For the past 67 days, Erika has been fighting for her life in the ICU.

During these past two months, our family has lived through moments we never imagined we would face. At one point during this crisis, we were preparing for the unthinkable and having conversations about organ donation because we truly believed we were losing her.

Today, Erika is still here and has begun the slow and fragile process of recovering from what felt like death’s door.

Her survival has required the highest level of critical care imaginable. Erika remains on ECMO, a life support machine that temporarily takes over the work of her lungs and heart so her body has a a chance to heal. She is also on a ventilator through a tracheotomy.

During this medical crisis, Erika’s body has endured trauma most people cannot imagine surviving. She experienced kidney failure that required dialysis, brain swelling and small brain bleeds, gastrointestinal bleeding that required cauterization and blood transfusions, and clotting complications related to the ECMO machine.

She continues to face serious medical challenges. Erika has significant lung damage and a pneumothorax, and she recently developed pneumonia again, which doctors are currently treating with antibiotics. While she previously required frequent dialysis, her kidneys have recently begun functioning more normally and the treatments have been reduced for now.

Right now, Erika is still unable to move her hands or legs and cannot walk or move independently. However, she has begun working with physical therapy and is fighting every day to slowly regain strength.

There are small but meaningful signs of neurological awareness, and each step forward, no matter how small, means everything to our family. But her progress remains extremely slow and uncertain. Doctors have warned us that even after these 67 days in the ICU, this is only the beginning. She may remain in the ICU in Sacramento for several more months before eventually beginning what will likely be a long and intensive rehabilitation process.

These past two months without Erika in our daily lives have been incredibly difficult. Her absence is felt everywhere.

Erika is the one who always makes sure everyone else is okay. She is the person you can talk to about absolutely anything, and she will sit there and listen for as long as you need. Most importantly, she is the person my mom talks to the most. Anyone who knows Erika knows my mom, Andrea, and knows that the two of them can talk to each other until they are blue in the face. Not being able to hear her voice and have those conversations right now has been absolutely gut wrenching for our family.

Our family continues to travel to Sacramento multiple times each week to be with her, making the long drives with our two dogs so we can stay close and spend as much time with her as possible. The travel, overnight stays, and time away from work have been exhausting, but we remain focused on being there for her and working closely with her medical team to give her every possible chance to recover.

The financial reality of this situation is overwhelming. A prolonged ICU stay with ECMO support, dialysis, multiple specialist teams, procedures, imaging, transfusions, medications, and the many months of care and rehabilitation ahead will result in medical costs well over one million dollars. While insurance will help with some of the expenses, the financial burden will still be extraordinary.

So many people have asked how they can help. This fundraiser is the most direct way to support Erika and our family as we face the long road ahead. Your support helps with mounting medical expenses, travel costs, lodging in Sacramento, and the extensive recovery process that lies ahead.

Any support for Erika during this time means more to our family than we can put into words. It allows us to focus on helping her heal while navigating the immense medical challenges ahead.

Erika is fighting with everything she has. Our family is fighting right alongside her. We are holding on to hope as she continues this incredibly difficult journey toward recovery.

From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for standing beside Erika and our family during this unimaginable time.