“More than blood brothers”

EMBARRASS—When thethermometer hit minus 47 degreesearlier this month in Embarrass,even the folks in Hell were payingattention— or at least the folks inHell’s Kitchen (cue the hell freez-ing over joke here).

The quirky, underworld-themed restaurant in downtownMinneapolis is known for its greatfood and spooky artwork, but thistime it was their sense of humorand chutzpah that caught most

people’s attention. The restaurant owners posted

an offer on Facebook, (HellsKitchen Mpls) to serve breakfast,free of charge, to anyone residingin the rural township that so proudlydubs itself “The Cold Spot”.

The offer did bring in a numberof Embarrass residents. “We sawabout 18 or 19 people, includingone table of 12 that was having agreat time,” said co-owner CynthiaGerdes. But then Jeannine Bjornrudposted a response, saying she could-

$100IMBERJAY

the Cook-Orr

Serving Northern St. Louis County since 1989 VOL. 25, ISSUE 1, January 10, 2014

See /1B See /4B

Deer openerEly dominates

Weather got you down? Escape with a new Book.Piragis Northwoods Company. Where Good Books Find You! 105 N Central Avenue Ely

Contact the TimberjayTower.................218-753-2950Ely......................218-365-3114Cook...................218-666-2342Email........editor@timberjay.com

TCITY OF TOWERCHILLSVILLE

See COLD SNAP...pg. 10

Will Hell’s Kitchen freeze over?

REGIONAL—Two economistswith ties to the environmental com-munity have sharply criticized aneconomic analysis that found a majoreconomic impact from a proposedexpansion of mining in northeasternMinnesota. While the study, preparedby University of Minnesota-Dulutheconomist Jim Skurla, attributes mostof the economic gains to plannedexpansions in the iron mining indus-try, local political leaders have fre-quently cited the work as justificationfor the prompt approval of the PolyMetMining’s proposed copper-nickel minenear Hoyt Lakes.

Skurla, who earned a master’sdegree in Economics from the

City-widewater shutoffset for Friday

THE GIFT OF LIFE

Cold wave focuses attention on the Cold Spot

See ECONOMICS...pg. 5

by MARSHALL HELMBERGERManaging Editor

Chris Henningsen (left) and Aaron Kaercher during theirrecent performance at the University of Minnesota-FairviewMedical Center, in Minneapolis, where Kaercher underwent aliver transplant with tissue donated by Henningsen.photo by Jim Gehrz/Minneapolis Star Tribune

Below: Back home again in Ely. Aaron with his wife Laurel,his son Jeremiah, and daughter McCartney.

MINING

Bandmate becomes living donor for Ely man with liver failureLY – Two members of a once-popular Elyband now have a new and more powerfulconnection than either could have everimagined. Twenty-four year old Chris

Henningsen, who joined the band Crazy Neighborsin 2009, recently donated a portion of his liver tosave the life of his bandmate, 41year-old AaronKaercher, of Ely.

Both men say the experience has changed theirlives forever. “There definitely is a spiritual momenthere and I will never take anything for granted,”said Kaercher, reflecting on his remarkable journeyback to health after suffering the effects of a failingliver. Kaercher was frontman and lead guitar playerfor the Crazy Neighbors, traveling to gigs in Iowa,Kansas, Michigan and throughout Minnesota. Theband played together for five years before his growinghealth problems forced them to stop performing in2012.

For Henningsen, who moved to Ely in 2009to attend Vermilion Community College, justknowing that his friend is improving every day ratherthan getting worse is enormously satisfying. “Savingsomeone’s life is an awesome feeling,” he said,“and we are more than blood brothers now.”

by JODI SUMMITTower-Soudan Editor

See GIFT OF LIFE...pg. 10

See WATER...pg. 10

TOWER- The month-long coldwave has been wreaking havoc withwater mains in Tower, and repairsscheduled for Friday, Jan. 10, will forcethe shutoff of water to all city cus-tomers beginning at 2 p.m.

Friday’s shutoff is needed torepair a break at St. Martin’s CatholicChurch. The church’s water line doesnot have its own shut off valve, sothe entire town’s water supply needsto be turned off in order to repair it.City officials say they expect the workto take about four hours.

