Peoria Liberty High School athletic director Eric Gardner had a tumor removed from his brain on June 12. He is resting comfortably at home and hopes to be back at work next month.
The 53-year-old former Peoria Sunrise Mountain baseball coach said surgeons from Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix were able to remove all of the tumor. He is waiting for results to determine a cancer treatment going forward.
“I’m recovering pretty well,” Gardner said. “I met with my surgeon the other day. They said it would be at least two to three more weeks, before they would have some pathology results and known what my chemo and radiation treatment will be.
“But it’s a positive. We’ve had a tremendous amount of support from our community. Just lots of prayers. Lots of blessings.”
Medical bills are going to start to mount. A Schoolfundr campaign was started to raise money to help offset the costs.
Gardner was 30 years into education when he retired. But he said he came back and was rehired by the Peoria Unified School District in March.
“Because I retired, then they rehired me, I’m not longer qualified for FMLA (Family and Medical Leave Act) with my district because I’m considered a new employee,” he said. “I’m only considered for short-term disability. The district has contacted me and said they’ll pay me up until my surgery, and whatever vacation days I have stored up. It’s only like seven. Once that runs out, I will no longer be employed until I come back full-time.”
He said he hopes he’ll be able to get back to work part-time in July and see how he can handle the pace of work. He oversees all of the sports programs at Liberty, which won the 6A boys basketball title this past school year.
“It’s one of those Catch-22 things,” he said. “Once these medical bills start to hit, it’s going to be a heavy lift.”
Gardner’s symptoms hit him fast and hard with migraines three weeks ago. He went into the hospital to get an MRI and a cyst was found. He said another MRI determined that a tumor needed to be removed.
“We don’t have a level or stage of what level of cancer it could be,” he said. “Right now, I’m actually recovering really well. There were some concerns about motor function and talking, because of where the tumor was.
“But they were able to remove every part of the tumor. That’s a positive.”
Richard Obert has been covering high school sports since the 1980s for The Arizona Republic. He also covers Grand Canyon University athletics and the Arizona Rattlers. Please sign up for Azcentral Preps Now newsletter. To suggest human-interest story ideas and other news, reach Obert at richard.obert@arizonarepublic.com or 602-316-8827. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter:@azc_obert
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Liberty AD Eric Gardner receives support after brain surgery
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