The Oneida Daily Dispatch (Oneida, NY)
‘Back Street’ Mary beats illness, cancer
“Back Street” Mary Messere: Eaton historian overcomes sickness, cancer to return home
Back Street Mary is EATON » back.
Mary Messere is a longtime familiar face among local history enthusiasts thanks to her undying commitment to sharing the tales of times gone by, coupled with encyclopedic knowledge of the characters of the past. Messere -- nicknamed “Back Street Mary” for the street she once lived on -has also been a driving force for the preservation of Old Town of Eaton Museum for 20plus years. She is well-known for her lectures and books, as well as her Internet blog “View from the Back Street.” Messere is also a former Madison County historian.
But it’s been a challenging three years for Messere, and her personal appearances have been a select few. On May 23, however, she returned to her Eaton home base for a lecture at the old auction barn about the effects of the Revolutionary War around the local area. Coupled with an ice cream social, it was a social event made even more significant as Messere told the story of her own recent history.
Three years ago, she was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease similar to Multiple Sclerosis. She couldn’t walk, and the ailment was made worse because of her severe allergies to most drugs.
Even as she started to come back from that illness, she was working on a ladder and ended up taking a long fall to the ground, breaking nine ribs, fracturing her skull and collar bone, and tearing her spleen.
And the worst was yet to come
Messere said she was feeling as if something wasn’t right. After she was checked by her doctor, she was diagnosed with a rare formof ovarian cancer. Her drug allergy meant there was little chance for medicinal remedy. Messere said she was given six months to live, and sent home to make plans with Hospice.
Messere didn’t give up, however, and went to the Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center in Buffalo. There she met with a phenomenal doctor who performed laparoscopic surgery to remove her cancer, and Messere was given chemotherapy treatments to further combat the disease
Messere chuckles a bit when recalling how her doctor told her that drug allergy was avoided by dissolving her medications in alcohol. She definitely isn’t allergic to that, Messere said with a smile.
Today, she has been cancer free for six months.
“They really worked a miracle in me,” Messere said. “To be here now is truly against the odds.”
Her triumphant return to the history lecture circuit last Wednesday at the old auction barn in Eaton was a festive occasion, and not simply because of the ice cream. Her friends, fans and supporters were obviously thrilled to have Messere‘s vast knowledge of the area‘s past available to them once again.
Messere intimated before the lecture she wasn‘t sure if she would be able to get through the whole program without stumbling a bit, as her illnesses and treatments had left their effect on her mind and body. She need not have worried -- once back in front of the audience, she impressed her capacity crowd during that meetingwith a fluid remembrance of history that needed little prompting other than her slide show accompaniment.
The Back Street Mary of old was indeed back, as was her hair that had been lost to her treatments, she pointed out that evening.
Messere said she expects to continue her lectures as long as she can, with several more coming up over the summer at the auction barn. She plans her next discussion to delve into the history of Onondaga Lake and local Native Americans.
She is also in the midst of accelerating work on the museum, with a new not-for-profit status for the Friends of the Old Town of Eaton Museum group and a new board of directors promising a bright future there.
“It’s been a long battle of 20 years, a pretty long road,” Messere said. “Now, the museum is in no danger. Not one thing has ever disappeared from that museum.”
The museum, located at 2776 River Road in Eaton, will be open the first and third Sundays of each month from 1 to 3 p.m. or by appointment by calling 315- 691-6511.
Her blog will also return with renewed vigor, she added. Messere admitted to having problems typing during her health concerns, but now she is able to once again put her thoughts to her keyboard. She will also soon release a new book, detailing a variety of facts that people don’t realize about Madison County.
This Memorial DayMonday is also Eaton Day, starting at 8 a.m. with a parade at 9 a.m. There will be pie sales and raffles at the old auction barn on Route 26 next to the post office, plus the sale of baked goods, books and gifts to help sup- port the museum.
There might not be any therapy as beneficial to Messere as the return to her lecturing.
“I’ve really been through the mill for the last three years,” she said at the auction barn, “but now I’m starting to feel like a human being again.”
Her May 23 lecture is expected to be shown on PAC 99 in the near future -- check their listings for details. For more on Back Street Mary’s many historical endeavors, visit her Facebook page or find her blog on the Oneida Dispatch website.
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