Ericka

When I think about who I am the first thought that consumes me is family. I am a mother, a daughter, and a sister. My 3 amazing, intelligent, talented, and compassionate daughters are my entire world.  Setting an example of strength, humility, and love for them is my greatest adventure.  As a daughter, I strive to follow in the footsteps of my parents, who showed the value of hard work and perseverance all of my life. Along with having a blood brother.  I am also so blessed to have an extended family I get to call my brothers and sisters. Through them, I have learned respect and loyalty.  The tribe I have in my corner is unbelievable and unrelenting—the kind of friends that show up when your down. My friends and family have been my strength on this roller coaster cancer ride.

I have spent most of my years in Manteca and Pleasanton. I played sports all of my life at both Manteca High and Amador Valley. The lessons I learned as an athlete and teammate are some I still am pulling from now to keep me focused on winning this battle. Because of my coaches and teammates, I won’t stop battling until the last second ticks off the clock. In addition to being an athlete, I have also been a writer most of my life and have turned my passion for stringing together words to evoke feelings into a blog that has truly become therapeutic through this journey.

MDS/AML was a diagnosis I never expected in October 2020, but if someone has to fight this, then I choose me. There is no quit in me, and as my community has rallied around me, the truth of being stronger together has shone brightly.  I’m not done watching my children grow, take weekend adventures with my friends, putting my toes in the sand in Maui, BBQing with my brothers and sisters, and making memories with my loved ones. I was fortunate to find a donor and had my transplant in May 2021.    

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