Matt Loehman undergoes 2nd spinal surgery
A student government senator resigned last week after an MRI revealed his spinal cord was not healing properly from a November surgery, forcing him to return to Tucson last week to undergo a second procedure to fix the problem.
Associated Students of the University of Arizona Sen. Matt Loehman resigned from his senatorial position last week and will take a break from classes for the spring semester.
Since late July, he has been suffering from spinal stenosis, a condition in which the spinal cord becomes narrowed, limiting circulation in the arms and legs.
Loehman said his condition had worsened significantly since mid-December, causing him to lose a lot of the independence he had gained through post-surgery rehabilitation. Much of his strength and coordination deteriorated, making it hard for him to walk or grip a pen.
Last week Loehman returned to Tucson to undergo a second surgery, which he said was successful.
“The doctors were finally able to decompress my spinal cord by removing an extensive amount of scar tissue, which the first surgery wasn’t able to do,” said Loehman, a business junior, who will be at University Medical Center for another week before returning home to New Mexico for outpatient recovery.
ASUA will continue working without Loehman, whose voice and decision-making powers in carrying out projects will be sorely missed, said Sen. Patrick Cook, a pre-education sophomore.
Loehman plans to return to the UA for summer school, but considers his resignation and break from school “the responsible thing to do at this point.”
A replacement has not been named for Loehman and it is the job of President Cade Bernsen to appoint a new senator.
Both Loehman and his doctors remain optimistic a full recovery is in store for the former ASUA senator, who hopes to be a part of ASUA in some capacity in the future.
“I have fully enjoyed my time in ASUA, and I hope that when I recover I will be able to rejoin the organization,” Loehman said. “My only wish is that I could have had more time to finish some of my projects.”
The 10 senators are close, and many within ASUA said losing someone like Loehman is tough. Senators described him as the glue that holds the senate together.
“The student body is losing a devoted leader in Matt and we senators need to get someone in there to fill the void,” said Sen. Ryan Montana Erickson, a management and public policy junior.
Though each senator works more or less independently from one another, Erickson said, the loss of any team member initially shifts responsibilities and slows down production. But ultimately, they regain composure and come back strong.
Other senators said they will miss Loehman’s strong work ethic and presence around the office.
“He always seems to be a very cheerful, humble worker,” Cook said. “I will miss working with him and it’s a shame he won’t be in ASUA this semester.”