Eric’s Story

Site created on October 6, 2020

Eric started this journey in Jan when he had an episode of Vertigo. He was treated and got better but then in May he started getting dizzy, double vision and severe fatigue. We got him into the Drs in Stevens Point. After an Spinal Tap Eric was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. We went through a treatment of IV steroids and started meds and got better for about a month. In Aug he started to decline again and his symptoms were back and he was having trouble swallowing and opening his mouth. We were admitted to the Stevens Point hospital on Aug 30, 2020. After 2 days our neurologist said he no longer believed Eric had MS but a form of encephalitis. He was not sure if the kind and we requested to be transferred to Mayo in Rochester MN.
We were there from Sept 2- 13. There they found a mass in his left testicle and they felt that the mass was sending off antibodies that was telling his immune system to attack his brain stem. This is what it was. The mass was not cancer thank goodness and was removed. They diagnosed Eric with Kelch like protein 11 paraneoplastic encephalitis. This is something that they just discovered last year at mayo. They did another 5 day round of steroid infusions started OT for his vision, had to put in an NG tube for feedings and we had a plan to see the specialist in a couple weeks. We left after 11 days at St Mary’s
1 week later Eric was having a lot of issues with his swallowing and opening his mouth and felt like we needed to come back so we spent another 11 days at St Mary’s this time they did 3 days of iv steroids and his first Chemotherapy treatment to help suppress his immune system from attacking itself. He also got an injection into his paralyzed vocal cord and a peg tube placed in his stomach for feedings. We went home after 11 days with a plan of weekly steroid infusions back home for 12 weeks and another chemo on oct. 12
On Sunday oct 4 Eric’s Oxygen stats were low and he was confused, weak, and very tired. We went to the ER and found that he has a small blood clot in his lung and that the muscle relaxers he was on made him not expel the CO2 from his body because it relaxed his diaphragm too much. That in combination with the brain stem issue was too much and the CO2 in his blood got really high. He was air lifted back to Mayo that night and we are current in the ICU at Mayo working on getting the CO2 in his blood down and working on his breathing they have him on a bipap machine to help with this.
Thank you for all your love and prayers
Mary, Sam & Candice

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Newest Update

October 21, 2021

Journal entry by Mary Walters —

It is with a heavy heart that I update everyone on my amazing husband. Eric suffered a major stroke on Sat morning in the brain stem where is lesion from the encephalitis was located. I performed cpr and he has been at aspirus in Wausau ever since. After many tests cooling his body down to let his brain rest and then warming him back up the neurology team let us know that Eric will not wake up. He has no blood flow to the back of the brain and a lg portion of the front where he has had another stroke. Even though we are all heartbroken we have to do what is best for him and let him go home to god.
Sam will be coming home for a weekend leave tomorrow to spend time with his dad and then on Saturday we will let him go home. 
Eric was not a funeral guy and would haunt Sam and I forever if we did that. For those of you who knew and loved him know he was the most positive person and just wanted to enjoy life. So Sam and I have decided that he will be cremated and we will be having a CELEBRATION OF HIS LIFE at a later date. 
This will truly be a celebration for everyone who knew him!!
I have heard so many time over the past 2 year what an inspiration he has been as he battled this horrible disease that took his vision, his balance and ability to walk on his own, he hasn’t eaten real food in over 15 months ( he could still have his beloved coffee though) and he was one that vent or being shocked just to breath! No matter how hard he fought this was no life for the man that we all loved! He showed us what strength and perseverance really is and I truly believe that he stayed with us this long to be with the family and friends that he loved so much.
I believe that because of him and what he went through the DRs at Mayo will be able to help more people like Eric and hopefully find a cure for Kelch.
Thank you all for your love and support over the last 2 years and all that we will receive in the future!
Eric was and always will be the love of my life and my best friend! I was so luck to call him mine for the 12.5 years that I had him in. Eric gave me the best gift of all and that is our Son Sam I will be forever grateful to him for that!
Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers.
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