Two cancers, one year—I'm not done with life yet. Hi, my name is Erica, and at just 35 years old my body was a cancer breading ground. I’m a Police Officer, renovator, designer, former Airbnb Super Host, and winter escape artist from Canada. I’ve always chased big dreams—serving in policing, transforming rundown spaces into beautiful ones, or escaping harsh Canadian winters to start a business and community in Belize. Sometimes I wonder how I got this far with over a decade of chronic fatigue/idiopathic hypersomnia. In the last year I've been diagnosed with Cervical cancer and aggressive triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) linked to my genetics (BRCA1). I’m fundraising after spending every penny I didn’t have ($150,000+) on life-saving treatments and surgery, without income, leaving me no choice but to file for bankruptcy imminently. I’m Canadian, and let me tell you—cancer is NOT free here, especially in my case. I’m raising funds to pay for monitoring, diagnostics, treatment, recovery costs, and medical related travel costs that our healthcare system can’t provide, so I can keep fighting, and fulfill my mission here on earth.

A bit about me:

My health journey started in high school with debilitating fatigue—I’d fall asleep in class (full REM/drool), unconscious at my best friend’s place, or during plane takeoffs and hurricanes. Doctors dismissed it or tied it to my Hashimoto’s, but thyroid meds never helped my “excessive daytime sleepiness.” I pushed through, working shift work for over a decade. I worked in security, did a policing contract in an isolated fly-in Inuit community and then in 2015, I joined the RCMP—my dream job. Isolation in small-town Saskatchewan, similar to the norther isolation I tested out in 2011, led to deep depression. Moving to Calgary brought relief with another police agency, but fatigue worsened—I relied on caffeine pills to stay awake on night shifts to avoid nodding off driving without them. Then COVID hit; my dad passed after a month in ICU, a grief my workplace weaponized, leading to toxic treatment, stress leave and my resignation. I ended my engagement and I collected more medical mysteries doctors couldn’t help me with. Memory issues, gastro problems, crazy water retention, and sleepiness despite 14-hour solid sleep nights. After resigning I had to grieve my identity not knowing if I’d ever wear a uniform again. I secured a civilian Calgary Police Service role, where I could get a lab sleep test paid for which confirmed idiopathic hypersomnia—doctors pushed stimulants instead of looking for the root cause.

I took a leap, quitting that civilian position to start a business in Belize as my RCMP Reservist application was taking longer than anticipated. As a reservist, I have to work 6-weeks per year casually with no guaranteed hours to fill vacancies. With abundant vacancies, it’s the perfect safety net to jump into the life of an entrepreneur. I got the job! Do I have drug coverage and benefits through work? No, I don’t pay into a pension, don’t have benefits or vacation, and only get paid when I work—no sick time (my last day worked was November 2024). Winter escape artist dream mode activated!

In May 2024 I found out I had the breast cancer gene (BRCA1), fought for screening and we found the lump, no biopsy was recommended (spoiler…). BRCA1 mutation = 72% breast cancer, 44% ovarian risk, recommendation: surgical removal of breast tissue and ovaries to prevent cancer. I worked that summer in Alberta in my favourite role of my career, the RPACT team. It’s a mental health response unit that bridges the gap between the health care system and police response, it was the most rewarding work. I took lots of time off traveling trying to solve medical issues, then cervical cancer was diagnosed September 2024, requiring a hysterectomy November 2024 after unclear margins. I decided to keep my ovaries; I couldn’t handle hormonal problems on top of all the mysteries I couldn’t get medical help for. I was so burnt out from all the medical issues, November was getting cold and I headed to Belize before I was medically cleared to fly. Calgary was a lonely place for me and I couldn’t go to the gym or work. After this cancer scare, I was fuelled to change my life. I went to Belize, saw an opportunity and ran with it! I felt the passion and spark ooze out of me as I designed and built the first gym at Secret Beach. I swear I felt like I had just figured out life, found my community and my purpose, until…

May 4, 2025, I had an itch on my breast and my life stopped in that moment. It felt like there was a golf ball in my breast, I didn’t need a doctor or a biopsy. I felt like my dreams were shattered as I entered survival mode, nothing else mattered. I paid for a double mastectomy in Montreal ($50,000) to shave down surgical wait times when days and weeks mattered. Surgery confirmed it, I had one of the most aggressive multiplying cancers that exists, Triple Negative, resistant to most treatments and a Ki-67 of 80% (30% is considered fast growing cancer). My compromised immune system (persistent Grade 2 lymphopenia) made chemo a challenge, so I went to Germany and received low-dose immunotherapy and a low-dose chemotherapy. I could only afford 2 treatments and a cancer vaccine before returning to Canada on fumes. Canada denied me further immunotherapy treatments, leaving me untreated since. A recent Liquid Biopsy (Sept 2025) confirms I still have active cancer in my body and that I'm responding well to treatment.

I’ve been my own advocate, traveling to Colombia, Mexico, Germany and Argentina over the last two years for diagnostics, specialists and treatments feeling like I’m barely making progress on my health. In Belize, I built an outdoor beach gym I had to abandon—my dream life’s on hold. I’ve lost my engagement, dad, dog, home (sold for debt), and risk my Feb 2026 RCMP contract. I’m back in Belize clinging to the only thing I have left. This fight is everything—your support funds more than my life, it’s funding my ability to serve my purpose and do life right this time. Every $5 or share helps. Follow @InvestedErica or check out my gym at www.LiftingBeachFace.com @LiftingBeachFace to see if I can resuscitate my gym and my life.

