Owen G Erickson

My nephew Owen was admitted to Children's Hospital on May 25th for failure to thrive because he was not gaining weight and was not eating very well. He did really well for the first 3 months of his life and thrived in every way possible. He was reaching every milestone a child should - up until about March/April. Owen started to refuse to eat his bottle and if he did eat -  he was usually not keeping it down. So my sister Megan and her boyfriend Jake thought that he may have had a formula allergy. So, at his 4 months check up they spoke with their pediatrician about the lack of weight gain and the problems with feeding. She sent them to Children's Hospital which has been an absolute blessing! These people are wonderful people and you can tell they actually care about all their patients.
They started off with a bunch of blood and allergy tests and then they decided to do an MRI on his brain due to some irregular eye movements on top of the nausea - That's when they found a tumor, about the size of a golf ball. A biopsy was scheduled and when the results came back a few days later, they found that the tumor is cancerous and is categorized as a low- grade Astrocytoma  (Glioma) - that is located near the pituitary gland. They also found another small mass at the base of his neck. The doctors at Children's decided that the best treatment for Owen would be Chemotherapy for 10 weeks and then do another MRI to see if there is any shrinkage of the tumor and adjust him treatment if needed. To receive chemo,  Owen also had a second surgery to have an implanted port put in his chest and a G-J tube (Gastro-Jejunal tube) put in his stomach to make feedings easier, since he was not taking bottle feedings and the nausea that may be caused by the chemo treatments. He has now just completed his first 10 weeks of chemotherapy and has his MRI scheduled for the end of this month.  We are continuing to pray that there will be good news in the results.

Over the last almost 3 months now our families and friends have endured a lot of bad news, when we were least expecting it. We have all pulled together to help Megan and Jake out as much as we can with rides to appointments, company at the hospital and simple home cooked meals. Working as a team to make things as easy as we can. The feeling is explainable and none of us can even imagine how they are feeling. I can tell you that they have both been two very strong people! Two people that are doing anything and everything that they can for this little boy. I know it hasn't been easy either, but they sure as heck are making it a day at a time.

Megan has started the Caring Bridge page to keep family and friends updated with the progress that Owen is making -  updates from doctors appointments, photos and  milestones he continues to reach. We figured this would be the easiest way to get the information out there for everyone. Her and I both will keep updates coming as they are received. 

I have started this Go Fund Me page for Owen after speaking with many of our family and friends. We wanted a way to help out with the expenses they have had over the last few months. Everything adds up pretty fast. Babies are expensive as it is! We would like to try and raise some money for them to help pay for food, diapers, gas or bills. Any little bit would be greatly appreciated and most certainly will not go unnoticed. 

If any one would like to send a check -  please make checks payable to Teresa Backstrom/Owen's Benefit and mail to Spire Credit Union - 3380 Northdale Blvd -  Coon Rapids, MN - 55448


Please keep our family in your thoughts and prayers! Thank you for taking a few moments and reading Owen's Story.