A MUM-of-two was forced to plan her own funeral after she went to the doctor for a shoulder injury – only to receive a shock cancer diagnosis.
Doctors told Erika Diarte-Carr, now 33, that three years ago she developed a very aggressive form of small cell lung cancer – or lung cancer.
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Erika Diarte-Carr pictured with her son and daughter Credits: GoFundMe
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She was diagnosed with a very aggressive form of small cell lung cancerCredit: Facebook
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Mom now has three months to liveCredit: ABC4 Utah
Diarte-Carr received the tragic news just one day before Mother’s Day 2022 when she went to the hospital for treatment for shoulder pain.
Since then, mom has begun her treatments to treat the dangerous form of cancer, including multiple surgeries, biopsies, radiation and painful chemotherapy.
However, she stopped receiving her treatments in September this year after realizing they were no longer effective.
The doctors tragically told her that she only had three months to live.
Diarte-Carr said: “Three months [is all I have] spend with your babies and loved ones. [Just] three months to make the best use of the time I have left.”
After learning of her shock cancer diagnosis in 2022, the mom began to gain weight rapidly – reaching more than 60 pounds within just a few weeks.
She soon began experiencing other medical conditions including bone loss, high blood pressure, moon face and type 2 diabetes.
But the single mother of two continued to work full-time to support her two children.
Diarte-Carr has revealed the tragic moment she realized she had a deadly cancer growing in her body.
I was diagnosed with bowel cancer after feeling tired all the time
Speaking to ABC4, she said: “At that point the damage was already done. At that point my whole life and my children’s life changed forever.”
The mom also said she wants to spend more time with her children without being sick from treatments and medications.
But she is now facing huge difficulties in managing her finances after being out of work for months due to her health condition.
Diarte-Carr has now set up a GoFundMe page with a goal of $5,000 to help plan her funeral and spend more time with her family.
In the fundraiser, she wrote: “Since I haven’t been able to work for months, I have no savings or life insurance for this situation.
“We would appreciate it if you could donate or share anything.”
Sharing the heartbreaking picture, Diarte-Carro’s cousin Angelique Rivera said: “We are at a loss for words and could never say thank you enough.”
Diarte-Carr’s 5-year-old daughter Ailiyah told ABC 4, “She’s special to us.”
The family is planning a camping trip, and they hope that the children will be able to experience another Christmas with their mother, DailyMail reports.
What is small cell lung cancer?
SMALL lung cancer, or simply lung cancer, is one of the most common and dangerous forms of cancer affecting people around the world.
Only one in 10 patients survive a decade or more after being diagnosed, and lung tumors account for 21 per cent of cancer deaths in the UK but only 13 per cent of cases.
About 49,000 people are diagnosed with lung cancer each year, and 35,000 die from it.
The main reason why it is so deadly is that the symptoms are not obvious in the early stages.
When signs appear, they may include:
- A cough that lasts three weeks or more and may hurt
- Repeated chest infections
- Coughing up blood
- Loss of breath
- Unusual fatigue
The NHS does not routinely screen for lung cancer, but is giving more tests to smokers and ex-smokers at high risk, in a bid to catch it earlier. Testing may include X-rays and a CT scan of the chest.
Smoking is the number one risk factor for lung cancer and accounts for about 70 percent of cases.
The risk may also be higher for people who have inhaled other fumes or toxic substances at work, such as asbestos, coal smoke or silica.
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Diarte-Carr’s 5-year-old daughter Ailiyah said her mom is ‘very special’Credit: ABC4 Utah
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