08/05/05 Jess Tergersen

Jess Torgersen You can hear a lot of stories about the physical abilities of people who work with horses and cattle, but sometimes there are other abilities and qualities that may be more important. I'm Jeff Keane. I'll tell you about a cowboy with those qualities right after this. Jess Torgerson 27, of Klamath Falls, Oregon had rode the big pastures of Oregon and Nevada's high desert, worked in Kentucky with race horses in Colorado with show horses and in Hawaii with ranch horses. Recently, he had returned home to start his own business of training and breeding horses. About a year ago, Jess's life changed dramatically when he suffered a grand mal seizure caused by an astocytoma, a slow growing brain tumor. Surgery was planned to remove the growth, but it was too close to the motor sensory strip and the risk of paralysis was too great for removal. This is where Jess's mental toughness and "just make the best of the situation" qualities became apparent. Six weeks of daily radiation treatments reduced the tumor from the size of a peach pit to the size of a lima bean. While this is great news for Jess, he was more enthused and "overwhelmed" by the support of friends that held auctions and fundraising barbecues to help with medical expenses. Leading the way for Jess's new goals are a silversmith school in Canada and then starting a leatherwork and silversmith business. My hat's totally off to Jess and who knows  maybe his bridles, bits and spurs will one day be as impressive as his mental toughness and ability to except life as it comes. I'm Jeff Keane Capital Press 7/15/05