Hi and thank you for taking the time to read Erin’s story. My cousin, Erin Polatas is a geriatric nurse, who was infected with COVID-19 the first time around. She contracted the disease while serving the residents of a nursing home in 2020. At that time, there were no vaccines and no treatment, so Erin was very ill. Thankfully, she recovered and went right back to work. In June 2023, she was diagnosed with HFpEF, which means Heart Failure with preserved ejection fraction. If you Google it, you will read that there is a 5-year mortality rate. Doctors believe there is a good chance that her heart failure is due to her severe case of COVID-19. Erin has been a warrior ever since the pandemic hit; serving her community with courage and perseverance. At this point, her normal activities have been affected and each day is uncertain for her.

Erin is only 41 years old. She has 3 children, a wonderful partner who also has disabling health conditions, and she has a lot to live for! She has been an invaluable support to me as my father (her uncle) was in hospice and died in July. She provided hospice care for both of her wonderful grandparents. Erin has so much to offer us all, but she needs help with her escalating medical bills. She has started some promising heart medication, but it is expensive, even with health insurance and it will not cure her. Her condition is so complex that she has been accepted at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota. She will be traveling there and enduring more painful and expensive testing.

Any donations will go directly to cover Erin’s medical bills and/or her travel expenses to the Mayo Clinic. Traveling the distance from upstate NY to Minnesota will be expensive, but her local cardiologists believe it is necessary to slow the progression of her heart failure. If you cannot afford to donate, sharing this GoFundMe Fundraiser page will be greatly appreciated. Thank you for any help you provide.