'Currage'

A Jefferson librarian and mom faces serious illness twice with the help of her family, her students, and the William R. Bliss Cancer Center.

In the lower left corner of a handmade poster on the wall of the Greene County Elementary School library is the phrase “have currage.” 

The phonetically spelled words of encouragement, written by a child with a red marker, were for Haily Larson, the school’s popular librarian. 

After facing two cancer diagnoses in less than five years, that poster means a lot to this young mom. This room does, too. It’s filled with books, colorful decorations, and the chatter of young students. There’s also a high-backed white rocking chair where Larson sits during story time. 

“The kids come in here and fill me up and brighten my day,” she said, displaying the optimistic attitude that has carried her through multiple health crises. 

A Lump

In 2019, Larson felt a lump on her left breast while doing a self-exam. It didn’t cause her any immediate concern. 

“I put it off for a good six months, thinking this is just how I am since I’ve nursed two children,” she said. 

At an appointment with her primary care physician, she mentioned the lump and a mammogram was immediately ordered, followed by an ultrasound. Based on test results, a biopsy was performed. She was told that it was “highly unlikely that it would be ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS—a condition that affects the cells of the milk ducts in the breast), and then it ended up being that.” 

Larson had surgery, followed by 25 rounds of radiation. Prior to the surgery, she made a significant decision. 

“When they found the DCIS throughout my entire left breast, they suggested a mastectomy. It wasn’t in the right breast at that time, but I just said, ‘Is it possible to just have you take both? Because it’s something that I’m going to worry about if you don’t,’” she said. 

“I was very involved in my care and how I wanted to be taken care of. And I was heard. That meant a lot," she added. “I’m at the point where I’m done having children. My doctor thought it was a good plan, so I went ahead with that surgery.” 

The surgeries were “really hard. It just took a lot out of me, and a lot of healing after. You just have to stay strong and know that you can get through it with support.” 

She did get through all of this, and with a lot of support. Unfortunately, that would not be her last experience with cancer. 

Another Lump

In 2023, she felt a lump in the left side of her neck—“just a lymph node that I thought had been there a while and was kind of suspicious.” 

She mentioned the lump during a routine checkup. It was cancer de ja vu. An ultrasound was ordered and Larson was once again facing a cancer diagnosis. 

“I kind of suspected that my cancer may have come back. And indeed, it did,” she said. “A PET scan showed that it was in multiple lymph nodes in the chest area.” 

Dr. Joseph Merchant, a McFarland oncologist who had treated Larson after her breast cancer diagnosis, put her on a chemo regimen. The day before her first treatment, Larson went for a run. 

“Running has been a major release for me always. And I love it,” she said. “My first chemo was actually on my birthday. The day before, I said, ‘You know what? I got a lot going on. I’m going to just go for a run and let everything release on my run—let it all out.’ So, I actually went for a 10-mile run the day before my first treatment.” 

The Kids

Breaking news like this to young children is not easy. But, like the kids at school, Larson’s young son and daughter were cheerleaders for her, telling their ailing mom that “you’re going to be okay, mom. You’re going to be okay.” 

“I don’t know that kids fully understand all of it, but I felt pretty good that my kids thought I was going to be okay. You just roll with it,” she said. “They saw me at my worst, after the surgeries and the chemo. They were really good to me. I feel really blessed to have good children that think, ‘Mom, you're going to be okay and we’re going to take care of you.’” 

And then there were the kids at school, who were endlessly curious and caring. So many of them know what cancer is all about, having seen family members face the disease. 

“The kids here are also very understanding and very caring. I get a lot of questions. I’m kind of an open book, so I just say, ‘If you have a question for me, you can certainly ask.’ And they do. They ask, ‘Mrs. Larson, are you going to be okay?’ And when they know on certain Fridays that I have to go for treatment, they’re very curious about what that all entails,” she said. “I tell them, ‘It’s kind of maintenance, just to make sure that they can try to minimize any cancer that’s left in there.’ And I just have to stay positive. And I try to do that for the kids too. You just try to keep a good attitude. I feel like that’s a lot of it. Sometimes that’s really hard … because it’s hard.” 

Bliss

Haily and her husband, Mitch, were both born at Mary Greeley, and their kids were too. Coming to the William R. Bliss Cancer Center, a service of Mary Greeley and McFarland, was an easy decision given their relationship with the hospital. 

“I would suggest anybody who has cancer, or has to go through a cancer journey, look into Bliss, because the care has been tremendous. Dr. Merchant is an exceptionally good doctor, who goes above and beyond,” she said. “I remember him looking at me one day and saying, ‘I know this is hard. I know this is hard on you. But I have to look at the Haily years from now, down the road standing in the room with me.’ And so that meant a lot to me when he said that, because I knew he was looking out for me and wants to provide me with a long life. He wants to keep me going and he’s going to do everything he can to make sure that I’m still around a long, long time from now.” (See sidebar.) 

Larson and Mitch met frequently with staff at the Cancer Resource Center, where cancer navigators and others help patients and families. 

“Having Bliss and the Cancer Resource Center so close is very valuable. They’re going to take care of you there. I could say, ‘I need somebody to talk to,’ and they would have a person like that. I just feel like I’m pretty blessed to have such a wonderful place to go to,” she said. 

Watching his wife, normally a physically active person full of life, go through such a challenge was tough on Mitch. The Cancer Resource Center was also a resource for him. He could turn to navigators when he sensed Haily had questions or needed help with something. 

“I’d stop in and express concerns for Haily, but often they’d pull me aside and ask how I was doing. That meant a lot,” he said. 

Larson’s name tag at work has a picture of her with long blond hair. That was lost to chemo, but her hair is coming back in and she’s adapted to a shorter look. She’s still getting treatments, but she’s getting back to running. Just short distances right now, building up her strength. She knows she will continue to need support at home and at work, and she already knows she has it. She will also continue to need “currage,” and everyone already knows she has that.