A terminally ill single mom-of-two set up a GoFundMe page in the hopes of raising $5,000 to cover the expenses of her own funeral and support her children. Nevertheless, her heartbreaking story quickly spread on social media, consequently elevating her fundraiser to over $1 million.
Erika Carr was given three months to live after developing Cushing's syndrome following a rare terminal cancer diagnosis.
Highlights
- Erika Carr, a single mom diagnosed with terminal cancer, set up a GoFundMe to raise $5,000 for her funeral and children's support.
- Her story went viral, and her fundraiser amassed over $1 million, surpassing her modest goal.
- Despite restarting treatment earlier, Carr chose to spend her final three months with her children rather than continuing treatments.
On May 7, 2022, Carr was diagnosed with Stage 4 small cell lung carcinoma, a “high-grade neuroendocrine carcinoma,” she stated on her GoFundMe.
Her diagnosis came the day before Mother’s Day, and she’s been battling for her life for over two years now.
A terminally ill single mom-of-two set up a GoFundMe page in the hopes of raising $5,000
Image credits: GoFundMe
“I stopped treatment for a while because my scan started to look better,” Carr told ABC4 on September 27. “I stopped a few months and then I developed Cushing's syndrome or disease and that’s kind of why it started to decline.”
Cushing's syndrome is a hormonal disorder caused by prolonged exposure to high levels of cortisol, a hormone produced by the adrenal glands. It's also known as hypercortisolism.
“Things got worse because it caused other issues, like my swelling, [and] not being able to walk,” the Ogden, Utah, USA resident added.
Image credits: ABC4
She further revealed: “I was given a prognosis of three months if I stopped treatment, so I decided to stop treatment because I decided to use that last three months to spend with my children and just make the best of it instead of being sick from all the treatment and medications.”
Carr is a single mother of two children — Jeremiah, seven, and Aaliyah, five. She calls them her “whole life, light, and soul … and what keeps [her] going.”
As a result of her terminal diagnosis, doctors reportedly told her: “I hope you have a good support system at home because you’re going to need it, you have a long and hard journey ahead of you.”
She hoped to cover the expenses of her own funeral and support her children
Image credits: ABC4
Since her diagnosis, Carr revealed that she had managed to keep working full time, taking only two months off in the beginning for surgeries, biopsies, appointments, radiation, and chemotherapy treatments.
“All while still being a full-time mama,” Carr wrote on GoFundMe. “I do have an AMAZING support system but over time it has put a major financial, emotional, mental, and physical toll on us all.”
Image credits: ABC4
Despite restarting treatment, on September 18, 2024, doctors reportedly told Carr that she had three months to live.
Carr consequently chose to discontinue treatment and spend that time cherishing her two children, as she told the local broadcaster: “We’re planning stuff as far as taking a family trip, doing memorable things that they can have, to keep when I’m gone.”
Nevertheless, her heartbreaking story quickly spread on social media, consequently elevating her fundraiser to over $1 million
Image credits: GoFundMe
The resilient mom was subsequently given the seemingly impossible task of planning her own funeral, and she decided to create a GoFundMe to help cover the costs.
The 30-year-old set a modest goal, asking for only $5,000, hoping that maybe she’d be able to leave some extra money behind for her children, as per ABC4.
As of October 1, Carr’s fundraiser has reached a total of $1,109,641, a near-miraculous sum she had never thought possible, as she said: “I never expected that.
Image credits: Erika Diarte-Carr
Erika Carr was given three months to live after developing Cushing's syndrome
Image credits: Erika Diarte-Carr
“I never expected to have like a big funeral service or a lot of people reach out and help me. With the way it’s went, I’m just in shock and disbelief and very grateful for everything and everybody that’s been there.”
Taking to her Facebook page on September 27, Carr took a moment to express her gratitude, as she wrote in a post: “I want to thank you ALL so much! I am overwhelmed with all the love and support and prayers that have been sent to me and my children.
“I am so grateful to everybody for everything. All I want is for my babies to never have to worry about anything when I’m gone.
Image credits: ABC4
“Now, because of this blessing / Miracle, I know they will be fully set and never have to worry about anything and I couldn’t thank everybody enough!
“Now I know I can be at peace knowing my kids will be well taken care of.”
Carr has explained on her GoFundMe page that the funds that have exceeded her funeral cost will be put into a trust fund “for my babies.”
"She is an incredible mother," a reader commented
