In June 2023, while out of state for his son's soccer tournament, Eric fell ill and soon learned an untreated urological issue had caused his kidneys to fail. After several weeks in the ICU, he was discharged and began dialysis. Although he was grateful to have the medical care and services needed to preserve his life, he was challenged by the amount of time his dialysis routine consumed, and in 2024 he was placed on the transplant list.

On October 20, 2025, he received the call he had been waiting for and successfully received the gift of life from a stranger who chose to donate his organs upon his death. The miracle of a transplant requires an extended recovery time and plenty of medical appointments to assure all continues well. Eric will remain in Milwaukee for the time being to be close to his doctors at St. Luke's and be off of work.

As his sister-in-law, who has been humbled by his optimism and endurance over the past two years, I ask you to consider donating money to help cover some of the many expenses Eric will endure over the next several months. If you are not able to donate money at this time, I would ask you to consider honoring Eric's donor by registering to become a donor by visiting https://health.wisconsin.gov/donorRegistry/public/donate.html, or RegisterMe.org.

Let's send prayers of warmth, strength, and recovery to Eric, Eric's family, and his donor's family.