We have created this GoFundMe page to ask for your loving support for our dear friends, Eric and Yadira, as they face Eric's sudden and unexpected fight against stage IV Glioblastoma.   

If you have had the honor of meeting Eric and Yadira (Yadi), you have undoubtedly also been on the receiving end of their positivity, generosity, incredible cooking, sustainability teaching, and their sincere dedication  towards helping to create a healthy intentional community, based in permaculture and regenerative practices.  Eric is a specialist of, and has a passion for creating healthy soil through composting.  He is the soil expert at Our Permaculture Farm in Brooksville, FL, is a wonderful teacher, and has many other skill sets. 

It is our greatest hope that with effective treatment, many more of you will have the opportunity to learn from Eric's spirit, knowledge, and experience.  Yadi, forever smiling, and is a pillar of  strength of mind, heart, and body.  The two of them are quite a powerful team and both are always willing to help those around them in anyway possible.  Now, we are humbly seeking donations to help our friends get through this extremely challenging time.

Eric's path to diagnosis, surgery, and treatment has been a whirlwind and life altering in a very short period of time.  On Saturday, January 23rd, Yadi took Eric into the ER at Tampa General Hospital, after he had become increasingly confused and was struggling with the loss of vision in his right eye.  He was also experiencing weakness, vomiting spells, and headaches.  They performed an MRI and the results came back showing a very large brain tumor (about the size of a large egg).  After meeting with his neurologist, it was determined that they needed to remove the tumor and surgery was scheduled immediately.  Eric endured brain surgery for over 6 hours and doctors were able to remove the vast majority of the mass. 

He was up and walking the day after surgery!  A true warrior!  However, the pathology report revealed the numbing news that the mass was Stage IV, Glioblastoma, one of he most aggressive forms of brain cancer. 

We know there is a long and difficult road to recovery ahead, but we are determined to fight this diagnosis into the ground alongside our friends and mentor.

On Sunday, 8 days after entering the hospital, Eric was released and able to go back to the farm to begin recovery.  While they await more pathology reports, the tentative course of action is to have Eric recuperate from his operation at home for 3 weeks and then return to Tampa for several weeks of chemo and radiation therapy.  The treatments will take place M-F, for many weeks.  Currently, Yadi and Eric, are living about an hour from Tampa,  and this drive will be too long for them to make once his treatments begin. 

Yadi and Eric arrived on the farm as volunteers through the cultural exchange WWOOF program just 9 months ago and have put their heart and soul into growing the farm and actualizing their dreams in sustainable permaculture and intentional community.  The WWOOF program is not employment, but an educational and cultural exchange program that allows participants to build a global community, conscious of ecological farming practices.  They currently do not have health insurance, and with their families living in other countries/states, are without additional support. 

Facing this new challenge so far way from family is so very difficult, especially with the COVID travel restrictions in place.

It is our greatest hope to be able to provide some financial relief to Eric and Yadi, so they can establish temporary housing in Tampa to be close to the hospital where he will receive treatment, pay their medical bills, and focus wholeheartedly on Eric's healing, without the burden of worrying about the financial means to continue his treatment. 

A contribution of any amount, great or small, would be received with tremendous gratitude.  We know that the pandemic has been difficult for many, but if you are able and willing to help, it would be so appreciated.  Please help Eric heal, so that he can continue to do his life's work of healing our soils, educating others, creating community, and growing sustainably produced foods that are good for all of us.  His dedication to helping to heal the earth is exactly what this world needs right now and we are hoping for many, many more healthy years with him.   


Yadira and Eric

Eric's brain scan.   Mass is in the upper right.

Eric's imaging, prior to his Wednesday surgery.

Up and walking the day after surgery!

Eric and Yadi in the kitchen, creating an amazing meal, with WWOOF volunteers.

Eric in the greenhouse with WWOOF volunteers and newest community member, Daniel.

Eric, always willing to teach, in and outside the kitchen.

Tending to one of the manure composting piles at Our Permaculture Farm.

"When the soil is ready, it should smell sweet." - Eric 
Students giving the newly created soil a smell test during instruction for their Permaculture Design Certification.

Eric's beautiful soil.

Sifting the soil in preparation to gift it to plants.