We lost a dear friend, daughter, and sister this morning. Erica has been in the hospital the past week, and she passed away this morning due to complications from the flu. We can all take comfort that she was with her best friend, Chelsea, when she passed peacefully in her sleep. Please keep her family in your thoughts and prayers as we all grieve this great loss.
I will post an update about services when I have more information.
Darcy
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You have reached Erica's Blog. This is a place where her friends and family can go to get updates on her and her treatments. Thanks to all the generous donations received Erica has had financial support to pay for: vitamin infusions, special dietary needs, adaptive aids after her surgery, living expenses while she is unable to work, cancer vaccine therapy and travel to Alaska and California to visit family and friends. Erica remains positive and strong.
Erica
Earrings for Erica
Thank you to all the great businesses who sold earrings to benefit Erica. We will continue to sell earrings to benefit other young women in our community going through similar situations. Look for more information on where and when we will be selling. We will also post information about who will benefit from monies raised. Earrings for Erica will be available at the Quota bazaar at Alaskaland on Nov 21st.
Contacting Erica
- Erica email: Tomsha_7@yahoo.com
- Mark & Anita email: grizzlylodge@acsalaska.net
- Erica 805-458-0643 or 907-799-7982
- Anita 488-0293
- Mark 378-9747
- Erica's mailing address: 1470 Westmoreland Ave. Fairbanks, Alaska 99712
Ways to help in addition to your thoughts and prayers
- Help make earrings to sell, contact Robyn 322-5086
- Donate money to Denali State Bank - Erica Tomsha Benefit Fund - account #9013806, transfer money with routing number 125200921, send check to Bank @ PO Box 74568, Fbks, AK 99707
- Donate air miles - Alaska Airlines #000858060
- Fundraising Ideas - contact Robyn 490-6485 or email davrobyn@hotmail.com
Donate with a credit card through PayPal
Account was set up by Darcy (Davies) Etcheverry, so her email is listed at the top.
Interesting links
A little history
23 year old Erica Tomsha was born and raised in Fairbanks. Parents Mark and Anita are also long time Alaskans. Anita’s grandparents (Carlson) moved to Kodiak in the 40’s to work on WWII construction projects. From there the lure of gold drew them to Fairbanks. Anita’s dad followed and opened up Music Mart in Fairbanks 60 years ago. Mark moved to Fairbanks in the early 70’s.
From an early age Erica shared her mothers passion for horses. Learning to ride when she was 4 she quickly figured out she had to make sure her pony knew she was the boss. In elementary school she joined the Golden Heart 4-H club to continue to learn. As she got older she expanded her perspective to include IHA, ACTA, IHC, Pony Club, 4-H community service and leadership activities. She was an active member of the Tanana Whirlwinds 4-H group in high school and helped to advocate for and pass the limited liability for livestock bill which helps to insure personal responsibility for accidents occurring around livestock animals. That exposure to politics led her to an internship with Senator Stevens.
After attending UAF for a couple of years she decided to move to California where she could pursue her dream of working with horses. She has been actively training horses and riders and enjoying being around magnificent Grand Prix horses.
Although Erica had to move to Seattle for her cancer treatment she has continued to work and learn, giving riding lessons and training horses. She moved into an apartment of her own. Her father has been able to stay with her through most of her chemotherapy. Erica has lost her hair from her treatments but does not try to hide it. She encourages people to ask her about her cancer and is anxious to share her experience in the hope of teaching or providing comfort to others.Erica remains positive and upbeat. She appreciates all the concern and well wishes from her friends.
From Erica on December 6th
I want people to know that I found a lump last December that was about the size of a pencil eraser. I went to the clinic the next day and the nurse told me it was probably nothing, and because of my age it was very unlikely that it was serious. So naturally i believed her, and I continued on with my life as usual. However, 6 months later the pencil eraser grew to be the size of a golf ball in a week! So I went back to that clinic and the same nurse agreed that I probably needed a biopsy! DUH! 2 days later the same nurse told me I had Invasive Ductile Carcinoma, (I found out later that I was a stage 3a, 4 is terminal), and she told me this while crying. 2 days after that I came to Seattle because not having insurance limits my care options in California, and plus Seattle has better cancer hospitals, unless you go to UCLA or SanFran and being 300 miles away is just as hard as being 1500 miles away from home.
