Plymouth ‘Pink Out’ honoree battles cancer with upbeat attitude
Mary and Jerry Meier are pictured during a recent interview in downtown Plymouth’s Kellogg Park.
Once Mary Meier learned of her daunting uterine cancer diagnosis three years ago, her positivity-fueled “Let’s beat this!” response was no surprise to those who know the beloved mother, grandmother and friend to many.
“I took the news the only way I knew how, by saying, ‘Let’s fight the fight’,” Meier shared on a recent sunny afternoon in the shadow of the sparkling Kellogg Park fountain.
“As far as treatments go, I’ve had everything they can throw at me. You name it, I’ve had it (she smiled). At the time of my diagnosis, they gave me two years to live. Here we are, three-and-a-half years later, and I’m still going.”
She’s an appreciate-every-day warrior
Despite the energy-sapping, nausea-inducing treatments she receives every three weeks at the Karmanos Cancer Institute, Meier is not just going, she’s going S-T-R-O-N-G.
“I’ve had days when I’ve had a chemo treatment in the morning and attended one of my grandchildren’s soccer matches that same night,” she noted.
Meier is the well-deserved honoree of the 2025 Plymouth boys soccer annual “Pink Out” game set for Thursday at 7 p.m. at the P-CEP’s North Turf Stadium.
Meier will be recognized during a ceremony before the Wildcats take on Howell.
‘Beyond honored’
“I’m beyond honored that they selected me for this,” Meier said. “The support I’ve received throughout my fight against cancer has been amazing.”
Meier is the wife of Jerry Meier, who was a popular principal at Canton’s Bentley Elementary School for 18 years before retiring in 2017.
“Jerry has been phenomenal through all of this — my entire family has been,” said Mary, the mother of Jason, Emily and Meghan.
“And Jerry’s former staff have been so supportive. A little over a year ago, Jerry had triple bypass and valve replacement surgery. During that time, members of Jerry’s Bentley staff would send us Door Dash cards and offer constant encouragement.”
Faith and family
Meier credits her unbreakable spirit mostly to two components that strengthen her daily.
“Family and faith,” she said. “People who don’t have faith, well, I don’t know how they get through something like this. Every morning I wake up, I say my prayers and thank God for another day.
“I still have days now and then when I have my ‘Why me?’ moments, but I let it out and move on.”
Meier hasn’t lost her sense of humor throughout her recent health ordeal.
“We recently got a new puppy,” she revealed. “When the dog needs a potty break at, let’s say, 3 a.m., I use my ‘sick card’ and have Jerry let the dog out.”
Meier chuckled heartily as she shared the anecdote.
“Mary has been a champion throughout this entire battle,” Jerry Meier said, glancing lovingly at his wife. “She’s handling it much better than I would have. She’s been wonderful. I’m thrilled that she’s receiving this kind of well-deserved recognition.”
Coping bravely with the treatments
Meier said the treatment she has received at Karmanos — and specially from Dr. Ira Winer — has been a life-extending blessing.
“Initially, I was on immunotherapy for a while, then my treatment was switched to internal and external radiation,” she recounted. “About a year after my diagnosis, I was in remission, but only for three months.
“I’m currently on a (once-every-three-weeks) treatment that was recently approved following a trial. I feel tired and a little nauseous for the first two weeks after (the infusions) — I feel blessed that I haven’t been super-nauseous — then I start feeling pretty good the third week after … and then it starts all over again.”
No complaints
But she keeps on smiling, grateful doctors have discovered something that has helped her crush the original two-year-survival estimate.
“My philosophy has always been: If I have a job to do, let’s get it done and move on,” she added.
When asked the most important thing she has learned about herself the past three years, she unveiled a reassuring smile.
“I’ve learned that I’m stronger than I thought I was,” she said.
Ed Wright can be reached at 734-664-4657 or edwright@socialhousenews.com.
