Spaghetti dinner for a cause

A mother received a phone call from her son, who was away from home attending college. This phone call however, was different from other ones. She answered the phone call from her son. She recalls him sounding scared, saying he was in a stairwell, not knowing why.

"I'm not doing so well. I'm in a stairwell," he said.

"Have you gone to class this week?" his mother asked him. "Did you eat today?"

"I don't know," he said.

That phone call was a couple years ago. Slowly, occurrences like this started to happen more and more to Eric Harris, a 2007 Green River High School graduate and Wyoming State Wrestling Champion. His mother, Marsha Harris and his family and friends became increasingly worried as his symptoms worsened. His speech, memory, reasoning, executive functions of his brain were failing.

After further investigation, it was discovered that Harris was suffering from multiple untreated concussions received while college wrestling. He was never pulled out of practice or competitions to recover.

"If you're not pulled out, it's like a snowball," Marsha said. "He was over compensating for so long in all these areas, he's getting worse and worse."

Marsha said her son has been seen by various professionals in the field who have confirmed that damage to the frontal lobe of his brain is permanent and worsening.

After several attempts to continue toward his college Civil Engineering career, Eric was forced to quit his college classes due to his worsening condition.

"I send my son to college thinking he's getting an education, wrestling a little bit and he comes home and can't think," Marsha said.

Eric now spends days at a time in a dark, quiet room as to not overstimulate his brain. He'll have a good day, his mother said, then spend the rest of the week hid away in his room. When he first came home, she said he would spend hours at a time curled up on the floor in the fetal position, rocking back and forth. He needs tranquilizers to sleep at night and steroids to stay awake during the day.

Since starting a new innovative research in concussion rehabilitation at Cognitive FX in Provo, Utah, in July, Eric's symptoms have stabilized.

"He hasn't gotten worse since starting the treatment," Marsha said. "We're hoping he shows improvement."

The treatment stimulates the brain every half hour for 8 hours, for a week. He's undergone two weeks of the treatment so far.

"They've called him a complicated case," Marsha said. "Even parts that were working before are over worked and failing."

The problem is, the insurance doesn't cover the new treatment, Marsha said.

"Bills for all these things have been strenuous," Eric's aunt Maria Becker said.

Becker has organized a spaghetti dinner fundraiser with a silent auction. Items have been donated from local area businesses, other supporters and national sports teams, including a signed football from the Green Bay Packers.

Becker got more than 38 organizations to contribute to the silent auction.

"I was just grasping, trying to find contact information," Becker said. "A lot of it is just the community trying to help this wonderful family."

Spaghetti Dinner/Silent Auction

Saturday at 6-8 p.m. at the Eagles Club, 88 N 2nd E St., Flaming Gorge Way, Green River. Suggested donation is $6 per dinner. Cash and local checks only.

For more information about Eric Harris's case, watch the YouTube video, Eric Harris-Traumatic Brain Injury Awareness, or go to the Facebook page, Friends of Eric Harris.

To donate to his cause, go to http://www.gofundme.com/ericharris.