Erika Diarte-Carr Utah mom with shoulder pain given only 3 months to live as she prepares for her own funeral. How a visit to the emergency ward was the beginning of new health revelations and a brave fight for life and her two young kids.
A Utah mother of two who initially went in for a ‘nagging’ shoulder pain has been told she only has 3 months to live as she now prepares for her own funeral.
It was only three years ago when Erika Diarte-Carr, walked into the emergency department, where she complained of painful discomfort in her shoulder.
Doctors at the time advised the mother of a young boy and young girl to have surgery. Easy enough. Except it wasn’t.
‘I have been given 3 months to live,’
It was during shoulder surgery in May 2022, that Diarte-Carr discovered she had Stage 4 small cell lung carcinoma, a rare form of cancer.
With two young children to live for, Diarte-Carr began treatment for the cancer only to be dealt a new blow in January when she was diagnosed with Cushing Syndrome.
Cushing is caused by an excess amount of the stress hormone cortisol in the body. Weight gain, a round face and high blood pressure are among its symptoms, and the disorder can be fatal if left untreated.
Only 40 to 70 people out of every 1 million have Cushing, making the syndrome extremely rare, according to the National Institues of Health.
Ever resilient, Diarte-Carr went about having new treatments. Except there was now another hitch. During a September 18th visit with her oncologist, the Utah mom was told the treatments weren’t working. But it was the news that followed next that unnerved the 33 year old mom.
‘I have been given 3 months to live,’ Diarte-Carr wrote in a Fundraiser meant to help pay for her own funeral (soak that up for a moment…) along with shoring up finances for her two young children when she’s gone.
‘3 months to spend with my babies and loved ones. 3 months to make the best of what time I have left. During these next couple of months I need to make sure my kids will be ok after I am gone. I am faced now with the most difficult thing of planning my own funeral.”
‘I can’t hide my secret any longer….’
Addressing her perilous finances, Diarte-Carr said she had been unable to work for months.
‘I do not have any finances saved up or any life insurance set aside for this situation,’ she wrote on GoFundme. ‘I have looked into the expenses and I am needing to raise about $5,000 to ensure funeral costs are covered plus I’m wanting to leave something behind for my babies.’
The GoFundMe page was launched when Diarte-Carr was still 30, soon after she learned about her illness.
Explained the mom of two further: ‘I have been ashamed and embarrassed for people to know the truth, that I have kept this a secret for as long as I could but the physical effects are starting to take control and I can’t hide it any longer.’
‘I’ve never been good at accepting or asking for help but unfortunately, I believe I’ve come to a point in my life and health where that is no longer an option for me. I am no longer able to physically work which has put a major financial burden on me.’
As of Sunday morning, it had far surpassed its original $5,000 goal, with more than $890,064 from close to 31,000 donations
A humbled Diarte-Carr said the money left after her funeral is covered will be set aside in a trust fund for her kids, Jeremiah, 7, and Aaliyah, 5.
‘That way, I can leave behind something for them and I can still ensure they are going to be ok as they grow up,’ she wrote.