The city has known about themissing shut off valve for severalyears, but installation of the valve wasthe responsibility of the propertyowner, not the city. A new shut offvalve will be installed as part of theline repair.

The recent cold weather hascaused other problems in Tower.Repairs on a frozen hydrant byBauman’s Funeral Home will takeplace on Monday, Jan. 13 starting at1 p.m. This repair will only affect the

Green economistschallengeUMD studyby MARSHALL HELMBERGERManaging Editor

Embarrass weather watcher Roland Fowlerchecked the thermometer the other morningat his home near “downtown” Embarrass.The temperature was a comparatively mildminus 36. photo by D. Montgomery/MPR News

E

Monday shutoff limited to portions of Main Street

Story by Terry Jackson

n’t make it all the waydown to Minneapolis, andsuggested that the restau-rant staff come cook for herin her own kitchen.

“We just said, ‘gameon!’” recalls Gerdes.

But rather than cookfor just Bjornrud, the Hell’sKitchen staff suggestedthey cook for the wholetown— and from there theidea just kind of snow-balled. Once the mediacaught whiff of the irony,and the obvious link to thebrief cold snap that hit thenation’s mid-section, thestory quickly went nation-al.

When one Easternreporter asked restaurantco-owner Pat Forciea howthey ever got the idea pastcorporate, Forciea said “weare corporate!”

And the story has beenevolving in recent days—

it now appears that Hell’sKitchen staff will come toEmbarrass, tentatively inlate February, for a bigfundraising breakfast forthe local fire departmentand fair board. And it’squickly becoming a poten-tially major communityevent. Zup’s in Babbitt hasoffered to donate the bacon,T&C Storage in Babbitt isdonating the coffee andlots of local volunteers willhelp out to make it all pos-sible. Restaurant staff planto make their famous lemonricotta pancakes.

“It’s a great thing forthe fire department,” saidEmbarrass town clerkDiane Nelmark. “Theywere thrilled.”

The Hell’s Kitchenstory, of course, wasn’t theonly one to focus attentionon Embarrass, and othernoted cold spots in the

region. The brief burst ofcold that settled into thenation’s mid-section awokethe otherwise slumberingmedia to the fact that it’sbeen mighty cold in north-ern Minnesota for weeksnow. “We’ve been inter-viewed by French publicradio, and NPR out ofSeattle,” said Nelmark.“Al so , t he LondonTelegraph.

While much of themedia attention focused oncold weather earlier thisweek, the worst cold innortheastern Minnesotaactually arrived on Jan. 3,when low temperaturesrecorded in the area inrecent days included minus47 in Babbitt, minus 43 inEly, minus 40 in Tower,minus 36 in Cook, minus43 in Orr, and minus 45 inCrane Lake. Recordedwindchills earlier this

dropped to minus 52 in Orr,minus 51 in Ely, and minus49 in Cook.

Some enterprisingreporters even pointed outthat it’s been colder innortheastern Minnesotathis week, than on…Mars,where readings from theMars Rover showed tem-peratures ranging from abalmy minus 13 to minus24. And, of course, that ohso thin Martian atmosphereundoubtedly helps keepthe windchill in check.

The good news is thatthe latest cold blast is over,a t l e a s t f o r now.Temperatures are forecastto reach near 30 degrees onSunday, with more sea-sonable temperature rightt h rough nex t week .Average temperatures thistime of year run from a highin the mid-to-upper teensand lows of 8-10 below

10 January 10, 2014 TIMBERJAY Newspapers

Henningsen says he lovesmusic and was drawn to thesound o f t he CrazyNe ighbo r s f r om themoment he first heard themin E ly. When heapproached Kaercher aboutadding his mandolin andvocal harmonies to thegroup, the older musicianagreed, and

Henningsen soonbecame an integral part ofthe traveling band.

Henningsen lovedplaying with the CrazyNeighbors. The band wasvery spontaneous, neverusing a setlist. “I justwanted to play music, butKaercher was a rea lshowman, always con-versing with the audience,”said Henningsen. A stunning diagnosis

Kaercher’s diagnosis,which came last January,was a bolt from the blue.He had scheduled anappo in tmen t a t E lyBloomenson Hospital, afterexperiencing an apparentbuild-up in fluid in hisbody, but had no idea hishealth condition was dire.

