Help Me Get to My Second Chance at Life

My name is Erica. I’m 36 years old, a wife, a mom, an aunt, and a lifelong fighter. I was born with cystic fibrosis, and for most of my life, I’ve known that breathing isn’t something everyone gets to take for granted.

In 2019, I was given a gift I will never be able to put into words: my first double lung transplant.

Those lungs gave me more time.

More memories with my husband.

More moments with my children.

More time raising my niece.

More birthdays, holidays, laughs, tears, and ordinary days that I once wondered if I would ever get to see.

I thought those lungs were going to be my forever.

But now, I’m facing something I never wanted to face again.

My transplanted lungs are failing, and I am once again fighting end-stage lung disease.

And this time, I need another miracle.

I have been approved for a second double lung transplant.

That approval is something I am incredibly grateful for — but it also means our family is about to face one of the biggest and most frightening journeys of our lives.

We have to leave everything we know behind.

To receive my transplant, my family and I will have to relocate from St. Louis, Missouri, to Chicago, Illinois, and we have to do it quickly.

After transplant, we will need temporary housing close to the hospital for approximately the first three months. After that, we must remain within a certain distance of the hospital for the remainder of my first year because of the possibility of complications, frequent appointments, testing, and the need to get to the transplant center quickly if something goes wrong.

That means we aren’t simply paying for a trip to Chicago.

We are permanently uprooting our entire family so I can have a chance at living.

There will be housing expenses. Travel. Food. Parking. Transportation. Everyday living expenses. Medical-related costs. And countless unexpected expenses that come with recovering from a second major transplant.

I am normally the person who tries to figure things out on my own.

Asking for help is incredibly difficult for me.

But right now, I have to put my pride aside and ask.

Because this isn’t about buying something I want.

It’s about getting somewhere I need to be.

It’s about getting to Chicago so I can receive the lungs that could give me another chance.

It’s about giving my husband more years with his wife.

It’s about giving my children more years with their mom.

And it’s about having the opportunity to wake up one day and realize that breathing isn’t the hardest thing I have to think about anymore.

If you can help, we would be incredibly grateful.

No donation is too small.

$5 helps.

$10 helps.

$20 helps.

Sharing this fundraiser helps.

Even simply taking a moment to read our story means more than you know.

If you are unable to donate, please consider sharing this with someone who might be able to help. One share could reach the person who makes a difference for our family.

I don’t know exactly what the road ahead will look like.

I know it will be scary.

I know it will be expensive.

I know there will be days when I wonder how we’re going to make it through.

But I also know that I have fought incredibly hard to get here.

I fought for my first transplant.

I fought to recover.

I fought to raise my family.

And now I’m fighting for my second chance.

I want to keep being a wife.

I want to keep being a mom.

I want to keep making memories with the people I love.

I want to live.

If you choose to stand beside me and my family during this fight, whether through a donation, a share, a prayer, or simply sending encouragement, please know that we will never take it for granted.

Thank you for helping us get one step closer to Chicago, one step closer to transplant, and hopefully one step closer to coming home with new lungs.

With love and gratitude,

Erica ❤️