By Philip Wenzel, special to the Boilermaker Reporter
Local D351 members and other volunteers stack wood for Wayne Woloszyk in Posen, Mich.
More than four dozen turn out to help Wayne Woloszyk
FOR THE PAST 25 years, Wayne Woloszyk’s spring included the major chore of cutting and piling several cords of firewood.
However, this spring brought him a much more serious chore. In mid-February he was having so much trouble swallowing that he went to see a doctor. The news could not have been more devastating.
Woloszyk, 59, was diagnosed with esophageal cancer. His treatments had to start quickly.
“The worst . . . thing you can possibly hear is what it was,” he said.
Woloszyk works at the Lafarge Presque Isle Quarry north of Alpena, Mich., as a bulldozer operator. He has been off since his diagnosis and is not sure when he will return.
The firewood project had become the least of his worries. But his co-workers, and fellow union members in Boilermakers Local D-351, were worried about Wayne. Fellow dozer man Jimmy Hansen, who has worked with Woloszyk for years, said he felt helpless after hearing of Woloszyk’s illness. He called his friend to ask if there was anything the crew could do to help.
Well, there was that darn firewood pile.
“Everybody I talked to said, ‘Well, let’s hit ‘er,’” Hansen said. The group began organizing a work bee to tackle the wood for Woloszyk. Hansen said they selected May 2 as a date, and even got Plant Manager Allan Idalski to arrange the facility’s production schedule so most employees would be off.
Hansen said he was hoping for 15-20 participants. Instead, 54 people showed up, 47 of who are union members. They cut and piled 10 cords of wood in an hour and 15 minutes.
Woloszyk said he had heard a few rumblings about some people coming to help with the project. So had his wife, Peggy, who works in a nearby convenience store. He called the actual turnout “overwhelming,” and said it was a humbling experience.
“About half the plant showed up, which was pretty shocking,” he said, adding that he misses being around his co-workers and, “It was nice to see all those guys.”
Hansen was surprised, too. He said as he arrived at Woloszyk’s home not only was the yard full of trucks but vehicles were lining the road as well.
“It’s refreshing to see people still care,” Hansen said. He added that another project to help Woloszyk is in the works. Crews hope to visit his house again soon to erect a new chimney for him.
Woloszyk’s health has improved since his diagnosis. He is still undergoing chemotherapy every two weeks, which will continue for a little while yet. When that is complete, his doctors will run more tests to determine their next course of action.
“Things are better now than they were a couple of months ago, that’s for sure,” Woloszyk said. “But there’s a long row to hoe yet.”
Hopefully, his friends at the quarry can hoe as well as they cut firewood.
