Mahwah Detective Paying It Forward After Daughter's Diagnosis

MAHWAH, NJ — It was something Eric Larsen would not wish upon his worst enemy.

Larsen's daughter, Gabriella was complaining of headaches last year. She got an MRI Labor Day weekend. That's when doctors found a tumor on her brain.

Gabriella had surgery the next day. The tumor was removed and diagnosed as benign. Gabriella is OK now. She goes in for check-ups every few months.

"As of now, she's living a healthy life and you'd never know that something like this happened," Larsen said.

The experience had a deep impact on Larsen and his family.

"It is a completely life-changing experience," Larsen said. "For a few days, we didn't know what to expect."

Larsen wants to help families like this by participating in the New York City Brain Tumor Walk sponsored by the National Brain Tumor Society. Their team name is Team Gabriella. To date they have raised more than $3,500, well more than their initial goal of $2,500.

"Along this journey we've been on, we met people who didn't get the good news that we got," Larsen said. "My wife and I want to pay it forward to raise money for research."

Larsen, his son, Dean, and Gabriella, train at Gorilla Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in town. The martial arts academy raised more than $1,000 for Team Gabriella at an open competition fundraiser.

"It was incredible to see how many people came there," Larsen said. "One person told me they drove three hours to come. It was amazing."

The Mahwah Bar & Grill hosted a fundraiser for Team Gabriella Tuesday night.

Email: daniel.hubbard@patch.com