Single Mom With Cancer Starts $5k Fundraiser For Her Own Funeral -- And Ends Up Raising Over $1 Million For Her Kids!

perezhilton.com:

This single mother raised over $1 million for her children before passing away from terminal cancer. Erika Diarte-Carr, who was mom to Jeremiah, 7, and Aaliyah, 5, sadly passed away on Saturday, according to her cousin. Angelique Rivera shared via a heartfelt Facebook post: Related: The Office Star Jenna Fischer Reveals Breast Cancer Battle  Erika was just 30.

So, so sad. Reflecting on the late mother’s lengthy cancer battle, Angelique continued: But before she moved on, she did one last amazing thing.

In June, Erika opened up about her health struggles on a GoFundMe page, which she set up to raise money for her funeral and in hopes she’d be able “to leave something behind for [her] babies.” In her first post on the fundraiser, Erika explained she went to the ER on May 7, 2022, for what she thought was a shoulder injury.

Unfortunately, she was “diagnosed with stage 4 terminal cancer,” specifically, small cell lung carcinoma (SCLC). She recalled: Sadly, on January 17, 2024, she was then diagnosed with Cushing’s syndrome, a disorder in which someone’s body “makes too much of the hormone cortisol over a long period of time,” per the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.