Community Rallies Around Newtown Woman Suffering From Cancer

NEWTOWN, CT — A Newtown woman suffering from cancer is a little over halfway to a fundraising goal that will enable her to afford lifesaving treatments.

Erica Ash was diagnosed with a malignant tumor after she had begun getting crippling migraine headaches, bouts of extreme fatigue and noticed changes in her vision, according to her GoFundMe page. Fortunately, the stage 2 orbital lymphoma is treatable.

"Unfortunately, the chemotherapy drug, Leukeran, that Erica will be taking is not covered by insurance and it is costly – approximately $7650 per treatment cycle and her doctor’s plan is at least 3 cycles," fundraiser organizer Melissa Lewis of Woodbury posted on the page.

Lewis set the fundraiser's goal as $30,000, and 75 people have pledged $16,551 of that as of Wednesday morning.

Ash will be undergoing radiation treatment with the hope of shrinking the tumor enough for it to be surgically removed without causing major damage to her face, Lewis said. After each treatment, she will need to be quarantined from her family and dogs.

"Anyone who knows her will know that this separation will be the hardest part of this process for her," according to Lewis.

Ash will begin her treatment in just under two weeks, but she is already feeling weak and making major lifestyle changes. Doctors have placed her on a low-iodine diet, and her family has moved her bedroom downstairs, so she can avoid the climb.

"I'm not okay, not being able to afford life-saving care and medications," Ash said in a video posted to YouTube. "I am sad and terrified and so mad because this is so unfair, and I know this is not just happening to me, it's happening to so many people, and there's nothing we can do about it."

In the video, Ash said she is "terrified every single second of every single day" and described the uncertainty she faces daily.

"I wake up in the morning and never know if I'm going to have an excruciating migraine, or not be able to see out of one of my eyes, or if it is going to be pushing back against my brain, and I'm not going to be able to remember words."

Ash said she was "incredibly thankful for the overwhelming out pour of love and prayers and all different kinds of support" she had received in the past few weeks. Lewis noted it was her due, writing that over the last decade, Ash has helped to raise money for scholarship funds, to help end gun violence, and to help other families recover from major traumas and tragedies.

"She has put everything she has into bettering the lives of others, but this time, it's Erica that needs help."