Team Erika
Donation protected
A perfect job, a wonderful marriage and, suddenly, “in sickness and in health” hits us hard. Team Erika is asking for your support!
Team Erika is surrounding our daughter, wife, sister, cousin, and special friend, Erika, with love and support as she recovers from a brain tumor. To lighten her stress Team Erika is sponsoring this Go Fund Me account to ease the financial burden associated with her treatment and continuing therapy. While $10,000 seems extraordinary, it is approximately 1/3 of the costs associated with her recovery. We hope you will be moved to help as you read her story.
Here is Erika’s story in her own words:
“My name is Erika Sacchi. I’m 28 years old and have been married for two years. Little did I know that when I said, “I do”, my life would change forever in just a brief time. The culprit: a BRAIN TUMOR.
I have always lived in Connecticut and grew up with the most amazing family a girl can ask for. When I say family, I mean parents, sisters, aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, and even family best friends. Everyone in my family is so loving and caring! We will find absolutely any reason to get together because we love and support each other so much.
About 3 years ago, I started having symptoms of vertigo. It all began when I got out of the ocean one day during a family trip to the beach-the ocean is my happy place. I laid down on the blanket and a wave (Ha- get it ?!) of dizziness came over me. I began to experience reoccurring vertigo and sought medical treatment. None of the routine treatments seemed to relieve my vertigo. I figured that my symptoms weren’t affecting me THAT bad so I decided to live with them. I continued to work hard, finish school, and fall in love.
Over the next few years,
I completed my Master’s Degree in social work while working full time in the emergency department for St. Mary’s Hospital. My degree allowed me to secure a position as a social worker at Waterbury Hospital. How ironic that, on a daily basis, I assist patients on the neurosurgery floor.
In October of 2017, after three years of cementing our relationship, I married my true love Darrell Sacchi. Together with Darrell’s son Jordan, who is just as wonderful as his dad, we have begun our life together. Little did we know, that our promises of “through sickness and in health” would be challenged so early in our marriage.
About six months ago, my symptoms started affecting me every day. I would run into things, drop my keys, and couldn’t walk down the hall while looking down or I would stagger down the hallways. Not a very good look for a social worker.
I went back to my doctor who became really concerned with the changes in my status and ordered an MRI. A day later I received a call with the devastating results. My doctor expressed regret that he had to inform me that I had a mass in my brain, in particular in a 2cm mass in my cerebellum. didn’t hear a single word after that. I only know that my world changed suddenly with that one phone call.
Devastation set in.”
May 9th was the beginning of Erika’s brain tumor journey....
It broke my heart to hear my sweet girl say “Mom, I don’t want to die.” Through the tears I told her that we will do everything in our power to fight this and support her.
Three days later, Team Erika was founded as her family and friends sprang into action to provide support and gather resources. The close bond of Erika’s family and friends has been so inspiring through this ordeal!
The month of May was spent gathering information and seeking advice from the best neurosurgeons on the East Coast. Removal of the tumor via surgery was the consensus of the three doctors she consulted. Ultimately, Erika selected Dr. Bob Carter, Chief of Neurosurgery at Massachusetts General Hospital to perform her surgery.
Erika was adamant that she would wait to have her surgery until after the birth of her niece Maeve and after Jordan’s high school graduation. Those were key milestones that she could not and would not miss.
On July 8th, Erika underwent surgery at Mass General to remove her tumor. She was ultimately diagnosed with GRADE 1 PILOCYTIC ASTROCYTOMA is a very rare, cancerous childhood tumor that only affects 14 in every 1 million children. It is even more rare to be diagnosed as a young adult. These types of tumors are graded from 0-4. Grade 1 indicates a very slow growing tumor and will require surveillance monitoring via MRIs for the rest of her life.
After her surgery and several days spent at Mass. General, Erika spent two weeks at Gaylord Hospital. Despite Erika desperately wanting to go home from the hospital, she spent those two weeks fighting to rebuild her strength and overcome the barriers that she was faced with after surgery.
Erika will require many months of rehabilitation to regain her strength and conquer her post-op physical challenges. Erika has never hesitated to help out any person who crosses her path and spreads her generosity, genuineness, and kindness to every person she meets. Family is one of the most important aspects of life to Erika, and her love and support easily remind you of the type of kindness everyone should show to one another. She is the shoulder her friends, family, and patients lean on when they need a kind ear and it’s time for us to provide that shoulder for her now!
To help ease the financial strain of Erika’s procedure and rehabilitation, please consider a donation of any amount to support Erika in her recovery. This will allow Erika to focus on her recovery without worrying about the considerable amount of medical debt that is accruing.
THANK YOU FOR ANY AMOUNT THAT YOU CAN CONTRIBUTE !!!!
Please share this link with family and friends.
