Three months later, injured Brainerd football player returns home
A Brainerd High School football captain returned home from the hospital on Friday, exactly three months after suffering a serious head injury.
Conner Erickson collapsed on the sidelines during a Sept. 9 game in Moorhead. He was taken to a Fargo hospital, where he underwent surgery to relieve pressure on his brain.
Since late September, he's been undergoing rehabilitation, including physical, occupational and speech therapy, at the Mayo Clinic.
His uncle, Jared Erickson, called his homecoming “a huge step.”
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"To see him go from laying in a hospital bed, intubated and not moving, not doing anything, to actually be able to come home and be mobile, and have some speech back… It’s crazy,” he said. “That's the kind of improvement that he's made and what he's accomplished.”
Jared Erickson said Conner has made a lot of progress, but still has a long road ahead to regain speech and full motion of his right arm and leg.
Local residents lined the streets of Brainerd on Friday to welcome Conner and his family home.
The family is grateful to all the support and donations they’ve received, Jared Erickson said. A GoFundMe page has raised more than $87,000 to help the family with medical and other expenses.