Last week, something special was taking place in a cornfield near Dows. Combines were rolling, grain carts were on the move and semis full of harvested corn were rumbling. Suggesting that a corn harvest in Iowa is noteworthy seems a little silly, but there was something different about this one. The farmer who planted the corn wasn’t participating in the harvest efforts. In fact, he was not even present. Instead, Jerry Butt is coping with a brain tumor.
Jerry, who farms southeast of Dows and has lived there his whole life, started having problems earlier this year. His friends report that Jerry had been experiencing some headaches and memory loss in the last months. Then, according to the website the Butt family set up on CaringBridge.org to follow Jerry’s story, he suffered a fall at home in early September and went to the hospital.
On September 9, a neurologist in Des Moines confirmed there was a large mass on the left side of Jerry’s brain. While he underwent a successful surgery a few days later, doctors could not remove all of the tumor due to its location. On September 17, Jerry’s neurologist diagnosed him with a glioblastoma, a very aggressive and fast-growing cancer that can’t be cured.
As Jerry and his family were going through this scary time, harvest season was quickly approaching. Jerry had about 180 acres of beans and 200 acres of corn sitting in the field and would not be able to take care of it himself. However, because of a true display of small-town support, the family needn’t have worried about it.
Neighbor and family friend Arne Anderson stepped up and started making plans to harvest Jerry’s crops. “Jerry is my neighbor and friend. I wanted to help him out,” said Anderson. He smiles when he adds that he didn’t even need to make any calls. “When people heard what was going on, they called me and volunteered to help!”
With that generous spirit in action, Jerry’s friends and neighbors stepped up to help. A few helpers took out his beans a couple weeks ago, but that was nothing compared to the corn harvest operation that took place last Thursday. As Jerry’s family noted on his CaringBridge site, “more than 20 selfless friends and neighbors volunteered their time to get Jerry’s corn out of the field!” In action were six combines, five grain carts, eight semis, three tractors and six wagons. This resulted in 200 acres of corn harvested in less than four hours.
The folks who showed up were mostly from the Dows area and more than happy to help. Bill Chambers, who drove a tractor and wagon, said the harvest was a display of true community spirit. Bill’s son Chris added, “You don’t see this type of thing much anymore, but it’s just what neighbors do.”
John and Cindy Ingebritson came out as well to help with the harvest. “We have a farm near here,” said John. “Jerry’s dad Ivan would help us out whenever we needed it. This is the least we can do to pay that back.” Their son Jacob was even on hand to help.
For their part, the Butt family was beyond appreciative for everyone’s help. “Our entire family is so grateful for everything,” said Jerry’s brother, Brian. “We are just so thankful for all the support for Jerry.” Brian also reported that Jerry was humbled by his neighbors’ actions. “When I talked to Jerry to tell him that his harvest was finished, he was very happy and is grateful to all that helped out. We are hopeful that he will be able to call and thank everyone personally in the near future.”
Looking down the road, Jerry admittedly has a tough road ahead. His family reports that he will undergo chemo to try to temporarily slow the spread of his aggressive cancer and is receiving other therapies as well. In the meantime, Jerry’s parents Ivan and Velma have moved to the same living facility as him in Johnston, and with Brian and his wife Nan also in that area, the family is happy to be close together.
As harvest winds down and the cold weather moves in, the warm and generous hearts of the folks around Dows will not soon be forgotten, especially by the Butt family. As Brian emphasized, “I was humbled by everyone’s selflessness in helping out my big brother. I was also very proud to have been raised on a farm and to call Dows my home.”
