Erika has been married to her husband, Taylor, for 3 years. They live in Albion, Indiana, and have a strong connection to Northeast Indiana. Erika was a 2014 graduate of East Noble High School. She has worked for Lutheran Life Villages for almost 6 years and is currently a Social Worker there. Her life is dedicated to her family, friends, and the residents that she serves.

On June 21st, Erika was admitted to Parkview Whitley Hospital complaining of severe back pain. She had been suffering from it for several weeks leading up to her admission to the ER. Still, She had held off on seeking emergency medical attention as her age, and general health led her and everyone else to believe that it was probably a minor issue. Soon they received the news that she had numerous masses showing up on her body scans, indicating the issue was vastly different than simple back pain. When she arrived at the ER, she assumed that she had a slipped disk or pulled muscle, and within 24 hours, she was being told that she likely had cancer.

She was transferred to Parkview North, where she had 1 liter of fluid removed from her lung, underwent multiple biopsies, and more testing to reveal that, at the age of 25, she had developed breast cancer that had metastasized to her liver and lungs. She had no family history and had led a healthy, full life up until this point. Currently, doctors are struggling to diagnose exactly what type of breast cancer she has. On June 27th, Erika was transferred to the Cleveland Clinic to seek a more definitive diagnosis and further treatment.

Erika and Taylor are young and practically newlyweds. They could never have planned for or foreseen such a life-altering medical crisis to be happening to them so early in their lives together. Both have worked full-time (and then some) until this past week, and, given the circumstances, that will no longer be possible for the foreseeable future. As Erika seeks treatment, we hope to find support from friends, family, and the community to carry them through this unimaginable and challenging time. Our goal of $20,000 (updated due to requests from donors!) will go towards the travel expenses, medical bills, and time off work that will undoubtedly take a toll on the financial stability that they’ve worked so hard for.

We will do our best to keep this page up to date and increase the goal as necessary, depending on the duration and cost of her treatments. No one deserves to be in this predicament, and as a community, we are hoping that we can rally support for this amazing girl and her sweet family.

Please consider donating whatever amount you are comfortable with at this time. You can donate anonymously if you choose.

On behalf of Erika's husband Taylor, her parents Brian and Joella Shultz, her sister's Natalie Bonar and Sara Shultz, and so many other friends and family supporting her during this time, thank you.

With love,

Her Friends Hannah & Taiylor