Being here has really changed my life; it has forced me to live in a different way (I have learned a lot about myself), it has forced me to DRAMATICALLY change my diet (which is the most important thing a cancer patient can do). I have had to watch my spending, it's hard to work when you're getting chemo once a week. I am working a little, and in return my boss (whose ex husband I live with) pays my rent. But there are so many things that the charity care program at Swedish Hospital does not cover, such as supplements and alternative treatments like acupuncture, vitamin infusions, and the cancer vaccine. It also doesn't pay for things like reconstructive surgery (which unless I want to be the one boobed wonder I will need to get). I don't have the price for this yet but i will get it as soon as I can. I have also definitely learned who my real friends are, the ones who care.
From an early age Erica shared her mothers passion for horses. Learning to ride when she was 4 she quickly figured out she had to make sure her pony knew she was the boss. In elementary school she joined the Golden Heart 4-H club to continue to learn. As she got older she expanded her perspective to include IHA, ACTA, IHC, Pony Club, 4-H community service and leadership activities. She was an active member of the Tanana Whirlwinds 4-H group in high school and helped to advocate for and pass the limited liability for livestock bill which helps to insure personal responsibility for accidents occurring around livestock animals. That exposure to politics led her to an internship with Senator Stevens.
After attending UAF for a couple of years she decided to move to California where she could pursue her dream of working with horses. She has been actively training horses and riders and enjoying being around magnificent Grand Prix horses.
Although Erica had to move to Seattle for her cancer treatment she has continued to work and learn, giving riding lessons and training horses. She moved into an apartment of her own. Her father has been able to stay with her through most of her chemotherapy. Erica has lost her hair from her treatments but does not try to hide it. She encourages people to ask her about her cancer and is anxious to share her experience in the hope of teaching or providing comfort to others.Erica remains positive and upbeat. She appreciates all the concern and well wishes from her friends.
From Erica on December 6th
I want people to know that I found a lump last December that was about the size of a pencil eraser. I went to the clinic the next day and the nurse told me it was probably nothing, and because of my age it was very unlikely that it was serious. So naturally i believed her, and I continued on with my life as usual. However, 6 months later the pencil eraser grew to be the size of a golf ball in a week! So I went back to that clinic and the same nurse agreed that I probably needed a biopsy! DUH! 2 days later the same nurse told me I had Invasive Ductile Carcinoma, (I found out later that I was a stage 3a, 4 is terminal), and she told me this while crying. 2 days after that I came to Seattle because not having insurance limits my care options in California, and plus Seattle has better cancer hospitals, unless you go to UCLA or SanFran and being 300 miles away is just as hard as being 1500 miles away from home.
Being here has really changed my life; it has forced me to live in a different way (I have learned a lot about myself), it has forced me to DRAMATICALLY change my diet (which is the most important thing a cancer patient can do). I have had to watch my spending, it's hard to work when you're getting chemo once a week. I am working a little, and in return my boss (whose ex husband I live with) pays my rent. But there are so many things that the charity care program at Swedish Hospital does not cover, such as supplements and alternative treatments like acupuncture, vitamin infusions, and the cancer vaccine. It also doesn't pay for things like reconstructive surgery (which unless I want to be the one boobed wonder I will need to get). I don't have the price for this yet but i will get it as soon as I can. I have also definitely learned who my real friends are, the ones who care.
4 comments:
From all the Starkman Family in San Luis Obispo- our hearts are heavy with the loss of amazing Erica. To all her family & our friends, we pray she is at peace now & send prayers for all to be strong & help her family through this.
Love & many prayers,
Jill, Chris, Linda, Sophia & Max
If I had a magic wand, I would wave it high and place dear Erica on the back of her horse and watch her fly over jumps with her wise and determined grace...and we'd all clap and cheer as she rode the course with style.
Erica rode through life with that style, wisdom and grace, determined to challenge the course...and challenge it, she did.
Ride Erica, ride.
- Yonni Fischer
We the Parker family are praying for the Tomsha family. Ride with angel wings Erica
To Mark and Anita,
I only found out this morning about Erica and I must say that I am shocked and deeply saddened. I SO remember Erica running around the Music Mart and have many funny and fond memories of that...
Please know that my heart goes out to you both as well as every family member and friend.
I wish that there was more that I could say, but I am just sad at the thought...love and prayers for you Mark and Anita!
Al Nesbitt
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