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In February 2005, Eric Stephens collapsed at home. By the time he reached the hospital, he was partly paralyzed and suffering from kidney failure. Doctors were finally able to determine that Eric had an advanced glioma, a brain tumor. It is located deep in his brain, nearly dead center between the hemispheres. Its about the size of an apricot and inoperable.

While he has managed to recover much of his mobility, the tumor is pressing on parts of his brain that control movement, specifically his left leg and, to a lesser extent, his left arm. He has basically no movement in his left leg and weakness in his left arm and hand. The tumor is also causing convulsions, muscular weakness and the other rotten side effects associated with brain cancer. Eric has been in intense chemotherapy, and seems to be responding well, but these kinds of tumors are tenacious and unpredictable. Which leads us to the reason for this website...

In 1990, Eric and his friend Eugene turned a one week cross-country trip to retrieve a homeless friend into a long-distance railfan trip. A life-long railroad buff, Eric got to see many historic railroad lines and other sights during the excursion. This turned out to be Eric's only long distance railfan trip. In recent years, they had talked about recreating and expanding the trip and documenting the changes in the last 15 years. He also wanted to see non-railroad sites along the way, including the Grand Canyon, Mesa Verde and Dinosaur National Monument.

With the onset of his illness, it was decided to make a concerted effort to finally do that trip and to make it a true adventure. They are being joined by 3 friends who will provide logistical (and in one case medical) support for the journey. The trip is also being used to raise money and awareness for the National Brain Tumor Foundation.

This blog will be updated daily as they lead into the trip and make the 22 day, 4500 mile trek across California, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, Idaho and Oregon.

For more information, please visit the Eric's Big Adventure websites: http://www.firstgiving.com/ericsbigadventure and http://www.phoenixpartners.net/URA. Donations to the First Giving site go directly to the National Brain Tumor Foundation, a 501c(3) non-profit organization supporting brain tumor care and research. Donations to the Phoenix Partners site support the trip directly. Unfortunately, the Phoenix Partners donations are not tax deductible. Any funds arriving from that site not needed to support the trip will be donated to the NBTF.

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