Erika Diarte-Carr, Who Raised $1 Million for Her Funeral, Dies After Cancer Battle

Back in June 2024, Utah mother Erika Diarte-Carr started a GoFundMe page for her own funeral. Tragically, she died in October two years after being diagnosed with terminal cancer.

Her cousin, Angelique Rivera, shared the heartbreaking news on Facebook on Oct. 12. She wrote, "She has joined her mother Sylvia, her Brother JJ, her uncles Chava & Loui on the other side. She fought a long and hard battle. She was strong and held on as long as she could for her babies."

Erika Diarte-Carr, who raised over $1 million on GoFundMe, has died from cancer.

As a single mother, Erika Diarte-Carr raised her two young children, 7-year-old Jeremiah and 5-year-old Aaliyah, in Ogden, Utah. She described them as her "whole life, light, and soul," emphasizing that they motivated her to keep fighting.

On May 7, 2022, Erika was diagnosed with stage 4 small cell lung carcinoma after doctors discovered multiple tumors had metastasized throughout her body, as detailed on her GoFundMe page.

Then, on Jan. 17, 2024, Erika received another devastating diagnosis: Cushing Syndrome , a rare disorder caused by excessively high levels of cortisol. This resulted in dramatic weight gain, swelling, muscle and bone deterioration, high blood pressure, Type 2 diabetes, and a condition known as Moon Face .

On Sept. 18, an oncologist gave Erika a grim prognosis of just three months to live. This prompted her to face the daunting task of planning her own funeral, according to an update on her GoFundMe.

"I have been given three months to live. Three months to spend with my babies and loved ones. Three months to make the best of what time I have left," she wrote. "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."

Although she had always been reluctant to accept help, Erika recognized that her situation required her to seek financial support. Without life insurance and unable to work due to her health, she aimed to raise about $5,000 for funeral expenses and to leave something behind for her children.

At the time of writing, the GoFundMe page has raised over $1,190,000.