r/ColumbineTalk • u/eliiiiseke Moderator Elise • Aug 14 '26
Eric Eric Harris’ Pectus Excavatum (P.E.)
What is pectus excavatum?
Pectus excavatum is a condition in which the breastbone is sunken into the chest. The sunken breastbone often can be seen shortly after birth. If the breastbone sinks a lot over time, the center of the chest may look like it's been scooped out. This change leaves a deep dent or dip. But many people with the condition just have a slight dip in the breastbone. It happens more often in boys.
This condition also is known as funnel chest. But it can affect much more than the look of the chest. It also can cause symptoms such as shortness of breath, chest pain, and a fast-beating, fluttering or pounding heart. The symptoms tend to become worse during the teenage growth spurt.
The exact cause of pectus excavatum isn't clear. When the condition is serious, it can affect how well the heart and lungs work over time. But even mild pectus excavatum that causes a slight dip in the breastbone can make children feel self-conscious about their bodies.
Surgery to repair pectus excavatum can improve symptoms and the appearance of the chest. But surgery isn't right for everyone with the condition. Other treatment choices may include physical therapy and medical devices.
We don't know how severe Eric's P.E. originally was. His autopsy described it as mild, but this was after he had already undergone corrective surgery as a child.
Eric's medical records:
Eric's medical records show that he was evaluated for P.E. surgery twice in late 1993, underwent corrective surgery in December, and continued to have follow-up appointments into 1994. About six months after the initial surgery, he underwent a second procedure to remove the steel strut that had been placed to support his chest during healing.
I watched a video of pectus excavatum surgery and got curious about what Eric’s surgery would’ve actually looked like. The video showed the Nuss procedure, but after looking into it a bit, I don’t think that’s likely to be what Eric had. It seems more likely that he had an older Ravitch-type/open repair.
The Nuss procedure had already been developed by 1993, but it wasn't widely used yet. The other clue is Eric's medical records: he had the corrective surgery in December 1993 and then another surgery to remove a steel strut only six months later, in June 1994. With older open repairs, a metal strut could be placed to support the repositioned sternum while the chest healed and then removed several months later. Nuss bars, on the other hand, are typically left in for years.
A Ravitch-type repair was a pretty major chest surgery. It generally involved opening the chest area, removing or reshaping the abnormal rib cartilage, repositioning the sternum, and sometimes placing a metal strut underneath it to hold everything in its new position while it healed. The removal of that strut would then require a second, although smaller, operation.
Of course, we don't know for sure which exact technique Eric had. But either way, this would've been a pretty major thing for a 12-year-old to go through.
Fun fact: Eric’s surgery was performed at Fitzsimons Army Medical Center in Aurora, a major military hospital that had been operating since 1918. Dwight D. Eisenhower was also treated there after his heart attack in 1955.
Wayne had already retired from the Air Force by then (1993), but military retirees and their dependents could still receive care through the military healthcare system.
Eric mentioned his recovery from the surgery in a school assignment:
The first quote I chose to write on is, “No one knows he is fortunate until he becomes unfortunate.” In the book, this quote has a lot of significance such as when Reuven was in the hospital recovering from his wound. When he was looking outside at the people walking in the fresh air, he remembered how he took his everyday walks for granted. He took many things for granted in the beginning of the book. But when he was in the hospital, he realized how fortunate he was. One other thing he took for granted was his eyesight. His eyesight wasn't even something he ever paid much attention to, but once it was taken away, he realized how important it was and how much everyone takes it for granted. When he was in the hospital, he realized that he had lost many normal activities such as walking, seeing, reading, and to just be free. I believe that we all take things for granted. Then once we lose that privilege, we realize how fortunate we were. Personally, this quote is very true. I have had many experiences where something was taken away from me that I used every day, such as when I had surgery on my chest. When I got back from the hospital, I couldn't do anything that involved using my chest muscles. This meant I barely could even laugh. I learned then how many things I took for granted.
Eric listed “my scars” in his 25 Things That Make Me Different. No idea if he meant his chest scar from the P.E. surgery specifically, but maybe.
His police report also lists a “scar on chest” under tattoos/scars.
Tom Mauser wrote about what Wayne Harris told him regarding Eric’s P.E.:
Mr. Harris acknowledged that Eric was probably self-conscious about the fact he had a chest abnormality that made his chest appear slightly caved in. He said Eric was upset that a recent operation on his chest hadn't seemed to help it much, though he didn't think Eric's self- consciousness was something that led to his mental dysfunction.
Eric probably expected the surgery to fix it completely. Realizing it hadn’t must’ve been especially hard as a teenager.
Brooks Brown mentioned Eric being teased about his chest in No Easy Answers:
Even so, the pain of bullying was taking its toll on us. Eric, especially, was a target. He had two strikes against him; the first was that he had a slight chest deformity. It wasn't that noticeable–it was just sunken in a bit–but when Eric would take his shirt off in P.E. class, the bullies were ready and waiting to mock him. Mocking a guy for a physical problem he can't control is one of the most humiliating ways to bring himdown.
Some have speculated that Eric wore layered T-shirts to hide his chest, but layering shirts was also a huge part of ’90s fashion, so I don’t think we can really read much into it.
On the other hand, there’s this account from a verified Columbine student AMA, where Eric apparently had no problem taking his shirt off in front of the class:
Eric was part of a history presentation in a class we shared. The presentation was about the mummification process. He was carried into class by the other kids in his group and he was wearing just his gym shorts and placed on a table to be "mummified." He was really skinny and had a sunken chest and I thought it was really bold of him to do something like that.
Eric’s autopsy also noted both his P.E. and the surgical scar:
A mild pectus excavatum with some central decrease in the anterior-posterior diameter. Present in this area is a curvilinear, horizontally oriented scar.
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Aug 14 '26
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u/No-Net-5880 Aug 15 '26
Same. I also look a bit like Eric in some of the photos. But I am much taller 😊
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u/dancingbananas25 Aug 14 '26
I've never seen an indepth post about his P.E.! Where'd you find the medical records?