A single mother of two had her dying wish fulfilled, thanks to a GoFundMe she created earlier this year.
Erika Diarte-Carr, 30, passed away on Sunday, Oct. 12, after a “long and hard” two-year battle with a rare terminal cancer known as small cell lung carcinoma (SCLC), according to her cousin, Angelique Rivera.
“It is with a heavy heart that this is the final update I will be giving for my cousin Erika,” Rivera wrote in a Facebook post. “She was strong and held on as long as she could for her babies.”
In June, Diarte-Carr created a GoFundMe with the goal of raising $5,000 to help cover her funeral costs and to leave something behind for her two children, son Jeremiah, 7, and daughter Aaliyah, 5.
In a Sept. 18 update, Diarte-Carr explained that she had three months to live.
It is with a heavy heart that this is the final update i will be giving for my cousin Erika. She has joined her mother…
At the time, she didn’t have any life insurance and didn’t have any money saved up for her kids. She thanked everyone for their donations and confirmed that they would be put into a children’s trust fund.
As of Oct. 15, the GoFundMe has surpassed its initial goal of $5,000 and has now raised nearly $1.2 million for the two children. More than 38,000 people have donated to the cause over the past four months.
Erika died of terminal cancer and Cushing Syndrome
In her initial GoFundMe description, Diarte-Carr described herself as a “very reserved, quiet and private person” who doesn’t usually like asking for help. But desperate times called for desperate measures.
“On May 7th, 2022, the day before Mother’s Day, I walked into the emergency room due to what I thought to be just a normal shoulder injury and walked out diagnosed with stage 4 terminal cancer,” she wrote.
According to the National Cancer Institute, small cell lung carcinoma (SCLC) is a “type of fast-growing cancer that forms in the tissues of the lung” and usually starts spreading by the time it’s diagnosed.
So a lot of you have continued to show love and support for my cousin Erika Diarte-Carr and her kids. So of course we feel the need to continue to update everyone on her story….On October 13th @ 11am my cousin and her kids will be getting Baptized at our Church The Genesis Project ???????? If you could like to watch this part of her journey they do stream their services live on their Facebook page! Thank you.Posted by Angelique Rivera on Sunday, October 6, 2024
After a year and a half of battling cancer, Erika’s prognosis grew worse when she was diagnosed with Cushing Syndrome on Jan. 17, 2024.
The disorder resulted in numerous changes, including “rapid weight gain & swelling (60+ lbs in a matter of weeks), muscle and bone deterioration, high blood pressure, Type 2 diabetes, Moon Face” and more.
According to Mayo Clinic, Cushing Syndrome “happens when the body has too much of the hormone cortisol for a long time.” Treatments usually involve lowering the body’s cortisol levels.
On Oct. 1, Angel took to Facebook to announce that they “were able to finalize her funeral services,” which took a giant weight off the family’s shoulders.
Angel described it as a “sad but humorous process” because Erika was still cracking jokes like she did her entire life. She even got to go through catalogs and pick out her flowers, urn, and funeral package.
“Too bad these flowers aren’t for my wedding,” Angel recalled Erika saying as she flipped through the pages of a floral book. “It’s not everyday you get to plan your own funeral.”
She also took a moment to reassure her followers that the donations would go to her two children.
“The number 1 question/concern everyone had was and is getting taken care of (it’s still in the works) but every penny donated for her children is simply that,” she wrote. “FOR HER CHILDREN ONLY.”
Funeral arrangements haven’t been shared by Angel, but she did disclose that Erika’s son, Jeremiah, was baptized on Oct. 13, the day after she died. Our hearts and prayers go out to her family.
