After spending nearly three years fundraising after a devastating cancer diagnosis, Erika Diarte-Carr of Utah died just days after finally hitting the $1 million mark on the fundraiser she started for her young children.
Diarte-Carr was told she only had three months to live after undergoing several treatments for her highly aggressive form of small-cell lung carcinoma. The single mother, 33, was just 30 when she received the news but has been fighting the disease while trying to ensure a good life for her young kids over the past couple of years.
Diarte-Carr's family shared a heartbreaking photo of her after she had passed away in bed this past Friday, using a heart emoji to cover her face as she lay in her hospital bed.
The photo shows family members hugging in the background. Another black-and-white snap shows the mother in bed during her final moments.
The mom started a fundraiser for her children , five-year-old Ailiyah and seven-year-old Jeremiah. "Three months to spend with my babies and loved ones," she wrote, "'three months to make the best of what time I have left."
The photo from the GoFundMe shows Diarte-Carr before her diagnosis, leaving many to remark on the extreme changes to her body that came with her diagnosis.
In January this year, Erika was told she was also suffering from Cushing Syndrome - a disease which caused her to put on more than 60 pounds within a matter of weeks as well as experiencing muscle and bone deterioration, high blood pressure, Moon Face and Type 2 diabetes. On top of this, she has been left unable to walk.
Despite only setting up the page with a $5,000 target, kind well-wishers have generated more than $1,165,657 and counting. In her latest update she thanked her supporters and said because of the generous donations she was able to plan a family trip that will leave her loved ones with memories to last a lifetime.
Her shocking terminal cancer diagnosis came three years ago, following a visit to the emergency room for a mere shoulder injury. The devastating news was delivered just a day before Mother's Day in 2022.
Diarte-Carr started to suffer from muscle and bone deterioration, high blood pressure, Moon Face, and Type 2 Diabetes. In an interview with ABC 4, she revealed that Cushing's disease has left her unable to walk.
Despite her health challenges, the single mom continued to work full-time as much as she could, taking only two months off for medical appointments, surgeries, biopsies, radiation, and chemotherapy treatments.
"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," she confessed on a GoFundMe page, "but the physical effects are starting to take control, and I can't hide it any longer."
Her treatments were halted when her scans started showing improvement, but her health and quality of life significantly deteriorated due to Cushing's in the subsequent months. She attributes her rapid decline primarily to her Cushing's disease.
In September, Diarte-Carr stopped her treatments as they were no longer effective, and she was given a prognosis of just three months to live.
Expressing gratitude to those who have donated, she wrote: "All the funds that have exceeded my funeral cost will now be put into a trust fund for my babies, that way I can leave behind something for them and I can still ensure they are going to be ok as they grow up."
Diarte-Carr also expressed appreciation for her medical team in Ogden, praising their "time, care, and patience. Me and my family thank you ALL from the bottom of our hearts!" she said.
Before her death, in an interview, she explained: "[My children] are my whole life, light and soul. My children are my fight and what keep me going."
The family was able to raise enough for her funeral and savings for the kids and allowed Erika to spend quality time with her children before her hospitalization.
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