Ten years ago, The Philadelphia Inquirer profiled Meridian Bank’s Jim Nelsen as a person whose mind, body, and soul were seemingly in balance. Today, that harmony in his professional and personal life remains strong and played a major role in his fight against and recovery from a cancer that put him in the hospital for 67 nights.

After a long banking career specializing in corporate lending, Nelsen took a brief retirement before joining Meridian Bank. He has since been with Meridian for 12 years, now working as a Senior Credit Officer.

“I’ve always considered there are three parts to one being,” he said. “The intellectual part, the physical part, and what I’ll call a spiritual or deep meaning kind of connection, and I think it’s wise to address all of those.

“You don’t have to be working to do that, but if you’re not, how are you going to keep those parts of your being occupied?”

Along with his work at the bank, Nelsen has been able to keep those key parts of his life occupied with various activities. Almost two decades ago, for example, he picked up the guitar after being a drummer in a ’60s garage band, and built a solo career playing and singing in local establishments.

“When I start to do something, I put some effort into it in order to seek some validation,” he said, “so I started playing at a local restaurant and now I’m getting out and about.”

His most recent gigs have been at the Hilton Garden Inn at Eagleview and Frank’s Pub in Downingtown, but he has also enjoyed playing for patients in hospitals like Bryn Mawr Rehab.

Although Nelsen was a ballplayer in high school, he began running for fitness later in life, and eventually sought validation in that activity by entering races.

“As I got into my 50s, I got more focused on participating and did a few triathlons and a number of duathlons (run/bike),” he said.

That focus eventually led to his participation in the 2011 ITU (International Triathlon Union) Duathlon World Championships in Spain.

“It was fun; you get to pretend you’re in the Olympics and wear a USA shirt,” he said. “I was in my 60s, and you first have to participate in the nationals and finish at a certain level. I took the trip over to Spain, and it was a lot of fun to go through that process.”

Three years later, Nelsen had to process another event in his life: a diagnosis of acute myeloid leukemia, a type of cancer that begins in the bone marrow. Fortunately, the diagnosis came early.

“It’s not a great diagnosis, and the odds are really horrible on it,” he said, “but I was fortunate in that I was working out and in good shape, and it was picked up in a routine blood test.”

Still, the treatment prescribed was rigorous, requiring chemotherapy and, in Jim’s case, a stem cell transplant. Nelsen spent three different stays in the hospital for a total of 67 nights, quite an adjustment for someone who had never been in a hospital in his life.

“Getting it in your 60s is not good,” he said, “but there’s a process you go through, and I went through it.”

Nelsen uses the analogy of having to almost surrender his body as part of the treatment process.

“Your body is the battlefield, a doctor is on one side and the disease is on the other, and you have to surrender and just let it play out,” he said. “There wasn’t much I could do about it but do as I was told. Most of the practical burden fell on the caregiver, my wonderful wife Sara, and my sons Brian and Scott, as well as friends, were steadfast.”

Along with that and a good stem cell match, Nelsen agrees that having a balance in his life was a contributing factor in how well he fought and recovered from his cancer. Physically, his running and biking had strengthened his body to better endure the treatment prescribed.

“The doctor said that because I was healthy and pretty strong going into it, they would have a lot more options of treatment,” he said. “They could beat me up with heavy doses of chemo, and I would be able to stand it.”

Similarly, Nelsen admits that connecting with people through his music was good for the soul and helped keep him grounded throughout his treatment and recovery. He also found it therapeutic to write songs that detailed many of the feelings he experienced during the treatment and recovery process.

Now, volunteering with music has been rewarding. “People in the hospital may have some issues and don’t want to talk, but you play them a song and they start to sing along,” he said. “I do my best to connect with them and hearing that a song has made their day is great therapy for us both.”

The intellectual stimulation from working at Meridian Bank before and after the cancer made him mindful of the positive impact it had on helping him through his ordeal.

“The support I received from Meridian was strong and a comfort,” he said. “I was in touch with them throughout and back working at least to some degree pretty much as soon as I could.”

Now, after five cancer-free years, Nelsen continues to reap the benefits of addressing the physical, spiritual, and intellectual parts of his being. But is retirement ever on his mind?

“No, not yet,” he said. “In order to fully retire, I’d have to replace it with something, and I couldn’t find a better place than Meridian.”

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