Our dear friend Erika was diagnosed with breast cancer a few short weeks ago, and she’s scheduled to have a double mastectomy next Monday the 14th. We want to raise this money to fund Erika’s recovery and to defray medical costs over the next few months. Erika and Jody have three active awesome children, Zadie, Jude, and Asher. Jody’s job requires him to spend weeks at a time working out of town and this fund would allow him to stay home, which will be essential while Erika is recovering. Let’s use our resources to support our amazing friend during this trying time!

Erika’s current diagnosis, based on a single biopsy, is ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS). The MRI shows there are several tumors and almost half of her right breast tissue is abnormal. Due to the size of the area affected, her doctor is recommending a double mastectomy.

Her oncologist said there is no way to really know if the cancer is invasive or non-invasive at this point, but we are optimistic it hasn’t spread. We will know for sure in 3 to 5 days after the mastectomy when pathology comes back.

If it turns out to be invasive, about a month later, she would start treatment, which would consist of five months of chemo infusions and six weeks of radiation.

If it’s non-invasive, then she will be scheduled for reconstruction surgery in February. This page will be updated as we get more information about where she is on her path to beating this this completely.

As all of you who know her can attest to, Erika can handle more of what life gives her than the average person. Despite the shock of this news, she is not even entertaining the option of not beating this cancer. Her will is strong, and so is her community of support. We want to bring everyone together to help minimize stress and financial burden during her recovery period. Thank you to you all.

Sarah and Sara