A single phone call changed the life of Bryan Barkman and his family forever.
On July 7, 2009, Barkman received the results of an MRI from his doctor over the phone. Barkman had been trying to discover the cause of recent debilitating sensory seizures.
“They told me they found a large tumor or mass in my brain,” Barkman said. “That is something you never want to hear.”
After monitoring the tumor for a year, doctors concluded it was slow growing and had probably been in Barkman’s brain his entire life.
Doctors took a biopsy of the tumor in August and learned it was not cancerous. Even so, Barkman was told the tumor would continue to cause complications and needed to be removed, now or later.
“It is scary when you are told that someone you love is going to need brain surgery,” said Barkman’s wife of 11 years, Melissa. “There are so many risks, but we had to do it.”
Doctors at Memorial Hospital in South Bend successfully removed 95 percent of the tumor through surgery on Sept. 14.
When Bryan woke up, the left side of his body was paralyzed.
“When I went to move my arm, it just dragged along with me and I tried to move my leg and it didn’t move either. It was really scary,” Bryan said.
Despite his situation, Bryan never gave up hope of recovery.
He spent the next 30 days at the hospital doing rehabilitation exercises and trying to regain the use of his left side.
“Bryan has been an inspiration to me through all of this,” Melissa said. “He has always been a cup is half full type of guy. Our faith in God has kept us strong and never once have we doubted that he won’t take care of us.”
Bryan’s progress has been substantial. He can move his leg and walk short distances with the assistance of a walker. He still can’t use his arm, but says he can feel it, sort of.
“People always ask me if it is tingly, pins and needles or something like that. It is nothing like that. It is something totally different. It’s almost as if it is gone, like it’s missing or it’s not there anymore,” Bryan said.
Bryan will continue therapy for the next six to 12 months. He is hopeful that he can walk again and regain the use of his left arm.
Because of mounting medical bills, the Barkmans have been struggling to stay afloat financially.
Bryan was laid off in April and Melissa is a stay-at-home mother of three young children.
A benefit for the Barkmans is 4 to 8 p.m. Sunday at Howard School in Niles.
“We want to thank everyone who has helped us through this tough time,” Bryan said. “There are so many people we are grateful for. This community has been amazing.”

A P.O. Box has been set up for people wanting to donate money to the Barkman family. The address is: P.O. Box 701 Niles, MI. Make checks payable to Melissa Barkman.

Benefit dinner

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What: Spaghetti dinner from Milano’s with salad, breadstick and dessert
When: 4 to 8 p.m. Sunday
Where: Howard School in Niles
Cost: $6