How a Mother’s Love Went Viral: The Incredible Tale of Erika Diarte-Carr
So, let me set the stage for you. We have a young mother, Erika Diarte-Carr, who, after being diagnosed with lung cancer—yes, that’s the horrible plot twist we never saw coming (because who would? Cancer is like that really uninvited guest that shows up at a party and just won’t leave)—decides to plan her own funeral. Now, not just any funeral, mind you, but one that, I dare say, might cause some serious traffic issues in Heaven when she arrives.
The Fundraising Phenomenon
Now, this young lady has two little ones, twins—Jeremiah and Aaliyah—who were only 7 and 5 at the time. And instead of contemplating her own mortality while binge-watching the latest seasons of her favorite show, she takes to GoFundMe. She hopes to raise a modest $5,000 to cover her funeral and leave a little something for the kiddos. Little did she know, she’d end up with a staggering $1.2 million!
That’s enough money to start a college fund, buy a small island, or at the very least, ensure those kids never have to eat cereal for dinner again!
The Unfortunate Diagnosis
Diagnosed back in May 2022, Erika faced a barrage of medical challenges—it’s like if a bad reality show called “Survivor: Hospital Edition” suddenly became her life. Lung carcinoma turned into Cushing’s syndrome, which is just a fancy way of saying she was riddled with a cocktail of unfortunate symptoms. You know, like muscle deterioration and high blood pressure—making her feel like a neglected organ donation waiting to happen.
Coping with Grim Prognosis
And then, just to really spice up her situation, doctors gave her a timeline: “You’ve got three months, dear.” Fancy that! I mean, if that isn’t the world’s worst countdown, I don’t know what is. She takes to her GoFundMe to battle through this with a positive attitude. After all, who can complain while juggling the responsibilities of impending death and the welfare of your children? Talk about a balancing act—you’d think she was auditioning for a circus.
Leaving a Legacy
Erika, being the champion she was, decided to transform that grim prognosis into something beautiful. “I’m going to create memories for my kids,” she thought, and what a valiant effort that was! A big family trip to ensure her little ones are left with memories more enduring than a four-hour film that never really gets any awards.
A Lasting Impact
The moment she kicked the bucket last Friday, her cousin shared the news, filled with love and proclamations of strength. She had fought valiantly, and her legacy is set to live on—not just in the hearts of her children but through that notable sum of nearly $1.2 million dollars. That’s an incredible safety net for her kids, or, as we say in the business, “a life jacket for when things get a little too Titanic.”
A Cheeky Reflection
Now, as I sit here with my cheeky observational lens firmly in place, I can’t help but wonder: why don’t we all go viral in the same way? I mean, if you’re struggling, just ask the internet to pay for your send-off! At least in Erika’s case, people rallied together, proving that humanity still has a flicker of warmth hidden beneath social media’s cold, blue glow. So let’s sit back, reflect on Erika’s legacy, and maybe, just maybe, consider how we can contribute to the stories of those who fight their own battles every day.
After all, if you can’t make them laugh, make them give!
A little more than two years after the diagnosis, Erika Diarte-Carr, 30, succumbed to her cancer. This single mother from Utah was diagnosed in May 2022 and launched an online fundraiser to finance her own funeral. If the young woman wanted to raise $5,000 to organize her funeral and leave some money to Jeremiah, 7 years old, and Aaliyah, 5 years old, it was ultimately nearly 1.2 million dollars that she collected via her page GofundMe.
In May 2022, the young mother was diagnosed with lung carcinoma, the metastases of which gradually spread throughout her body, recalls USA Today. Then last January, doctors diagnosed him with Cushing’s syndrome. With the accompanying symptoms: deterioration of muscles, bones, high blood pressure, diabetes, etc.
Her doctors gave her a sad deadline in September, Erika only had three months to live. One of them said these words to her that haunted her, she wrote on GofundMe: “I hope you have a good support system at home, because you will need it. You have a long and difficult road ahead. »
“I was given three months to live. Three months to spend with my babies and my loved ones. Three months to make the most of the time I have left (…) Over the next few months, I have to make sure that my children will be okay after I leave. I am now faced with the most difficult task: organizing my own funeral,” explains the woman who could no longer work due to her illness.
“She fought a long, hard battle.”
In an update, posted on October 3, the young mother thanks all the donors of her kitty which amounts this Wednesday morning to 1,196,565 dollars (approximately 1.8 million euros). She planned to organize a big family trip to leave her children with “memories that will last a lifetime”. Erika added that the rest of the prize pool was going to be deposited into a trust fund for her little ones.
But the mother did not last three months. She died last Friday, her cousin announced on Facebook, cited by USA Today. “She joined her mother Sylvia, her brother JJ, her uncles Chava and Loui on the other side,” writes the cousin. She fought a long, hard battle. She was strong and held on as long as she could for her babies.”