Support the Erickson-Abou Zahrs

It is with absolute devastation I start this fundraising campaign to support the Erickson-Abou Zahr family. I, Kaia Ehrmantraut, have been a friend of Shauna and the family for over 25 years. We learned the week of 7/17/23 that Abdallah’s, age 39, sarcoma cancer returned and has spread throughout his body at an unfathomable rate and is in his lungs, soft tissues, bone marrow, and spinal cord in just 30 days since his last scan. This makes his prognosis very poor, and we suspect he will be out of work for significant time. Thus this ask for help financially for this special couple.

This isn’t the couple’s first round with cancer and tragedy, as Shauna, his wife, was diagnosed a month before their 2021 wedding with breast cancer when she was only 32 years old. The week after their honeymoon, Abdallah was diagnosed with sarcoma cancer. Both had intensive treatments and recoveries with chemo, radiation, surgery, and significant time out of work. These two had the most messed up newlywed phase of life but held positive attitudes throughout their battles. As if cancer wasn’t enough, the couple was forced to utilize IVF to secure the possibility of becoming parents one day due to their health struggles. The couple went through 4 total rounds of IVF totaling over $100,000 with no insurance coverage. The couple is still working to overcome this massive financial hardship. They were over the moon to learn right before their second wedding anniversary that they are expecting a baby girl due in January 2024.

The recent news of Abdallah’s reoccurrence has shocked, paralyzed, and sent the couple and their families into despair. Abdallah, an expert in cancer, is not optimistic that he will be alive to welcome their baby in January, and his doctors agree that making it 1-2 years would be a best, but rare case. If anyone knows Shauna and Abdallah, they have a one-of-a-kind love that they spread and share with everyone around them through their generosity, kindness, humor, honesty, and vivaciousness. They are people that show up for you whenever you need, and that is what I hope this fundraiser will be for us to them. They have lived through so much hardship and burden, and now face the ultimate burden of a terminal cancer diagnosis. Because of the short time frame between their wedding and his cancer diagnosis, Abdallah couldn’t secure a life insurance policy that would support Shauna and their baby in the event of his passing. He is the primary financial provider for their family. I hope that this fundraiser can be a way for us to show support and give back to Shauna and Abdallah in the way they live their lives for us in the community. The two of them have touched and given so much healing to people suffering in the oncology and mental health fields. Anything that we can do to make finances and economics less of a stressor to the Abou-Zahr family, the better, especially with their baby due in the coming months. I want Shauna to be able to focus on her pregnancy and loving every minute of time she has left with the most amazing man we know, her sweet Abdallah.

I understand some people prefer to not use the platform GoFundMe. If that is a factor for you, but you would like to offer financial support to the couple, please contact me at (701)-866-9863.