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Getting Back to Life

The year 1988 is one that Erik's family will never forget. After several years and numerous attempts to diagnose the problem, they were determined to understand why their seven-year-old boy was experiencing excruciating headaches and slowly going blind. Erik's family brought him to a University of Minnesota Physicians ophthalmologist who reviewed his medical records and ordered a CT scan. Erik was diagnosed with a non-cancerous brain tumor the size of a golf ball. Suffocating his left optic nerve, the tumor was impairing his vision and causing his painful headaches. Erik was referred to Dr. Stephen Haines, a pediatric neurosurgeon with University of Minnesota Physicians. Dr. Haines and his team immediately recognized that Erik's surgery would be complicated, due to the tumor's closeness to his pituitary gland. The surgeons knew that if there was any damage to the pituitary gland during such a delicate surgery, Erik's ability to function would be compromised. After eight and a half hours of surgery and several months of recovery, Erik was on his way to living the active life of a seven-year-old and being a kid again. He resumed a normal lifestyle and continued to thrive throughout his childhood. In June of 2003, Erik graduated from Gustavus Adolphus College with a GPA of 3.3. As an adult, he's an avid outdoorsman who enjoys hunting, fishing, skiing, and golf. Today, Erik lives in northern Minnesota working for his family's insurance business. Erik and his family frequently look back on their life-changing event at the University of Minnesota Medical Center, Fairview. They are thankful for the expertise, compassion and care that they received from Dr. Haines and the entire team involved in Erik's care.