How You Can Help [Updated Feb 10, 2016]

Hello, all! So many of you have made amazing offers of help and have already come through with support for doctor's appointments and food so that Brandon and I don't have to stare at our stove in confusion (as neither of us are fantastic cooks!)

But as we have a NYC apartment (read: tiny fridge) a large amount of food can't be accommodated so I thought I would put together a list of other things that are needed- if you'd like to help, grab anything from the list. Or, you can donate cash by going to the tab at the right-hand top of the page called "Donations." We would use this to pay for things like utilities, rent, Netflix, food, cab fare from radiation or chemo treatments, and our pre-chemo weekend getaway, etc)

To start, here is my full contact information:

Erin Cronican - 165 E 87th St, #3FW, New York, NY 10128

917-574-0417 | [email protected]

PS: When considering how to help, please keep in mind that I live on the Upper East Side (87th & Lexington) so having things be local would be very convenient. Also, Brandon Walker (my boyfriend) could use some extra love and support as well, so things we can joy together are always appreciated. 

And THANK YOU!

Erin & Brandon  :)

 

UPDATED February 10, 2016

SUCH Amazing News! Rob Davis and the amazing cabaret community in NYC have created a benefit concert and fundraiser in my honor. The event is called CABARET BEATS CANCER and includes a live cabaret benefit in NYC on Feb 27, and for those who can't be in NYC there's an online fundraiser via Crowdrise. I'm so humbled by their support - THANK YOU to everyone who has made this possible!

 

UPDATED February 1, 2016

Body

One of the hardest things about this whole cancer thing is managing my stress levels, because I now realize how much stress is related to well being. So, I'm trying to be better about taking care of my body. Here are some things I could use as I try to develop new habits:

• Gift certificates to health food stores

• Gift certificates for massage (foot, back or otherwise)

• Gift certificates for any other kind of wellness service (reiki, meditation, yoga, etc)

• I love makeup, so anything fun you'd like to share (that's good on light skin with pink undertones) would be awesome. I could also use face moisturizer with SPF (I have dry skin.) No perfume/cologne, as Brandon is allergic.  

• Gift certificates for house cleaning services

• Gift certificates to restaurants with healthy options (so that I don't have to cook!)

• If you'd like to drop off food, we'd like it to be low in saturated fat with organic ingredients if possible (high fat and chemicals in non-organic food encourages cancer cells to grow.)

• I have an Amazon Wish List set up: Erin's Wish List.

UPDATE 6/29/15 - Special thanks to Sue, Tanya, Adam and Janice who dropped off food, and to Virginia and Sina for giving me chocolate. 

UPDATE 7/1/15 - Thank you to my mom Flo and friend Elaine who have sent me some organic face creams and body washes! 

UPDATE 7/21/15 - I'm so thankful to my friend Margarette who brought scarves all the way from Dubai for me, and for Lee who took me out to a lovely sushi lunch. 

UPDATE 8/12/15 - Thank you to Virginia & Nelson, and to Einar who gave me gift certificates to spa services!  Also thank you to Veronica & Horacio who gave me a mug with ginger tea and also ginger gun to help stave off nausea. Thank you to Laura who sent me a bunch of supplements to help me with side effects for chemo. 

UPDATE 8/21/15 - Thank you to Jessica who dropped by food from the farmer's market today, and to Jan, Janice and Autumn with they offers of Reiki. Thank you also to Kim who bought me the most luxurious pair of pajamas, my mom for sending me satin pillowcases to help me keep my hair, and Kristen for the Biotene mouthwash to help me stave off mouth sores! Also thank you to Hannah who bought me nutritious snacks to take to chemo as well as supplements to help keep my heart strong. Much love to Jan & Sarah who gave me an amazing treatment for thinning hair AND Sarah also gave me moleskin so that I don't get frostbite from the cold caps!

UPDATE 9/15/15 - Thank you to Ariel for the gift card to Trader Joes, Logan for the macaroons and the head scratcher(!), Helaine for the throat lozenges and plant-based supplements, Jaye for the organic snacks, Emily for the foot bath and chocolate candy, and Andre for the Starbucks card. 

