At 38 years old most men have established a career, met the love of their life and are headed toward middle age with the wind beneath their wings. That’s was the case for Tim Hauser, a Cashton native, who now resides in La Crosse, until a medical condition clipped his wings and left him fighting to live to see another day.

Hauser is the son of John and Judy Hauser and the late Mary Zimmerman (Stenerson). He graduated from Cashton High School in 1988 and has spent the past 18 years working as a hair stylist in La Crosse. He loved helping people look their best and in March of 2007, he took his career to the next level and opened his own hair studio. With a his new business growing, his loving wife of nine years, Kim, by his side and a trusted dog to greet him at the end of the day, Tim truly believed he had the world by the tail.

Hauser’s dream would be short-lived though after a trip to the emergency room on May 8, 2008, turned into a nightmare, with doctors fighting to save his life. For months Tim had been feeling physically drained, but assumed stress was taking a toll on him. He convinced himself that if he could just get some well deserved rest that he’d be able to rebuild his fading strength and life as he knew it would return to normal. But, on May 8, normal would take on an entirely new meaning when doctors discovered Hauser’s liver was malfunctioning and his kidneys were shutting down.

With no family history of liver or kidney disease to attribute his condition to doctors found themselves flying blind as they worked to discover the cause of Hauser’s ailment and a cure for his illness. His diet was immediately changed and his intake of liquids was restricted, but his condition continued to deteriorate. Within weeks Hauser had faded into a four-day coma. He was transported to Mayo Clinic in Rochester where doctors diagnosed him with liver and kidney failure and implemented a rash of testing before placing the 38-year-old man on an intense dialysis treatment regimen and informing the family that a transplant would be on the near horizon.

Hauser receives dialysis three times a week and has miraculously survived three adverse reactions to his disease, which landed him in a coma on three separate occasions.

”By all rights I shouldn’t be alive today. My doctors told me that,” Hauser said.

For Hauser the thought of dying when he felt his life had just begun wasn’t an option he was ready to accept. His prognosis wasn’t good, but his will to live was. He spent countless hours researching his condition and changed his lifestyle to improve his health. He closely monitors his sodium, potassium, phosphorous and protein intakes and survives on 1,500 milligrams of liquid a day. He spends 11 hours a week attached to a kidney dialysis machine and takes more medications and vitamins daily, than he took annually before he became ill.

As bad as Hauser dreams of waking up in the morning feeling refreshed and ready to face the new day, the truth is his body take hours to come to life and waking up lethargic is normal. Once his body is mobile enough to navigate he performs some type of physical activity, just enough to keep him conditioned, but not enough to drain his strength.

“I tire very easily, but I know I have do everything I can to help myself. I stay focused on getting back what was so quickly taken away,” Hauser said.

As Hauser’s condition worsened his dreams began to fade. Soon after Hauser was diagnosed the family was forced to close the hair salon, which he worked so long and hard to open, but found he could no longer muster enough strength to perform the duties needed to operate. Thankfully his wife, Kim, is employed full-time in La Crosse, but mounting medical bills have taken their toll on the family insurance and his continued trips to medical facilities outside the area have placed a burden on her work availability. If times weren’t tough enough the Hauser’s were also forced to find a new home for Max, the couple’s loving dog.

To assist the Hausers as they work to rebuild their dream family, friends and his hometown community are holding a benefit to help with non-covered medical expenses and travel costs. The benefit will be held at the Cashton Community Hall on Sunday, September 21, 2008 from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m. Fund-raising activities include a live auction, Chinese auction, silent auction, pie auction, and a bake sale. There will also be a kid’s corner, plus music, food and refreshments. Any monetary donation or donation of product or services would be appreciated.

If you would like to know more about this benefit or have any questions, contact Lori Dickman at 608-654-7812 or Kelly Hauser-Schaller at 608-654-5808 or 608-487-5058.