STATE REP. KASTEN MISSING SESSION TO STAY AT SIDE OF AILING HUSBAND

State Rep. Mary Kasten hasn't been in the state capitol since the Missouri Legislature convened nearly two months ago. Instead, she has remained in Cape Girardeau tending to her seriously ill husband, Cape Girardeau City Councilman Melvin Kasten.

Kasten, a Republican, is finishing her final term in office. She has kept up with House committee work via telephone calls and faxes to her legislative assistant in her capitol office and fellow lawmakers.

"I have been on the telephone four or five times a day," Kasten said. "My secretary is wonderful."

So far, Kasten has missed few House floor votes because most legislation is still in committee. "They are just hearing the bills right now in committees," she said.

She still handles constituent business such as making calls to the Division of Family Services in behalf of Cape Girardeau residents.

Melvin Kasten has been in poor health for the past few months. He underwent heart bypass surgery on Jan. 4, a day before the start of the 2000 legislative session.

He spent 13 days in the hospital. "Then he almost went into heart failure," Mary Kasten said.

His doctor admitted him to the hospital earlier this month for fluid buildup. He subsequently suffered a collapsed lung, which recently put him back in intensive care at Southeast Missouri Hospital. He also was plagued by pneumonia, Kasten said.

At times, the outlook was grim. "He has really had a hard time," she said. "I couldn't leave him."

By Monday his condition had improved. Kasten said her husband walked several times and was to be moved from the intensive care unit to the hospital's progressive care area. "I am breathing a sigh of relief," she said Monday afternoon.

He is still on oxygen 24 hours a day. His diabetes has added to the health problems.

Years of being a chronic smoker have also taken their toll. "His lungs are poor," she said.

But Kasten remains optimistic that her husband's health will improve.

"We have been overwhelmed with cards and letters and prayers," she said. "We have appreciated every one of them."

She said House Speaker Steve Gaw, D-Moberly, and the other members of the House are aware of her husband's health problems. "All of my colleagues have written and sent notes and prayers," she said. "They have all been so sweet. They are dear."

Last year Kasten often rode to Jefferson City and back with state Rep. David Schwab, R-Jackson.

"I kind of miss our drives back and forth," he said. "It gave us a lot of time to be able to visit and talk about things."

This session Schwab keeps in touch by phone. "I talk to her every couple of days and keep her informed about what is going on."

Schwab said he saw Mel Kasten last Friday in the hospital. He was off the ventilator. "He was able to talk."

Kasten said there is a camaraderie among House members on both sides of the political aisle. "It is almost like a family," she said. "They are all just such exceptional people."

Last week she faxed a Valentine letter to her House colleagues. "It's a shame the public, who is so critical of politicians, could not know how beautiful and precious each of you are. You are a grand group of individuals and truly class acts," she wrote.

"To be an American, a Missourian and a legislator is a great blessing. To feel the warmth and compassion of many friends has touched our hearts deeply," Kasten said in her message.