Team Jack Attack

The Ehert Family is in the middle of a tremendous battle. Jack has struggled over the last several months with various symptoms of unknown origin. On Tuesday, January 24th, Jack was diagnosed with a large brain tumor. Within 24 hours, he underwent surgery to relieve the pressure on his brain and biopsy the tumor at the University of MN and the Masonic Children's Hospital. The biopsies came back benign, indicating that it was not cancerous, which was a huge relief. 

On March 21st, Jack underwent surgery to remove the tumor at the Mayo Clinic - Saint Marys Hospital. Despite finding out hours before surgery that half of the shunt had failed, causing more fluid to build up and the planned pathway to access the tumor to shift, the surgery went incredibly well. Instead of getting 80-90% of the tumor as originally planned, they were able to remove all of it! There may be some cells that remain, but the entire tumor was removed. Jack’s recovery has been difficult so far, as he is experiencing excruciating neck pain and short term memory loss, causing him to be confused and for the days to be scary and exhausting for Jack and his family. 

Just when we all thought we could breathe a little bit easier with the successful removal of the tumor, the Ehrets were hit hard with more devastating news on March 24th. The final pathology on the tumor revealed cancer cells. This was the last thing any of us were expecting, and instead of focusing on healing, Jack and his family are now dealing with yet another nightmare. 

We are very thankful for the hard working and loving care team, and the support from friends and family. In all the darkness, there is light. 

Our family is so grateful for any prayers, good thoughts, and positive vibes that are sent our way. We are also happy to hear if you are holding your loved ones, especially the little ones, extra tight.

Jack and his family will be in for a long fight, a fight we are very confident Jack will win. We will keep everyone updated as best we can. This is not how Jack expected to spend his senior year of high school, but we are hopeful that he will soon be back to doing the things he loves with his many friends and loved ones. 

As most of you know and have experienced, the Ehrets are the first ones to jump in to help those in need. They love deeply and give all that they can to help family, friends, and complete strangers. This new struggle for their family will create an unexpected financial burden for them. In addition to all of this, Natalie was laid off from Thomson Reuters in January as part of a company-wide reduction in staff. With the news received on March 24th, it is unknown how long it will be before Natalie can return to work, as she will need to care for Jack. 

Jack's extended family is reaching out to our community to ask for help in covering these unexpected expenses to relieve unneeded stress on their family. Our family is so thankful for the outpouring of love and support we have received so far. 

The Ehret / Razidlo Family