UPDATE 11/12/15 - Thank you to Jaye for the gift of 4 sessions with an acupuncturist, and Autumn for her gift of ongoing Reiki throughout my treatment. Also a big thanks to Maureen for the lovely perfumes and to Jenny, Mariel and the other fine folks at Theatre 67 for the gift basket of body products I need to help me get through chemo and radiation. 

UPDATE 1/12/16 - Thank you to Laura for the body products & hair care system, candy, and Christmas cookies, Allison for the organic moisturizer, and to Marissa for sending me 3 meals through an amazing home service program. I also want to thank Gabrielle for the natural soap and homemade cookies, and John for the yummy Christmas bread. Finally, thank you to Autumn for the gift of a massage. 

 

Mind

Once chemo starts there's this thing that happens which they call "Chemo Brain" which makes things fuzzy and it become hard to remember things. Luckily this goes away, but I'd like to find a way to sharpen the mind and try to keep synapses firing strongly.

• I love to read, so if you'd like to loan me one of your favorite books that would be amazing. Please tell me why you like it so that I can try to get the same enjoyment (without spoilers, of course!)

• I really like to journal, so a journal of any kind plus really good. I'd also love to get a packet of your favorite pens. (Update 7/21 - I think I'm all set for blank journals now. BUT, If you have guided journals that you like, or books on kickstarting creative writing, that would be great!)

• I love puzzle books of all kinds. 

• Sometimes I'll need to just unwind, so having booze is always welcome and definitely clears the mind. I'm trying to drink more (antioxidant filled) red wine, as well as Bourbon and Tequila. For mixers/side dishes we love fresh jalapeños and lime juice (for the tequila) and berries & chocolate (for the wine). Bourbon is just fine on its own. :)

• I have an Amazon Wish List set up: Erin's Wish List.

UPDATE 6/29/15 - Thank you to my friend Paula who brought me a grown up coloring book and ink pens! Thanks also to Rachel who brought me a journal and her favorite pens, as well as a little of BUBBLES! (This girl really knows me!)

UPDATE 7/21/15 - I also received gorgeous journals from Rob, Laura and Mary, and healing books from Rob and Bruce. I also love the care package my mom gave me, complete with a booked called 'You Are Loved" which she inscribed throughout with little sayings and memories. 

UPDATE 8/12/15 - Thank you to Daniel who gave me three of his favorite books, and to Veronica & Horacio who gave me 2 wee bottles of bourbon. Thanks also to Steve L who gave me a gift card which I used to take Brandon and I to a nice dinner during Restaurant Week in NYC!

UPDATE 8/21/15 - Thank you to Kristen and Lesley who gave me a bunch of puzzle books.

UPDATE 9/15/15 - Thank you to James for paying for one month of my Hulu subscription, Jeff for the Mindy Kahling book, and Lee L for the Amazon.com gift card which we used to upgrade our TV speaker system!

UPDATE 11/12/15 - Thank you to Michael for the book on healing. 

UPDATE 1/13/16 - Many thank to my friend, Nance, who gave me an Amazon gift card so that I could buy whatever book I wanted! And thank Gini, who like Nance, is from Kentucky so I should use the donation she gave me to supplement my bourbon habit. :)

 

Spirit

Despite the fact that I've always been a take charge & positive person, I'm having a hard time accepting that this is, in fact, happening to me. Doctors say that optimism is one of the best things you can do for your body because body wellness is deeply linked with your spirit. So, anything that can bring my spirits up would be helpful.

• I have an Amazon Wish List set up: Erin's Wish List.

• I, like everyone in our day and age, love funny cat/dog videos, as well as inspirational videos. Please feel free to send me your favorite links. (The only videos I don't like are the ones where people do dumb things and hurt themselves. Those make me really upset for some reason!)

• I like really wacky humor (even dirty or childish humor) so please feel free to email, text or leave a voice mail with a joke!

• I love care packages of any kind. :)

• Gift certificates to movies or plays

• I LOVE getting mail, so if you want to send me a postcard or a card, that would be amazing.

• I love plants of all kinds. My apartment does not get any direct sunlight so it would need to be something that thrives in indirect light. Plants are shown to improve the spirit by connecting the mind and body to nature. 