“Doctor Montanainformed me my liver wasfailing, a helicopter was oncall and something had tobe done or I would diewithin 30 days,” saidKaercher. Troubled withwhat he was just told,Kaercher asked his wifeLaurel if he heard it right.She confirmed he had asshe cried and shook herhead.

The helicopter laterwas canceled as Ely hos-pital staff were able to sta-bi l ize his condi t ion,allowing him to be admit-ted into the hospital. Hewas discharged severaldays later and told he maybe a candidate for a futureliver transplant.

It was not long beforeKaercher returned to thehospital, this time with acollapsed lung. The prob-lems with his lungs, bloat-ing and a huge hernia wererelated to his liver failure,and it was clear his condi-tion was worsening rapidly,prompting him to seek anevaluation at the Universityof Minnesota. He was soonscheduled for three days ofintense outpatient testingat the University’s medicalcenter, but on the secondday he was admitted intothe hospital. “I was toldmy lung was full of liquidand ready to collapseagain,” said Kaercher.

As the emergencyroom doctors determinedwhether to insert one, twoor three drain tubes into hisside, the transplant doctorscame into the emergencyroom. “I overheard one ofthem say I could die if theyproceeded, because ofnumerous infections,” saidKaercher. A decision wasmade to remove the fluidwith needles through hisback.

While in the hospital,Kaercher learned that ahealthy liver performsmore than 500 vital func-tions including making bilewhich is important fordigestion, making proteinsfor blood clotting, remov-ing toxins in the blood andstoring sugars, fats, iron,copper and vitamins.

Kaercher was placedon the transplant list priorto leaving the hospital, butthat was hardly a guaran-tee of a cure. According tothe Amer i can L ive rAssociation, about 17,000adults and children are cur-rently waiting for a donatedliver to become available,and more than 1,500 dieevery year on stand-by fora transplant. The only wayto move up on the list is tobecome sicker, but thedemand always outweighsthe availability of liverdonors.

Kaercher ’s socialworker confirmed the sta-tistics and said he may waitmany years to receive aliver from a non-livingdonor. She said, “We seemore people die waiting fora liver than those thatreceive a transplant,” sug-gesting Kaercher find aliving donor.

Asking someone todonate a portion of theirliver is not easy. Kaercherbegan by telling his mother,who got the word out to rel-atives. A sister, cousin anda friend from Ely wentthrough the month-longprocess to determine if theywere a match for a trans-plant, only to find out theywere not a good match. Signs of trouble

Henningsen becameconcerned during thesecond winter of playingwith the band. “Kaercherwas sick a lot that winterand we had to cancel gigs,”s a id Henn ingsen ,“although things appearedto get back to normal duringthe summer.”

Henningsen moved tothe Twin C i t i e s i nNovember 2012, hoping tofind steady work. Hestayed in close contact withhis old bandmate, butKaercher didn’t tell him ofhis failing health and theprogression of his illnessuntil later.

“I only became awarethat Kaercher’s health wasin serious jeopardy whenhe confided with me lastFebruary,” said Henn-ingsen.

He remained in closecontact with Kaercher, whowas told in May that he wasdying and needed a newliver. By that time,Henningsen had alreadymade the decision to donatea portion of his own liver,and he had a strong sensethat he would be a match.“I had faith and toldKaercher I would make itthrough the evaluationprocess and become hisdonor,” he said.

Only one person isevaluated as a donor at atime, so Henningsen waitedwhile Kaercher’s cousin,sister and friend wentthrough the testing process.He was called in for anextensive health evalua-tion on Oct. 10. Testsincluded CT scans, MRI,X-rays, EKG and multipleblood tests. He met witha surgeon, a nutritionistand social worker to ensurehis intention and mentalstatus were okay. “Nostone was left unturned,”said Henningsen.

Henningsen will notforget the day he wasinformed that he was amatch for the transplant.

“I had a feeling ofexcitement, nervousness,relief and curiosity mixedin with other emotions,” hesaid.

