Thursday, December 15, 2011

Behind the badge with Sheriff Stephens ~ "Back then, they called it heartburn!"

Exerpt from full article: http://www.forest-blade.com/news/community/article_f9faf6aa-25d4-11e1-bbc7-0019bb2963f4.html

In the past year, however, Stephens has faced medical difficulties that made it difficult to keep pace with his many obligations. Twenty-three years ago, Stephens was diagnosed with esophageal cancer as a result of acid reflux disease. Though he's been cancer-free since then, the surgery did lasting damage.


"Back then, they called it heartburn!" he says. "They caught it early and they were able to remove the cancer fully. Through the years, the surgery caused a lot of different problems, and I've had my share of them, but I began to have trouble digesting food and it kept getting worse until this year, when I had to have serious surgery to reconstruct my digestive system."


The surgery has solved a lot of Stephens's problems with adhesions and scar tissue from previous surgeries and he is back on his feet and recovering well.


"I was blessed to get through it. It was a tough time for me and for my department," he says. "I can't say enough good words about my employees. They carried on and never missed a lick while I was down recovering from that major surgery."

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