Benefit for Megan Long-Little planned for July 20 in Winchester
By Eric Thomas
A person doesn’t know how strong they are until being strong is the only choice they have. For one Winchester resident, strength in the battle she is in is important — however, it is faith, prayers, and a great network of support that is carrying her through.
On April 2, Megan Long-Little received a phone call that gave her news no one wants to get. The phone call took 15 minutes and 7 seconds, and it was with a doctor, a specialist. “I was diagnosed with oral cavity cancer underlying the right side of the jaw/tongue,” recalled Long-Little. “It had metastasized into the lymph nodes.”
Immediately she questioned the specialist with one little word — “How?”
This made no sense with no history in the family of head, neck or throat cancer. Moreover, she did not drink excessively, was a non-smoker, and was obsessive about oral health. The doctor told her it was from nightly teeth grinding. She was also told, “If you don’t get treatment, it will eventually take your life.”
“I was fully aware, at that moment, I was up against the biggest mountain I’d ever faced,” Long-Little said. Her surgeon also said, “It’s not going to be an easy road, you’re going to have to know how to fight!”
After more conversation, she told him, “You have no idea the fight I have in me. I have three kids that still need me around, and I’m not going to be the one to look them in the eye and ever say I’m giving up.”
June 5 was the date of the surgery. Her kids and family were in the waiting room 19 hours that day. The surgery took 15-16 hours to perform. Long-Little had half her tongue removed, the bottom floor of her mouth, several lymph nodes on both sides of her neck and her right jugular vein. “When I woke up in recovery, I had 6 or 7 drains running from my neck, a wound VAC on my left forearm where they had taken the blood vessels, and skin grafts to reconstruct my tongue and bottom floor of my mouth,” Long-Little shared. “I had a tracheotomy sutured in my neck and had to learn to remain calm and breathe through that site.”
She dealt with complications in ICU and after being discharged, she was rushed back to the hospital by ambulance for emergency surgery dealing with more complications. “It’s been 3 ½ months since my diagnosis. I would NOT have made it out of that surgery, or hospital, without the abundance and overwhelming support of my community through prayer, and love shown by my family and friends,” concluded Long-Little. “I am currently preparing to start radiation and chemotherapy very soon. It will be a course of treatment lasting 6 to 7 weeks.”
Currently, Long-Little is undergoing physical therapy and speech therapy, and she will be starting lymphatic therapy soon. These therapies will be ongoing. After the radiation and chemotherapy, she will undergo another PET scan image to determine a baseline of her state at that time. They will monitor her progress for the next five years.
Recently, she read something written by Rhonda Murray Hubbard that affected her: “An oyster that has not been wounded in any way does not produce pearls. A pearl is a healed wound. Pearls are a product of pain, the result of a foreign or unwanted substance entering the oyster, such as a parasite or a grain of sand. The inside of an oyster shell is a shiny substance called ‘nacre.’ When a grain of sand enters, the nacre cells go to work and cover the grain of sand with layers and more layers to protect the defenseless body from the oyster. As a result, a beautiful pearl is formed!”
She also remembers, “God never allows pain without a purpose. The hard things we may be going through now are really nothing in comparison to the glory that will be revealed in us later.”
– Romans 8:17-18
“This process is changing me in so many more ways than I could ever have imagined. And I’m sharing my story to help spread awareness for others,” Long-Little added. “People need to understand that they are not alone. There is hope in healing. And there are so many blessings in the midst of the darkest battles. Godspeed, friends.”
The immense support surrounding Long-Little has organized a benefit fundraiser that will take place this Saturday, July 20 in Winchester. The day will begin with a golf tournament at Plum Creek Golf Course, 1135 Golf Course Rd. outside of Winchester. Registration begins at 9 a.m. and tee-off will be at 10 a.m. The grand prize will be $600 to the winning team. They still need 2- and 4-man teams.
The second part of this fundraiser will begin at 3 p.m. when the doors open at the Winchester EMS building located at 734 State Route 106 S. Food will be served starting at 4 p.m.. This will include pulled pork, potato salad, baked beans and chips. There will be non-alcoholic drinks served but the benefit is BYOB.
There will be an auction at 6 p.m. including auction items such as a flagpole, Cardinals tickets, wreaths, a massage basket, haircare basket, coffee basket, charcoal grill, mirrored signs, skincare gift certificates, signed photos of the West Central Cougars top three players, housecleaning gift certificate and gift certificates from all Winchester businesses.
There will be many other items at the auction as organizers are still picking up items. Also, Joe Lawson is organizing a raffle for a pheasant hunt. Additionally, there will be a trip to Branson, Missouri given away and a 50-50 drawing.
Following the auction will be a dance with music provided by Eddie Baldwin, DJ. This will begin after the auction, around 7 p.m.
