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Mother-of-two, 33, is planning her own funeral after she went to the doctor with shoulder pain and received a tragic diagnosis

A mother-of-two had to plan her own funeral after she went to the doctor with a shoulder injury – only to receive a shocking cancer diagnosis.

Doctors told Erika Diarte-Carr, now 33, that she had been diagnosed with an extremely aggressive form of small cell lung cancer – or lung cancer – three years ago.

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Erika Diarte-Carr pictured with her son and daughterPhoto credit: GoFundMe
The mother now has three months to live

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The mother now has three months to livePhoto credit: ABC4 Utah

Diarte-Carr received the tragic news just one day before Mother's Day in 2022 when she went to a hospital to get treatment for her shoulder pain.

Since then, the mother began her treatments to cure the dangerous form of cancer, including multiple surgeries, biopsies, radiation and painful chemotherapy treatments.

However, in September this year she stopped receiving her treatments after realizing they were no longer effective.

Tragically, doctors told her she only had three months to live.

Diarte-Carr said, “Three months.” [is all I have] spend with mine babies and loved ones. [Just] three months to make the most of the time I have left.

After learning of the shock cancer diagnosis in 2022, the mother quickly gained weight, reaching more than 30 pounds within a few weeks.

She soon began suffering from other medical conditions, including bone loss, high blood pressure, moon face and type 2 diabetes.

But the single mother of two continued to work full time to support her two children.

Diarte-Carr revealed the tragic moment she realized a deadly cancer was growing in her body.

I was diagnosed with colon cancer after always feeling tired

Speaking to ABC4, she said: “At that point the damage had already been done. In that moment, my and my children’s entire lives were changed forever.”

The mother also said she wanted to spend more time with her children without getting sick from treatments and medications.

However, she is now having great difficulty managing her finances after not working for months due to her health condition.

Diarte-Carr has now set up a GoFundMe page with a goal of $5,000 to help plan her funeral and spend more time with her family.

She wrote in the fundraiser: “Since I haven't been able to work for months, I have no money or life insurance set aside for this situation.”

“If you could please donate or share something we would be grateful.”

Diarte-Carr's cousin Angelique Rivera shared a heartbreaking picture and said: “We are at a loss for words and could never say thank you enough.”

Diarte-Carr's five-year-old daughter Ailiyah told ABC 4, “She's special to us.”

The family is planning a camping trip and hopes the children can experience another Christmas with their mother, DailyMail reports.

What is small cell lung cancer?

Small lung cancer or simple lung cancer is the most common and dangerous type of cancer affecting people around the world.

Only one in 10 patients survive a decade or more after diagnosis and lung tumors account for 21 per cent of cancer deaths in the UK, but only 13 per cent of cases.

Every year, around 49,000 people develop lung cancer and 35,000 die from it.

The main reason it is so deadly is because the symptoms are not obvious in the early stages.

If signs occur, they may include:

  • A cough that lasts three weeks or longer and may be painful
  • Repeated chest infections
  • Coughing up blood
  • breathlessness
  • Unusual tiredness

The NHS is not carrying out routine checks for lung cancer, but is introducing more tests for high-risk smokers and ex-smokers to detect the disease earlier. Tests may include x-rays and chest CT scans.

Smoking is the number one risk factor for lung cancer, accounting for about 70 percent of cases.

The risk may also be higher for people who have inhaled other fumes or toxic substances at work, such as asbestos, coal smoke or silica.

Diarte-Carr's five-year-old daughter Ailiyah said her mother was

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Diarte-Carr's five-year-old daughter Ailiyah said her mother was “very special”Photo credit: ABC4 Utah

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