Mike Hardyns

Mike Hardyns, Spring Green, is the primary recipient of this year’s 4PeteSake fundraising efforts to help defray medical expenses following a debilitating stroke he suffered last November. He hopes for the best as he continues with physical therapy.

“All we’re hoping for is to get back a little bit to the way it was,” Hardyns said during a recent interview conducted on the lawn of the house he built for his family, using many recycled materials, in Spring Green’s Beau Riverain subdivision.

A self-employed carpenter and long-time River Valley resident, Hardyns is 54. “I thought I was in real good shape,” he said, on November 29, 2006, while working on a roofing project in Lone Rock. That night he awakened with weakness in his legs and a headache.

Hospitalized for the next six weeks, Hardyns is now coping with impaired use of his left arm and leg, acute shoulder pain, and uncertainty about the future. “He’s a very positive person,” wife Della chimed in. “He’s not going to let this get him down.”

The couple is planning their annual fishing trip relying on an aging motorboat which is now equipped with a sturdy rail which they hope will ease Mike’s climbing aboard. He coached Della during the construction process, as she disclaims having skills as a builder.

Della is employed at Land’s End, in Dodgeville, and the family had health insurance through her job. “But insurance doesn’t cover everything,” she said. Among other expenses will be ongoing therapy treatments. This year’s 4PeteSake event is scheduled for August 19 at North Park. The third annual fundraiser for local beneficiaries is the work of a non-profit community-wide effort. The daylong events include a run/walk, live music, food and beverages provided by Knights of Columbus and the Lions Club, a silent auction, raffle and children’s activities. The goal is to raise $25,000 for Hardyns’ use.

Mike and Della are parents of Heather, 31, who lives in Tacoma, Washington, and Michelle, 18, a member of the River Valley High School class of 2007.

The family lives near the site of a cottage used 70 years ago as getaway by Mike’s grandparents from Chicago. Back then, the High Banks area bordering the Wisconsin River was very sparsely populated.

When Hardyns settled here in 1975, he went to work as a builder, and recalls numerous building and remodeling projects he completed, including his work in constructing the original stage at American Players Theatre in time for its opening in 1980. The stage, he said, was intended to last five years, but served for 17 years before being replaced.

Among the difficulties faced by Hardyn since his stroke is the fact that he was a left-handed carpenter. “It’s a matter of necessity,” he said of learning how to use his right hand more efficiently.

“Everybody’s been helping a lot,” he remarked. “I owe everybody in the whole town about six favors by now.” With time on his hands, Hardyns spends some of it playing cribbage. “I started a cribbage craze in the hospital, and now it’s spread in this neighborhood.”

While Hardyns and his family are grateful for the outpouring of community support, Mike said: “I’d rather be in good shape and turn the clock back about a year.”