User:Tumorssuck

Eric graduated from University of Michigan - Ann Arbor in 1997 with a Bachelor’s degree in Biology. He helped to establish the first Asian-American fraternity in the Midwest and uncharacteristically joined a co-ed a capella group. He was very active in the Filipino American Student Association and Asian American Association. After undergrad he worked for 2 years as a Physical Therapy Aide on the rehab unit at the University of Michigan Medical Center. He returned to school in 2000 and earned his Doctor of Physical Therapy degree from the University of Michigan - Flint in 2003. The allure of perfect weather and numerous outdoor activities in San Diego drew him to the west coast. Then in the summer of 2005, he started getting episodes of dizziness, headaches, and nausea.

Nothing could have prepared him for the news he was about to receive. Brain cancer/tumors are fairly rare in young active men. On September 10th 2005, he was told he had a huge brain tumor, a meningioma the size of a golf ball, on the tentorial membrane at the base of the brain between the brain stem and cerebellum. In the following months: He had brain surgery to have the tumor removed; radiation therapy to get rid of the remains; Speech, occupational, and physical therapy for all the physical and mental impairments he was left with after the surgery. He was receiving rehab at the hospital where he used to work. His coworkers were now treating him as a patient!

During his recovery, he has lead a team that raised over $11,000 for the National Brain Tumor Foundation, wrote/published a ground breaking book about his experiences as a young brain tumor patient and healthcare professional, created a support network for young adult survivors, lead the development of a website designed to empower cancer/brain tumor patients, organized a national book tour, and has initiated a few more projects yet to be revealed.