Hippo Campus Frontman Jake Luppen, 31, to Undergo 6-Hour Awake Brain Surgery: What We Know

Hippo Campus frontman Jake Luppen announced on Instagram that he will undergo six-hour open brain surgery on November 6 at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota. Doctors diagnosed him with a stage two glioma near his basal ganglia. The 31-year-old first learned about a 9 mm lesion seven years ago after an MRI for migraines, but a scan this summer showed possible growth. An EEG also revealed that what he believed were panic symptoms were actually focal seizures. Because the lesion’s location makes a biopsy too dangerous, surgeons will perform an awake craniotomy so he can remain conscious and help guide the procedure while doctors remove as much of the lesion as safely possible.

Before the surgery, Hippo Campus will play a sold-out show at the Turf Club in St. Paul on October 19. Luppen told fans,“We’re playing a show at Turf Club to rage for one last time before I’m on my ass for a few months.”The band formed in St. Paul in 2013 and has built a devoted following over more than a decade of touring and releasing music. The hometown show will be an emotional night for fans and the band alike, serving as one final celebration before months of recovery.

Awake craniotomies are used when a tumor sits near critical brain areas that control speech, movement, or other functions. By keeping the patient awake and responsive, surgeons can test those functions in real time and avoid damaging healthy tissue. It sounds intense, but it’s actually one of the safest ways to approach tumors in delicate locations. Fans around the world are sending support to Luppen as he heads into this next chapter.

Are you going to the Turf Club show on October 19? Drop a message for Jake in the comments.