From patient to colleague: Fosston-area nurse treated for brain tumor inspired to join Essentia Health

The last thing Jennifer Beckman remembered was arriving at the emergency room in Fosston. The then-47-year-old licensed practical nurse didn't recall her life-flight from Essentia Health-Fosston to Fargo. She'd missed a doctor locating a brain tumor and the emergency surgery to remove it.

Instead, Beckman would wake in the ICU two weeks after a brain bleed led to the type of care that propelled the career nurse to one day work where she'd healed.

Beckman was diagnosed with meningioma, a noncancerous tumor that commonly forms in the brain tissue. Hers had pushed into her brain. This resulted in a bleed, a massive headache, altered vision and a trip to the ER in 2019.

When Beckman awoke from surgery, her right leg was physically limited and her vision remained altered.

Throughout her recovery, Beckman worked with an Essentia rehabilitation team, which she credits with helping her walk again, teaching her adaptive skills to return to nursing and demonstrating the type of values-based care that resonated with her. 

"I wanted to be part of that team," Beckman, now 52, recalled after finishing a shift at Essentia Health-Fosston in early June. "They're patient-oriented and want the best for everybody."'

Beckman has worked at Essentia for two years, and she’s currently in family practice.

Today, Beckman eats brain-healthy foods. She walks 6-8 miles daily and she still uses the physical therapy and occupational therapy exercises recommended by her Essentia care team.

"We all knew Jen would not stop until she reached her goals, and she continues to operate like that as a nurse in the Essentia system," said Jacob Vossler, rehabilitation services supervisor and Beckman's former PT. 

While she hasn't been a regular PT patient for some time, Beckman now sees Vossler occasionally in passing at the hospital. "He kept me from going into depression," Beckman said. She also now works with the ER nurse present the night of her brain bleed.

Beckman's brain tumor and her recovery at Essentia have made her a better nurse and a better listener, she said. 

In her work today, Beckman is able to connect more deeply with patients confronting anxiety, depression or PTSD symptoms because she faced the same during her long recovery.

Beckman intimately knows what it’s like to be a health care worker and a patient.

“Even though our lives revolve around taking care of people, make sure to take care of yourselves — and live every day to its fullest,” she said.