By: Tim Preston.
As she embraces a new job and is “trying to get used to working in government,” Megan Roberts looks back upon her time at Callihan’s American Pub & Grill with a smile, knowing she gained a great deal from the experience.
Born and raised in Ironton, Ohio (“Arntun – you have to say it right,” she noted), Roberts is a member of the Ironton High School Class of 2007. She studied sociology and criminology with a minor in psychology at Ohio University in Athens.
“I am a true-crime junkie to this day. Absolutely. I am very fluent in serial killers,” she said with a chuckle, then added “That does not mean I want to go and kill people!”
After college, Roberts returned to Ironton where she admits she made “horrible decisions living life to the fullest in my early 20s,” and soon faced the consequences.
“I could not get a job anywhere,” she said, noting someone at the courthouse told her to go talk to Tal Callihan about a job at his restaurant.
Determined to find employment, Roberts said she had to prove herself before even meeting her future employer.
“I swear to God, this man made me wait two and a half to three hours for an interview,” she said. “He eventually gave me a shot.”
Roberts went to work as a server “forever ago – August, 2015?” and was a regular part of the crew until about a year later when she began having an unusual problem.
“I was working at Callihan’s and my foot kept hurting. I thought it was because I worked so much. At first the doctor had me doing stretches and things like that but it kept getting worse. A few months later, an MRI showed what was wrong,” she said.
The scan revealed a tumor in her heel which would quickly be diagnosed as Sclerosing Osteosarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer.
“I worked on it the whole time,” she said, again with a light laugh before adding Callihan, “let me host and sit in a chair. He was good to me. He really was.”
Her health challenges, however, continued.
“I soon found out the doctor wanted to amputate below the knee. I was like, ‘Ummmm, No. No.’”
She began a course of in-house chemotherapy, although the amputation did turn out to be a necessary step. The loss of her limb was actually a welcome relief, Roberts explained.
“It was so painful that I was ready to get it off. I was over it.” she said, then added “Two or three weeks after that I fell and broke my tibia.”
Amazingly, Roberts said she managed to maintain her work schedule.
“I have never called in sick!”
Roberts faced another health scare in 2018 when surgery and chemotherapy were needed to deal with a nodule on her right lung, but says she is now feeling stronger.
“I’m doing good My health is still kind of crazy … out there! The chemo has caused me some issues, but nothing I’m not handling, So far, so good!”
Roberts is now part of the Work Force West Virginia team, but says she will always have fond memories of being a member of the Callihan’s crew.
“My favorite part was probably seeing the regulars who came in everyday. And Tal. I miss everybody. I love them so much. They have done so much for me,” Roberts said.
Asked if there were any aspects of the job she was not so crazy about, Roberts again chuckled and replied, “Being an amputee and being on my feet all the time!”