospital after a week of severe headaches. They kept their fingers crossed, but an MRI had revealed a mass on the brain above Bart Waller’s right ear.
The doctor explained that the infection filled abscess would have to be drained immediately, though the surgical procedure would be accompanied by some risk and uncertainty. The doctor explained however, that without the operation the outcome would be very certain – septic poisoning and death.
Melissa signed the form granting permission for the procedure, praying for the best possible scenario, as she handed the paperwork back to the nurse. It was very late in the day, and she caught herself asking the doctor if he felt well enough to operate on my husband’s brain after a schedule that had doubtless begun very early this morning. After he confidently assured us that he was up for the job, they were ushered to a waiting area with nothing to do but hope for the best.
Soon after, Melissa was surrounded by family and friends, all who did their best to keep the conversation light and positive. Despite her best efforts to keep her own thoughts uplifting, it was hard to suppress the certain realities of Bart‘s condition and the procedure he was undergoing. Naturally, her initial prayers were for nothing more than his survival, but as time went by, her thoughts raced ahead to what would happen after that.
She knew a brain infection would surely require a significant recovery period, and she could not help but wonder if this would change their lives forever.
Bart, 46, had two driving forces in his life – his family and his farm. While he knew his family would come together regardless of the outcome, he wasn’t at all that sure what would happen to our farm. For the Wallers, farming was not a hobby, but a professional undertaking that served as their primary source of income. His health crisis had come at the busiest time of the year, but who ever plans to get ill. Despite, an interruption of this magnitude could result in a financial setback that would be very difficult for the Waller family to overcome.
Today’s economy is creeping ever so close to a depression, not to mention fuel and fertilizer costs had soared this passed spring, and while the corn and cotton had already been planted, they still had peanuts and soybean seed bags stacked neatly on their pallets, awaiting planting. The inputs were already bought and paid for, and if they couldn’t get that seed in the ground, they’d be facing an overwhelming financial loss in addition to Bart’s health problems.
“I thought of our kids and how they would be affected by whatever happened next,” said Melissa.
Their daughter had just graduated college and was married a few weeks later. Lindsay was living four hours away in the upstate of South Carolina and had scarcely had time to set up housekeeping since returning from her honeymoon. Melissa knew she was frantically making her way home as she anxiously waited for news in the hospital waiting room, and that added another layer of worry to the mix.
Up until Bart’s condition, their 16-year old son, Clayton had farm duties that included mostly tractor tillage work and crop scouting. And, since Bart had no employees and did most of the farm work himself, Clayton’s life was about to change drastically. Clayton arrived at Memorial’s waiting area accompanied by family friend and fellow farmer, Michael Morgan. Bart was still in surgery when Melissa received Michael’s assurance that the peanuts would be in the ground by the end of the week. Melissa knew he’d been reading her mind when he agreed to help Clayton see it all through to the end, no matter what it took.
Knowing how much Michael had on his own plate at this time of year made it an all the more generous offer. Within minutes, they learned that the procedure had been a success and they could concentrate on Bart’s recovery.
Over the next few days, they received numerous offers of help from the agricultural community. Effingham County’s small town spirit came alive as area professional farmers, as well as part time and retired farmers offered to assist Clayton with the task that lay before him. Friends from both Georgia and South Carolina were eager to help, and before they knew it, the seed was in the ground and rain was in the forecast.
In true farmer spirit, Bart offered some direction from his hospital bed, but for the most part he’d sent Clayton forward with instructions to make the best decisions he could and an admonishment not to be afraid of making mistakes. He told him that men were made in challenging times, and indeed over the course of the summer they watched as their boy evolved into a confident and competent young man.
“This experience really made me appreciate my community and the place I live,” said Clayton. “I had help from interested people all over the place; The Morgan family and the Allens from Clyo, Mr. Brandon Metzger from Egypt, Larry Redmond from Springfield, and the Boyds from Screven County, all helped me make sure it all got done. I also had a lot of help from our local county agent, Bill Tyson. He helped me see that the cotton, peanuts and soybeans got what they needed when they needed it. I know we had alot of prayers too, not just from our own church, but other people too. Everyone was great.”
It has been a few months since the day everything changed, and Bart is well on his way to recovery. The harvest season has begun, and the crops so far gathered from the Waller Farm show much promise.
Clayton has been proud to show his dad how well things were cared for in his absence, and Bart is proud of the boy they raised. He had become a young man.
“We take our children around with us our whole life,” said Bart. “You show them things, and tell them things, but you really don’t know what’s getting through. I’m very proud that Clayton was listening. He did a man’s job and did it very well.”
Clayton will no doubt long remember the summer of 2008 as something of a trial by fire, and the Waller’s will remember it as one of the most challenging years of their married life. One thing is certain. While there are crops in the field that are not yet an unknown quantity, they already know that the best yield in 2008 was a harvest of friends.
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