2016

Erica H. describes herself as a “people person” who loves to spend time with her family. She has two children at home with her (13, and 22) and another at school in LA. Her daughter is finishing middle school this year. Her middle son is a student at a local community college and works part time. Erica is very involved with her church, where she dedicates time volunteering with the children and youth programs. She loves to be outdoors, especially at Lake Merritt, and listen to reggae music. She was diagnosed with stage I cancer in December. She quickly had a lumpectomy and underwent 6 weeks of radiation treatment. Her son came home from college for winter break and helped her. She reports the radiation treatment as tedious, but ok. The most difficult aspect of her was the skin breakdown and associated complications. The family has been in the same house for 3 years; but is now facing eviction. She is currently trying to save money for a deposit for a new place. Recently, her food stamps were reduced to $16 per month.

Erica worked as a contractor in the HR department at UC Berkeley for several years and at Kaiser for several years prior to that. Her disability is complicated by issues due to the ending date of her contract at UC Berkeley. She studied medical billing and coding and would like to return to school to finish a degree in HR. June is a big month for her family. Her son is graduating from Cal State LA and her daughter will “graduate” from middle school. She is concerned that her illness and financial troubles will affect her ability to celebrate these milestones with them.

The Love from Margot Foundation was able to provide Erica with a financial grant to help her get on her feet while figuring out her next steps for financial stability.