Help for Erin: Medical Crisis

July 21, 2025 (update including memorial information)

As many of you may know by now, Erin peacefully passed away May 31, 2025 with her children by her side. It was a beautiful day in the garden of her childhood home, just as she had requested.

Below are plans for a memorial in her honor which will take place on Saturday July 26th. We hope you will join us for the celebration of her life, which our dear Erin created the plan for before she passed. The family wishes to thank you all for your love and support for Erin through everything.

This Go Fund Me fundraiser was successful in assisting Erin and her family with many needs during her battle with ALS and the care required to keep Erin comfortable until it was time to let go. In future this page will remain open to assist in the closing out of the final medical and estate bills. Most importantly it will provide a trust that will be set up to benefit her kids as they face life without their mom.

There is still a need for support and any donations you are able to offer at this time will be greatly appreciated.

Hope to see you in person on Saturday July 26th at the celebration of life for Erin Merritt. We will not be streaming the celebration.

Where: Shotgun Players Ashby Stage

1901 Ashby Ave

Berkeley, CA 94703

Time: Doors 12:30 pm

Readings/Presentations at 1pm sharp

Details:

Parking is plentiful as Shotgun Theater is located across from the BART Parking lot at Ashby and MLK, making public transit easy as well. There is no longer a flea market on the weekends there so there should be easy parking. There may be a fee. More details to follow. Please contact Deb Fink or Melissa Hillman if you would like to be involved in the celebration (readings, volunteers for set up and break down, other). We will need a few volunteers willing to arrive early and stay late). We will get back to you in the next couple of weeks.

Thanks so very much,

Deb Fink and Melissa Hillman

(original post)

November 28th, 2023

by Deb Fink, Organizer

Hello wonderful people, it has been a while since we have updated you on what is going on. On this Giving Tuesday, it is time to let you know that things have changed in many ways. Most importantly, Erin's disease has progressed quickly. She is now almost completely paralyzed and requires specialized 24-hour care, so we are reactivating this call for financial support. It is very important that we refill this gofundme as it is extremely necessary, immediately. Please help if you can.

On the bright side, Erin was able to complete her part of the work putting together the finishing touches on the video version of her production of Tea Party, which you will be able to view very soon, for free. We are excited that many of you who were not able to join us live will have an opportunity to see this incredible piece. Wé hope you will enjoy it! We will be posting the link by the end of this week. Or next.

Once again, we thank you for your generous support.

ORIGINAL POST ~

Hi All,

Deb Fink here. I am writing to ask for your help and support for a dear friend who is facing a medical crisis. Erin is a brilliant woman: a theater maker, a director, a teacher, a grant writer, a community builder, and most importantly a mother. Erin has always been ready to step up and rise to the occasion for any of us, her work, her community, and many organizations and causes. Now we have the opportunity to help Erin during this extremely difficult time. She and her children need us to step up and donate what we can.

Thanks to generous non-GoFundMe gifts from the Theatre Bay Area Lemonade Fund ($3000) and Steve Lew and Denise Tukenmez ($1000), we believe we can reach the starting goal of $50,000. Erin will need this support to care for herself and her 16-year-old twins until they graduate from high school in 2024.

Erin was recently diagnosed with ALS, a progressive, terminal motor neuron disease. People with ALS have varying prognoses and progressions of the disease. Here is a good link to start with if you want to know more about this illness.

As of now, Erin has mostly lost the ability to speak. She is still as mentally sharp as ever and can communicate through typing and (soon) through a voice assistant (thanks to services generously donated by Paul Lancour and Anne Hallinan and a grant from Team Gleason). However, her condition has progressed to the point where she’s had to go on disability because it’s impossible for her to work a day job (though we are holding out hope that she will have an opportunity to direct again). And because she has been a freelancer all these years, her disability payments make up less than half of what she needs to support herself and the kids.

She has health insurance, but she needs help to cover basic necessities, as well as medical equipment as the disease progresses. Even now, the forms of medical therapy that most help mitigate her symptoms are not covered by insurance. Her kids, in turn, are trying to navigate adolescence while facing the nightmare of losing their primary care-giver way too early.

Our contributions, no matter the amount, will make a significant difference to Erin and to her children as they face this unimaginable challenge. Please give if you can.

If you are a close friend of Erin’s and would like to contact her, email is the best way for now. She just asks that you be patient. With all she is dealing with right now, it might take her a while to get back to you.

Thank you so very much for your generosity and care.

With much gratitude,

Deb Fink