Let's help Erinn kick Cancer's butt!

This Summer, Erinn went in for her routine annual physical and bloodwork. A low iron count wasn’t anything to be overly worried about, as she had often experienced it before. Repeat blood work a month later showed iron levels as still low. A referral to a Hematologist followed, with two iron infusions given via IV. When those still didn’t raise her levels, Erinn was referred to a Gastrointestinal specialist in late September to further investigate where her iron was going. An endoscopy and colonoscopy was scheduled for the following week, until Hurricane Ian closed down Charleston. A few days later, the office had a cancellation and Erinn went in for those procedures.

Upon awakening from anesthesia, Erinn (and her support person/cousin, Tara) were informed that two tumors were found in her colon. One in the distal transverse colon measuring 6 cm and the other in the sigmoid colon measuring 1.5 cm, with adjacent lymph nodes and abdominal walls also being affected. After many moments of Erinn questioning if the doctor was serious and taking time to process these words, the doctor suggested moving full steam ahead immediately, with confirmation to later follow upon pathology results. While Tara was driving, phone calls were made moments later to get Erinn seen ASAP.

Many tests (MRI, CAT scans, bloodwork, genetic testing) and appointments later, Erinn and her team (Primary Care Physician, Gastrointestinal Specialist, Oncologist and Colorectal Surgeon) have a plan – on October 31, these tumors are coming out. A partial colectomy will be performed, with about 5 days in the hospital to follow, 4 weeks of recovery and then 6 months of chemotherapy. This will all be performed by her amazing team here at Roper Hospital in downtown Charleston, SC.

As so many of you know, Erinn is a very caring and generous person. She is always there to help others. Lucas is her world and their family is one of the sweetest and kindest that I have had the pleasure of knowing for the past 30 years. The two of them are a tight-knit family, very active in their schools and communities and I am often left wondering how they do it all - especially as a single parent and an 11-year-old.

Erinn has been a teacher for 20+ years, both in New York City and here in Charleston. During COVID, Erinn stepped away from her full-time role in the classroom and fell in love with her work with a local breeder, LierChonPoo. She quickly became an integral part of their business and family and has since been assisting with breeding many dogs within the program and developing relationships with their clients and guardians throughout the Lowcountry and the United States.

Much to Erinn’s disappointment, both of those jobs will not be suitable for her given her medical limitations and restrictions as she recovers from surgery and begins treatment.

Erinn has spent most of her life in the service of others. As a teacher, she would spend her own time and money helping children in her care and their families who were less fortunate. Everything from coats, shoes or school supplies, Erinn always found a way to help. A child in need became a personal mission for Erinn, and this love for her students made her the kind of teacher all families wish for. Now Erinn is the one in need. This is not something she could have ever imagined. We are putting this fundraiser together to help ease the burden of everyday living expenses such as a mortgage, utilities, food, car insurance, co-payments, at-home equipment, etc.for Erinn and Lucas. We have set a goal of $20,000 in hopes that these funds will help alleviate some of the financial stress and give her some comfort and peace of mind as she navigates through this difficult time. We know it is Erinn’s hope to keep life as normal as possible for Lucas (and Bruiser and Kya) throughout the next year. We feel that this fundraiser will allow her to focus solely on her family, her recovery and kicking cancer’s ass.

As one of Erinn’s closest and oldest friends, we (her family and I) are here for every step of this journey. We have Erinn’s blessing to provide updates as she begins this journey on October 31.

If you are unable to make a financial donation at this time, please pass this along to others and keep Erinn, Lucas and her family in your positive thoughts and prayers. We hope to continue to surround Erinn and Lucas with love and make sure they know how cared for and supported they truly are. They thank you so much for thinking of them these days since diagnosis and for the messages they have received. So many friends and family from all walks of life (Seaford - The University of Scranton - Queens - Charleston - neighbors - colleagues - baseball teams - etc) have asked how they can help. Here is a direct way to help tremendously and keep Erinn focused on her health, recovery and family.