To read more about Erika’s daily journey over the past several months, please follow the link below:
https://www.caringbridge.org/visit/erikasacchi
Team Erika is surrounding our daughter, wife, sister, cousin, and special friend, Erika, with love and support as she recovers from a brain tumor. To lighten her stress Team Erika is sponsoring this Go Fund Me account to ease the financial burden associated with her treatment and continuing therapy. While $10,000 seems extraordinary, it is approximately 1/3 of the costs associated with her recovery. We hope you will be moved to help as you read her story.
Here is Erika’s story in her own words:
“My name is Erika Sacchi. I’m 28 years old and have been married for two years. Little did I know that when I said, “I do”, my life would change forever in just a brief time. The culprit: a BRAIN TUMOR.
I have always lived in Connecticut and grew up with the most amazing family a girl can ask for. When I say family, I mean parents, sisters, aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, and even family best friends. Everyone in my family is so loving and caring! We will find absolutely any reason to get together because we love and support each other so much.
About 3 years ago, I started having symptoms of vertigo. It all began when I got out of the ocean one day during a family trip to the beach-the ocean is my happy place. I laid down on the blanket and a wave (Ha- get it ?!) of dizziness came over me. I began to experience reoccurring vertigo and sought medical treatment. None of the routine treatments seemed to relieve my vertigo. I figured that my symptoms weren’t affecting me THAT bad so I decided to live with them. I continued to work hard, finish school, and fall in love.
Over the next few years,
I completed my Master’s Degree in social work while working full time in the emergency department for St. Mary’s Hospital. My degree allowed me to secure a position as a social worker at Waterbury Hospital. How ironic that, on a daily basis, I assist patients on the neurosurgery floor.
In October of 2017, after three years of cementing our relationship, I married my true love Darrell Sacchi. Together with Darrell’s son Jordan, who is just as wonderful as his dad, we have begun our life together. Little did we know, that our promises of “through sickness and in health” would be challenged so early in our marriage.
About six months ago, my symptoms started affecting me every day. I would run into things, drop my keys, and couldn’t walk down the hall while looking down or I would stagger down the hallways. Not a very good look for a social worker.
I went back to my doctor who became really concerned with the changes in my status and ordered an MRI. A day later I received a call with the devastating results. My doctor expressed regret that he had to inform me that I had a mass in my brain, in particular in a 2cm mass in my cerebellum. didn’t hear a single word after that. I only know that my world changed suddenly with that one phone call.
Devastation set in.”
May 9th was the beginning of Erika’s brain tumor journey....
It broke my heart to hear my sweet girl say “Mom, I don’t want to die.” Through the tears I told her that we will do everything in our power to fight this and support her.
Three days later, Team Erika was founded as her family and friends sprang into action to provide support and gather resources. The close bond of Erika’s family and friends has been so inspiring through this ordeal!
The month of May was spent gathering information and seeking advice from the best neurosurgeons on the East Coast. Removal of the tumor via surgery was the consensus of the three doctors she consulted. Ultimately, Erika selected Dr. Bob Carter, Chief of Neurosurgery at Massachusetts General Hospital to perform her surgery.
Erika was adamant that she would wait to have her surgery until after the birth of her niece Maeve and after Jordan’s high school graduation. Those were key milestones that she could not and would not miss.
On July 8th, Erika underwent surgery at Mass General to remove her tumor. She was ultimately diagnosed with GRADE 1 PILOCYTIC ASTROCYTOMA is a very rare, cancerous childhood tumor that only affects 14 in every 1 million children. It is even more rare to be diagnosed as a young adult. These types of tumors are graded from 0-4. Grade 1 indicates a very slow growing tumor and will require surveillance monitoring via MRIs for the rest of her life.
After her surgery and several days spent at Mass. General, Erika spent two weeks at Gaylord Hospital. Despite Erika desperately wanting to go home from the hospital, she spent those two weeks fighting to rebuild her strength and overcome the barriers that she was faced with after surgery.
Erika will require many months of rehabilitation to regain her strength and conquer her post-op physical challenges. Erika has never hesitated to help out any person who crosses her path and spreads her generosity, genuineness, and kindness to every person she meets. Family is one of the most important aspects of life to Erika, and her love and support easily remind you of the type of kindness everyone should show to one another. She is the shoulder her friends, family, and patients lean on when they need a kind ear and it’s time for us to provide that shoulder for her now!
To help ease the financial strain of Erika’s procedure and rehabilitation, please consider a donation of any amount to support Erika in her recovery. This will allow Erika to focus on her recovery without worrying about the considerable amount of medical debt that is accruing.
THANK YOU FOR ANY AMOUNT THAT YOU CAN CONTRIBUTE !!!!
Please share this link with family and friends.
To read more about Erika’s daily journey over the past several months, please follow the link below:
https://www.caringbridge.org/visit/erikasacchi
Organizer and beneficiary
Nancy Albert
Organizer
Wolcott, CT
Erika Sacchi
Beneficiary
