A mum has revealed her devastating diagnosis which has left her with just months to live after seeking treatment for shoulder pain.
Erika Diarte-Carr, a 33-year-old mum of two is now planning her own funeral after her pain turned out to be terminal.
It was only three years ago that Erika walked into the emergency department, where she complained of painful discomfort in her shoulder.
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She was then inspected by healthcare professionals, who delivered the devastating blow to her, and now that her symptoms continue to get worse, she has to prepare herself for her own death.
On her fundraising page, which was created to raise funds for her funeral, she explained how she had been keeping her diagnosis a secret.
Erika said: "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 but the physical effects are starting to take control and I can’t hide it any longer.
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“I’ve never been good at accepting or asking for help but unfortunately, I believe I’ve come to a point in my life and health where that is no longer an option for me. I am no longer able to physically work which has put a major financial burden on me."
Unfortunately, it was found that she has a highly aggressive form of small cell lung carcinoma along with multiple tumours throughout her body.
Erika has a five-year-old daughter called Ailiyah and a seven-year-old son named Jeremiah, who she has been trying to be strong for during her three years of cancer treatment.
But little over a week ago, she was told she had just three months left to live.
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It was on May 7, 2022 that she was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer, small cell lung carcinoma, which is the day before US Mother’s Day.
When her condition improved, she was able to stop treatment to see how she got on, only to develop Cushing’s Syndrome, on January 17, 2024, which is a rare hormonal disorder that happens when the body is exposed to too much cortisol.
This new diagnosis caused her to rapidly gain weight and caused her body to swell and her muscles and bones to deteriorate.
She was due to restart her treatment, on September 18, 2024, but has decided to forgo treatment so she can spend her remaining time with her children.
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It was that same day she was told about how long she has left.
She wrote on her GoFundMe page: "Unfortunately, I wasn’t given the best news. Due to my prognosis, I have decided to discontinue treatments as they will no longer help. 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.
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"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. Due to me not being able to work for months now I do not have any finances saved up or any life insurance set aside for this situation.
“I have looked into the expenses and I need to raise about $5,000 to ensure funeral costs are covered plus I want to leave something behind for my babies."
Britt Jones