Thank you SO much for being here.

With gratitude, Erica

Your support will directly fund my cancer care:

FAQ’s

Why can’t you get treatment in Canada?

Immunotherapy is rarely given in Canada. This is the primary treatment I need and is also one of the best modern treatments available for cancer. You need specific types of cancers to receive this treatment in Canada, mine is one of them. Unfortunately, my oncologist will not allow me to receive immunotherapy, even along side chemo like I did in Germany, because I’ve already had surgery. The standard of care guidelines are set in Canada and the standard of care is failing me in my specific situation.

What WILL Canada provide you?

Chemotherapy is my only option and my lymphopenia continues to go unaddressed which would be made worse by chemotherapy, increasing my chances at metastasis and a short life including permanent or long-term chemo side effects. That’s it. No immunotherapy, imaging or blood tests to monitor me for recurrence. If I find a tumor, or have symptoms that justify it, I can receiving imaging to see if it’s coming back. My oncologist in Ottawa agrees that it’s too late by then. Early detection of stage 4 doesn’t provide better survivability since it’s considered incurable, so there’s no funding provided in my circumstance.

How do you know Immunotherapy is the best treatment for you?

My oncologists in Germany, Mexico, and Belize all agree: Keytruda monotherapy is my best, most effective treatment option. My PD-L1-positive turmor and BRCA1 mutation qualify me for Keytruda (immunotherapy) per KEYNOTE-522 and KEYNOTE-355 trials, which show 37% reduced recurrence risk in cases like mine. A September 2025 CTOAM liquid biopsy confirms ongoing tumor activity with persistent tumor RNA, but excellent response to prior low-dose Keytruda. CTOAM, a precision oncology research and advocacy service recommends continued immunotherapy.

Why don’t you have money to pay for treatment?

I’ve already spent all the funds I had access to, over $150,000+ on my cancer care in 6 months without employment income. The surgery alone was $50,000 in Montreal. Treatment in Germany was extremely expensive and not offered to me in Canada. I don’t have benefits through work and have maxed all available funds leading to imminent bankruptcy.

Don’t you have a job?

I am employed as a Reservist Constable with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police which is a casual contract position without benefits. I haven’t worked since November 2024. There is no return to work accommodations for me, I must be medically cleared to perform all policing duties in order to work. My contract is up in February 2026 and I’m concerned I won’t be able to renew my contract while not being medically cleared.

Do you have assets?

No, the only thing I could sell is my truck and my trailer which both hold no extra value over what I owe on them as they are financed. I will be losing these in bankruptcy. I sold my house to pay off my debts from trying to start the gym and was faced with big life decisions repeatedly. These decisions to put my health first led to maxing out my available credit on everything I had access too. I do NOT own the land in Belize that my gym is on and don’t have control over it until I pay $317,000 USD left from the seller financing debt. If I default on payments, I will lose everything I have left. My goal is to try and get a business loan for the gym.

How can you afford to live, let alone live in Belize?

I stay with my generous friends, I have my apartment in Canada rented for sublet and it’s actually significantly more affordable for me to live in Belize than in Canada. I have to use my moms credit card in order to pay for anything like food or transportation.

What is a full precision oncology tumor analysis?

A full precision oncology tumor analysis (CTOAM’s 550+ gene DNA + 22,000+ gene RNA panel on my mastectomy tissue) sequences my tumor’s complete genetic and molecular profile—far beyond basic pathology. It reveals actionable mutations (e.g., BRCA1, PIK3CA), TMB, MSI status, and over-expressed pathways to match me with targeted drugs (e.g., PARP inhibitors, TROP2-ADCs). This gives me a ranked treatment roadmap, clinical trial eligibility (e.g., NCT06956547), and proof for compassionate use of Keytruda—taking the guesswork out of my treatment. This is precision oncology which isn’t included in the public health care system most of the time. Paying for this along with CTOAM’s liquid RNA biopsy to monitor me can provide indisputable evidence allowing the public health care system to give me treatments or qualify for trials I wouldn’t otherwise be able to obtain.

Who is Norma White and why is she the beneficiary?

Norma is my amazing and caring Aunt who is the beneficiary of the funds. If I receive the funds in my bank account, the funds will be considered income, extend my bankruptcy and the majority of the funds will be used to pay towards my bankruptcy rather than my cancer care.

What’s your advice to anyone facing a cancer diagnosis?

1 – Get a treatment advocacy company to research and advocate for you. This alleviates the burden of having to become an expert overnight in your unique cancer situation and prioritizes your health, not the health care system’s budget. They can give you a huge advantage and shed light on things you could be missing out on, including life saving treatments.

2 – Get a naturopath. It’s not a bunch of woowoo. Seek a professional and understand that your doctor studies MEDICINE and anything outside of that is not their advice to give. There are so many therapies that are unfortunately not recognized and are supported by science.

3 – Always get a second, third or fourth opinion if you have any shred of doubt, this is your life.

4 – Believe in miracles and the power of your mind.