• We would love to take a vacation either before or during chemo - if you have any airline, train or hotel miles you can gift, that would be amazing.  

UPDATE 6/29/15 - Thank you to my friend Brad, who somehow convinced his mother to gift us free use of a vacation rental on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. We were unable to find a date that worked, but the offer was simply amazing. Also thanks to my friend Nikki who sent me a handmade card, Laura who sent me the cutest cat & puppy video, and Mary who has been sending handmade gifts once a week. :)

UPDATE 7/21/15 - I've gotten countless cards in the mail - thank you to Jen, Nikki & Friends, Donna, Sina and Emily. I also want to thank those of you who have sent me wacky videos on Facebook and otherwise - Jeffrey, Rob, Emily and others. Finally, thank you to Candice who provides endless TV watching and Lee Z who gave me a personally, handmade silk painting! 

UPDATE 8/12/15 - Thank you to Susan who gave me handmade angel earrings. Thank you to Lee S who gave me an Amazon gift card so I could go crazy on whatever I wanted!

UPDATE 8/21/15 - Thank you to Kristen who gave me a bunch of temporary tattoos to play with, and to Lesley who gave me some chocolates as a pick-me-up. I also want to thank Charles, Marissa and Jessica for giving me flowers!

UPDATE 11/12/15 - Thank you to Shannon who gave me a Cards Against Humanity expansion pack, and to Emily (my pen pal) for her inspirational cards. 

UPDATE 1/13/16 - I'm so grateful to Gabrielle who gave me a bottle of tequila and to Anthony who surprised me with a case of the most delicious wine. I also want to thank Nikki and Nicole (two different amazing people with similar names!) who took on the most heart-warming person projects involving mounds of love one envelope at a time. 

 

 

Finances

I have already had to take a step back from teaching and acting (my work) to accommodate doctor's appointments, etc. This puts a strain on the finances, so there is a way to donate "in kind" or in cash. 

To donate cash, go to the tab at the right-hand top of the page called "Donations." We would use this to pay for things like utilities, rent, Netflix, food, cab fare from radiation or chemo treatments, and our pre-chemo weekend getaway, etc)

To donate "in kind" here are some items we could use:

• Metrocard with pay-per-swipe (not unlimited) - There are times when I rarely leave my house, and then all of the sudden I have a flurry of appointments on one day and the costs to travel become nutty. Unlimited cards have expiration dates, but cards loaded with money do not (or, their dates are way far in the future!)

• Toiletries (organic hand soap, organic body wash) 

• Cooking basics (olive oil, sugar, Cholula hot sauce :), etc) - organic when possible

• Thank you cards and stamps.

To donate in kind, it would be useful to get an email from you first to see if someone has already contributed an item, and I can let you know what the up-to-the-minute need is.

UPDATE 7/1/15 - Thank you to my friend Brad, who somehow convinced his mother to gift us free use of a vacation rental on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. Also thanks to my friend Nikki who sent me a handmade card, Laura who sent me the cutest cat & puppy video, and Mary who has been sending handmade gifts once a week AND is giving me a huge amount of toilet paper! :)

UPDATE 7/21/15 -  I want to thank Steve who gave me a gift that will allow me to take a little vacation before my chemo. (I will put that gift to good use!)

UPDATE 8/21/15 - A huge thank you goes out to Bareburger who hosted a fundraiser for me on August 19, and to everyone of you who came out to make a donation. I don't have the numbers in yet, but as soon as they give them to me I will post them here. 

UPDATE 9/15/15 -  Checks and online donation from Bareburger are still coming in (can you believe it??) but the grant total raised so far has been $12,733! This money is going toward making sure that all of my out of pocket medical expenses are met and lost wages are made up as I continue chemo and radiation between now and March 2016. 

UPDATE 11/12/15 - Thank you to Cornelia who gave me a little extra spending cash to make my life a little easier this month. 

UPDATE 1/12/16 - Special thanks to Gabrielle who gave me a weekly Metrocard, which allowed me to travel around the city for free while my mom was in town!

 

THANK YOU AGAIN!

Erin  :)