Mother of two plans her own funeral after cancer diagnosis

A Utah mother of two has started planning her own funeral after learning she only has three months to live

While Erika Diarte-Carr, 33, was in the hospital for shoulder surgery in May 2022, she learned she had stage 4 small cell lung cancer, a rare form of cancer, she explained on GoFundMe.

The young mother began treatment for cancer but suffered another blow in January when she was diagnosed with Cushing’s syndrome.

Cushing’s is caused by an excess of the stress hormone cortisol in the body. Weight gain, a round face and high blood pressure are among the symptoms, and the condition can be fatal if left untreated.

According to the National Institutes of Health, only 40 to 70 people out of every million suffer from Cushing’s, making the syndrome extremely rare.

Diarte-Carr said she had an appointment with her oncologist on Sept. 18, who told her the treatments weren’t working.

“I have three months to live,” Diarte-Carr wrote on GoFundMe. “3 months to spend with my babies and loved ones. 3 months to make the most of the time I have left. Over the next few months I need to make sure my kids are okay while I’m away. I now face the most difficult task of planning my own funeral.”

Diarte-Carr said she had been unable to work for months.

“I have no money saved or life insurance set aside for this situation,” she wrote. “I have looked into the costs and need to raise about $5,000 to ensure the funeral costs are covered. I also want to leave something behind for my babies.”

The GoFundMe page was started when Diarte-Carr was still 30, shortly after she learned of her illness.

As of Saturday afternoon, it had far exceeded its original goal of $5,000 with more than $840,000 raised from over 29,000 donations

A humble Diarte-Carr said the money left over after her funeral is covered will be set aside in a trust fund for her children Jeremiah, 7, and Aaliyah, 5.

“This way I can leave something for them and still make sure they’re okay as they grow up,” she wrote.

“My family and I thank you ALL from the bottom of our hearts,” she wrote, adding, “(My children) are my entire life, my entire light and my soul.” My children are my fight and what keeps me going .”

All three will soon be taking a trip together and Diarte-Carr hopes they can spend one last Christmas together.