Pray for Erika

Hey y'all.

I came to mass this morning, and was rushing around getting everything ready for fundraising (the youth group is doing a 30 Hour Famine at the end of February to help end world hunger), and Fr. Todd pulled me aside. "Hey," he said. "Have you heard about Erika?"

No, I hadn't.

About two months ago, Erika's mother was diagnosed with cervical cancer. Erika and her brothers Nick and Andrew are all members of the youth group, although Andrew doesn't come much anymore. He's a senior now, and very busy with senioritis, college applications, and the general last-year crunch. Nick is, not by age exactly, the youngest member of our youth group. He's just very young. Erika is one of the most involved people in the youth group. She's awesome-- smart, talented, and a definite leader in the group, even for the older kids. She's in eighth grade.

Erika, and Nick especially, have gotten particularly involved with youth group since their mom has been sick. They volunteer for everything. They do everything. They want to lead everything.

They didn't show up on Friday or Saturday, and they didn't call, and that is very much not like them.

Erika has a brain tumor. She found out Friday night. I don't know any details-- how bad it is, if it's benign, where it is. I just don't know right now.

We're having a youth mass tonight at 6:30. We were going to have it anyway, but I"m really rallying the kids right now to come, so that we can be together and pray for Erika. And they all agree. Kids who never come to mass. Even the atheists among them. We're not doctors, but we need to do something. This is something we can do.

So, yeah. You don't know her. But pray for her.