On the morning of Thursday, May 22nd, Larissa Sneider went to the hospital with a horrible headache, nausea and dizziness.

After an MRI, they discovered a angioblastoma tumor on her brain stem. The tumor had developed a cyst and was preventing the movement of spinal fluid. Larissa experienced a brain herniation and was immediately intubated and a drain was placed to remove the fluid and relieve pressure.

The tumor was removed on Saturday, May 24, 2025. There were no complications during surgery.

However, the brain surgery was extremely invasive. And recovery will be complicated and long… the couple of weeks following surgery were met with a lot of “waxing and waning” (as the neurosurgeon would say). She developed pneumonia and strep and was being monitored for seizures. She remained intubated for several weeks until a trach was put in to allow for breathing assistance.

Larissa was recently moved to a long term rehabilitation hospital. This facility will ensure she has access to physical therapy to conduct more movement of her body. That will provide more stimulation throughout her healing.

The steps forward have been small, but sweet… like her eyes being open for a little longer, the sound of a grunt or the squeeze of a hand.

Larissa has a long recovery in front of her.

Larissa’s twin sister, Ashley, her boyfriend Chris and their families and friends have been by her side the whole way.

Unfortunately, through this process, Chris had to make the decision to let the house go that he and Larissa were going to close on in the middle of June.

We are optimistic our “Larry” will be back. We aren’t done yet. There are Vikings games, breweries, dog park adventures with Luca, girls trips, new meals to try, and OTF PR’s that are waiting for her…

Any support provided through this GoFundMe will go directly to Larissa to help pay for her bills as she recovers.