‘I like to put a lot of heart and soul into what I make’

By Robert Williams

Editor

MW Pastry Owner Madison Waller had known about a heart murmur she was diagnosed with as an infant, but for the next 24 years she had very few ill effects and nobody really talked about it. As a high school student in Pelican Rapids, she had a few instances that made her question, but was told not to worry as she was far too young for heart problems.  ¶  “It wasn’t until just this last year that I finally got some tests done and they saw just how bad it was,” Waller said. “We doctored my heart for a little while, but it wasn’t until August that I went to a specialist and they said you have to get this fixed now.”  ¶  Waller had noticed her declining health, including shooting pains in her heart, breathing problems, and her energy levels dropped, which really affected working in her shop.  ¶  She had two small holes in her heart that needed to be repaired. What did not show up on initial scans was a hole, larger than a quarter, hiding just to the left of the two initial holes.

For someone who is only a quarter century old, the diagnosis was enough to freak Waller and her family out, along with her medical team.

“I was definitely one of, if not the youngest, my team in Fargo had worked on for heart issues,” Waller said. “Forties and 50s are considered young for this type of surgery so for 25 it was kind of unheard of for them, but we’re glad we caught it. So many times, it’s died of unknown heart condition. That could have easily been me.”

It took some time to get to the full diagnosis after results from a first round of testing contradicted each other. An initial examination led doctors to believe Waller only had one small hole that could be quickly sewn up.

“There was no worry about it and I was thinking I’d be out for a week from my shop and be back, but after more tests they found out this is a major problem,” Waller said. 

A 90-minute cardiac MRI was needed. Waller was strapped down in three places and could not move inside the imager.

“I don’t recommend that,” Waller laughed. “That even freaked me out and I’m not claustrophobic.”

The two small holes in Waller’s heart are actually considered really big, but appear small in a photo taken by the doctor. The third hole, that dwarfs the smaller two combined, was first thought to be a waving wall of her heart. It was a shock to everyone.

“They said I maybe could have had 10 more years if they didn’t catch this,” she said. “A little scary to hear.”

Waller’s heart and lungs were taxed from overcompensating. The right side of her heart was inflamed and her lungs were working overdrive because her oxygenated and non-oxygenated blood was mixing so bad.

“I was getting about half of the oxygen I needed running through my body,” she said.

That explained her lack of energy and numbness in her extremities.

“Especially, when you’re working all day on your feet and with your hands,” she said.

Waller dove right back into work to deal with the mental side of such an extreme and unusual diagnosis. With surgery pending and planned for December, she worked through the holidays and pushed the operation to January to make it through the busy business season and close her shop for the winter.

“It was terrifying, luckily I was able to focus on Thanksgiving and all of my orders and right on into Christmas next, kind of pushing it out of my head and into January,” she said. 

Work was a place of refuge and creativity, taking her mind off what was to come.

Waller also had a solid home base with both parents and her older sister providing a positive space that centered around being thankful that her condition was caught early.

“My dad would say, better than finding it on an autopsy,” Waller said.

After a successful surgery in mid-January and four days of intensive care, recovery began with the benefit of Waller’s youth playing a big part in how quickly she could get back to her normal lifestyle.

“I had surgery on a Monday and that Thursday I left the hospital and I started last week being able to do short outings, like to grab lunch,” she said. “We’re expecting March when I can start getting back into things, but it will probably be closer to July when I’m fully feeling the benefits. My heart should go back down to normal size and my lungs should go back to normal because they were so overworked. We’re hoping within this year to be able to fully recover.”

Upon awakening from surgery, Waller’s immediate concern was not for herself. She wanted to know about her cat.

“I don’t remember this, but my family said the first thing I said when I woke up from surgery is how’s Chef doing?” Waller laughed.

Chef has not left Waller’s side since she returned home.

Waller is hopeful to reopen MW Pastry in March, but a specific date has yet to be determined. Her timeline is dependent on her next doctor visit. She is currently limited to lifting no more than 10 pounds.

“My mixing bowl is 12 pounds so I can’t even lift an empty mixing bowl right now,” she said.

Other key dates include participating in Maple Syrup Festival in April and having a customer appreciation day in May to respond to all the support she has gotten from Vergas and the surrounding communities.

“I’m very grateful,” she said. “Being in Vergas, I’m centered around so many different communities. I had so much support from my hometown of Pelican Rapids, but seeing a lot of Perham, Frazee and obviously, Vergas people, they were all wishing me well and it was nice to see that I have this big community.”

After her initial recovery, the pastry shop has been a boon to her return to full health by allowing her a place to feel normal and concentrate on things like creating new menus.

“I came in here yesterday just to do computer work and be in my shop,” she said. “I am missing this place. It’s the longest I’ve been away from it since I opened it. It’s my baby. I’m ready for opening.”

Having to keep an even pace and not rush back into things has been difficult.

“That’s the one hard part,” she said. “I have to take it slower. I have to let my mom help me cross the street and stuff.”

Causing all the delay is waiting for her chestplate to heal after being cut and opened for surgery. A full year is expected for it to fully heal. The waiting has caused Waller to have the occasional goal that seems funny, but is a big step.

“I can’t do dishes that easily,” she said. “I have two dirty bowls in my sink. Maybe I can get those done without hurting. It’s little things like that. A big one for me was sleeping flat again because I had to sleep sitting up in a chair for so long. That was the first night I fully slept through.”

That accomplishment came last Monday.

“A goal of mine too is to wash my own hair,” she said. “Right now, I’m going down to the hairdresser in Vergas because I can’t lift my arms up and do that myself.”

Waller’s presence has been noticed when she is in Vergas. With her full windows on the corner of Main, it is easy for passers-by to see when she is in her shop.

“Whenever I’m spotted in Vergas a lot of them come up and ask how I’m doing, which is nice,” she said. “And I’ve gotten a lot of messages: don’t worry about opening, make sure you are healed and take care of yourself. Open when you are ready to.” 

Waller is itching to put new ideas into place and get back to what she is used to: cranking out high-quality products for her customers.

“I like to put a lot of heart and soul into what I make,” she said.

Reopening is important to continue the success Waller has seen at MW Pastry since taking a gamble on opening in 2022. She has seen growth each year and has continually added more pastry items and other options for customers. New items for this summer are ready-to-go cakes as an option for those who want it on the go rather than pre-order—a popular request from customers—and also homemade pizza crusts that became popular after collaborating with Ditterich Mercantile on pizzas during Looney Days. 

The popularity of her croissants have sparked an idea to add quiche to the menu also.

“I’ve been focusing on more savory breakfast items and more frozen take-home items like cinnamon rolls,” she said. “We’re testing those out too.”

As MW Pastry’s re-opening date nears, visit facebook.com/MWCreationsMN or simply search “MW Pastry” for updates.

An online fundraiser is available for those who want to donate at: https://give.lendahandup.org/fundraisers/madison-waller