Kae rche r andHenningsen were invitedto meet with one of thetransplant surgeons on Nov.6.

The surgeon madeclear the potential of trans-plant failure and wantedeach to decide if he wantedto go through with thesurgery. Kaercher left thecall up to Henningsen, whodid not waiver. Henningsenlaughed nervously and said,“I told you we are going todo this,” later admitting hedid not want to let on thathe was scared to death.

The day of the surgerywas scheduled a monthlater, on Dec. 6, to allowtime for Kaercher to takecare of family matters andprepare for a one or twomonth stay in Minneapolis.

Kae rche r me tHenningsen early in the

morning on the day of thesurgery at the front door oft he Un ive r s i t y o fMinneso ta Fa i rv i ewHospital. Kaercher wasaccompanied by his wifeLaurel and his motherCand i ce , wh i l eHenningsen was with hismother Sallie, girlfriendMegan, and her motherBetsy.

A wall and curtain sep-arated the two patientswhile they were preparedfor surgery. Henningsen’slead surgeon was DoctorSrinath Chinnakotla andKaercher’s was DoctorTimothy Pruett . “We hadan all-star team that includ-ed four surgeons,” saidHenningsen.

Henningsen was thefirst to be taken into theoperating room and he gaveKaercher a “thumbs up”sign as he rolled past him.“I felt so guilty thinkingabout my little buddy goingth rough t h i s , ” s a idKaercher.

Kaercher rememberedhis surgeon saying imme-diately after liver removalhe became number one onthe transplant list. “Thatis scary, because situationshave occurred when theoperating team thought thehookup went well, but thepatient’s body rejected thedonor’s liver instantly andsubsequently died,” saidKaercher. He looked atLaurel and Candice andknew he was ready for thesurgery and willing toaccept the outcome.

What happened fol-lowing the surgery can onlybe explained as a miracle.“The surgeons said therecovery was amazing,they have never seen any-thing like it and we are inthe record books,” saidKaercher. Although he’dbeen told he’d be in anintensive care unit (ICU)for four days to a week, heleft the ICU the day after

surgery. He was dischargedfrom the hospital withinfive days and was home forthe holidays. “That isunprecedented,” saidHenningsen, who also hada speedy recovery and wasout of the hospital withinsix days.

The nurses told thetwo they were hospitalcelebrities due to theirmiraculous surgery andrecovery. Some referredto them as poster childs fort ransplan ts . DoctorChinnakotla asked if theywould return to the trans-plant clinic and hospital fora music performance.

Two weeks pos tsurgery the duo played inthe lobby of the transplantclinic for a teary-eyedgroup of doctors, nurses,staff and patients. One ofthe surgeons spoke to thegroup, saying these menrepresent why the staff isdoing this and the sameoutcome is what is want foreveryone undergoing atransplant. The followingmorning the duo performedagain on the hospital floor.“The experience at theclinic and hospital wasvery enjoyable and mean-ingful,” said Henningsen.

Kae rche r andHenningsen now offer hopeand inspiration to otherswho may be on a transplantlist or are potential donors.“As frustrating as theprocess can seem, nevergive up and always havehope,” said Kaercher. “Theevent is lifesaving,” saidHenningsen, “and you musthave faith that the processwill work.”

As for future plans,Crazy Neighbors willreturn this summer in somefashion, probably per-forming at the popularTuesday Night Live in Ely.

GIFT OF LIFE...Continued from page 1

Chris and Aaron during the band’s last gig, in 2012. With Aaron nowhealthy again, the band plans to regroup later this year and produce anew CD.

COLD SNAP...Continued from page 1

400 and 500 blocks ofMain Street, where busi-nesses should expect theirwater to be shut off forapproximately four hours.

Businesses affected includethe Tower Café, FrandsenBank, Tower Car Wash,Jeanne’s Cards buildingincluding Boundary Waters

Dog Grooming, Rick’sRelics, The Timberjay, andSulu’s (which is closed onMondays anyway) .Vermilion Fuel and Food’s

water line will not be affect-ed, since it is piped inthrough the alley.

WATER...Continued from page 1