Sharing care: Erica's story

Erica Hoffman has colorectal cancer, but she doesn’t let her illness define her. She’s also a lover of music, a vocal instructor and the smile that lights up an entire room. Watch this video and join us on her journey through music.

Transcript

00:00

I ended up having extreme vomiting for several weeks and lost 30 pounds in the course of it.

00:07

[MUSIC PLAYING] I was diagnosed with colorectal cancer

00:16

and have been doing chemotherapy since December 22, 2015. Music, I think, it's universally agreed

00:23

upon that it provides an escape of some sort. So to be able to get-- get into that and have some time where, you know, I'm home.

00:31

I have a pump connected to me. Why don't we sit at the piano, you know? [LAUGHS] [MUSIC PLAYING]

00:37

Most people, when they get nausea or vomiting, they're going to think that they have the flu or maybe there is something else that's wrong.

00:45

I let mine go too long. I ended up having extreme vomiting for several weeks and lost 30 pounds in the course of it.

00:54

The support I received from people was I can't-- I don't even have a word for it. Jan was one of the first people that

01:00

was in my hospital room trying to figure out what can we do. She started connecting me with people that have either been cancer survivors, with the president

01:09

of fightcolorectalcancer.org, and even made her 60th birthday bash a fundraiser for me.

01:18

I don't know what boss does that, but she gets boss of the century. [MUSIC PLAYING] (SINGING) [INAUDIBLE] and curled around your fingers.

01:30

You pull me closer. And the process of getting back into playing my own music, to performing, to really leaning into it

01:40

was huge. It was something that really ignited a fire under me. It gave me something to look forward to.

01:46

And to have that and to be able to invite people to be a part of that world was incredible.

01:52

(SINGING) [INAUDIBLE]

01:59

[CHEERS, APPLAUSE] [HEARTBEAT] [BEEPING]