BARGERSVILLE, Ind. -- The Bargersville and Whiteland fire chief is back on the job after a months-long unexpected break. Chief Eric Funkhouser woke up in the hospital after a Labor Day weekend seizure to discover he had a brain tumor. ”It was a huge shock to all of us," Funkhouser said. Scans and tests discovered Funkhouser had a Grade 2 tumor on his brain. With multiple options, Funkhouser and Dr. Kushal Shah, a neurosurgeon with Goodman Campbell Brain and Spine, decided to remove the rumor. ”Him being there to walk us through everything and talk to us and explain the whole process and what we were going to be going through in the next few months," Funkhouser said. "I think seeing the finish line at the beginning was hard to see." Dr. Shah said, at the time, he knew Funkhouser was making the right decision. ”At the end of the day, there has to be a trust between the patient and the physician," Shah said. "I believe very strongly about that. Having brain surgery is a big trust in someone else and I know if there is not that relationship and trust between the two individuals there cannot be success." Chief Funkhouser talks with a Dr. Shah In mid-September, Funkhouser went into the surgery and came out on the other side. "He's very confident that he feels like he got the majority of it out," Funkhouser said. But, his recovery journey had just started. ”It was a much bigger fight than people realize," Funkhouser said. "So, after the surgery we had what was called some left side neglect. I wasn't able to recognize things on the left side of my body." Funkhouser went through weeks and months of outpatient and inpatient therapy to get back to where he was before that Labor Day Weekend surgery. ”Whether it was speech, occupational therapy, they were amazing at everything they did at getting me back to where I am today," Funkhouser said. He credits his team at Franciscan Health for getting him back to where he is today, what he calls "nearly 100%." ”I feel privileged to be a part of that," Shah said. "Our goal was to remove all the tumor, as much as we could, but ultimately to make sure his quality of life was going to be good and I'm very grateful we were able to achieve that here." Funkhouser has now been back at his job at the Bargerville Firehouse for a few weeks. ”I always say I have the best job in the world," Funkhouser. "I love what I get to do." Funkhouser returning to Bargersville Fire Above all else, Funkhouser knows he could not have gone through the last four months without his wife and two sons. ”I say 'we' all the time, because of my wife, Brooke," Funkhouser said. Obviously, she means the world to me and has done everything to bend over backwards to take care of us." Now, the scar on the side of his head brings up more thoughts than just a surgery. ”You see that scar, it's just a reminder to be there for other people, and be there to help people and be thankful for what you have in your life," Funkhouser said. Funkhouser said this wasn’t the end of his journey, but the beginning. He just had his first check-in MRI of 2025. His team will keep an eye on his brain every three months to make sure if anything does come back, they’ll be a step ahead.