Turning Pain into Purpose: The Journey of Chronic Illness Advocate Erica Falco
At just 30 years old, Erica Falco has already experienced more medical challenges than most people face in a lifetime. As a former elementary school teacher who now dedicates her life to chronic illness advocacy, Erica’s story offers a powerful glimpse into how adversity can be transformed into meaningful connection and support for others. Her journey with multiple chronic conditions, including stage 4 endometriosis, gastroparesis requiring a feeding tube, mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS), POTS, Sjögren’s, EDS, mitochondrial disease, and small fiber neuropathy, illustrates both the struggles and triumphs that come with navigating complex health challenges.
Erica’s teaching career began in 2017 after graduating with degrees in special education and general education. She later earned a master’s in literacy, allowing her to specialize in helping young children learn to read. However, her career path took an unexpected turn around January 2020 when her health began deteriorating rapidly. The COVID pandemic coincided with a severe worsening of her endometriosis, leading to numerous blood transfusions, iron infusions, and significant weight loss. After being bounced between specialists without clear answers, a second excision surgery revealed the extent of her condition – 32 lesions of endometriosis spread throughout her body, even reaching her liver, gallbladder, and lungs. This diagnosis marked the beginning of identifying her numerous other conditions, including genetic mitochondrial disease that causes muscular dystrophy.
What sets Erica apart is how she’s channeled her experiences into meaningful advocacy work. Rather than letting her conditions define her limits, she’s used her teaching background to educate others about chronic illness and create supportive communities. Her daily routine revolves around managing her medications through her feeding tube, attending various medical appointments, and finding small moments of joy through creative outlets like coloring, reading, and spending time with her dog. Despite the challenges of living with multiple chronic conditions, Erica maintains an inspiring perspective on life, focusing on what she can do rather than what she cannot.
Perhaps the most touching aspect of Erica’s advocacy is her Care Mail program, where she sends cards, stickers, fidgets, and love notes to others facing chronic illness, mental health challenges, or difficult circumstances. This initiative was born from her own experience of feeling isolated during hospital stays and lengthy recovery periods. Knowing how meaningful it was to receive something in the mail besides medical bills, she wanted to create that same feeling of connection and joy for others. The program has created beautiful relationships, including one with a woman named Rain who now exchanges daily emails with Erica and has even become inspired to volunteer with similar initiatives. These ripple effects of kindness demonstrate how even small gestures can profoundly impact someone’s healing journey.
Beyond her direct support efforts, Erica remains motivated to advocate against the medical gaslighting and dismissal she and many others have experienced. She speaks passionately about being a voice for those who may struggle to advocate for themselves, particularly remembering members of her Bible study with cerebral palsy who rely on communication devices. Her approach to advocacy balances assertiveness with kindness – recognizing that while it’s essential to stand up for appropriate care, the manner in which we communicate can significantly impact outcomes. This wisdom has been hard-earned through countless challenging medical encounters.
Looking ahead, Erica hopes to expand her advocacy work through partnerships with organizations like Giant Microbes, potentially participating in educational conferences about her conditions. She’s considering branching out to platforms like TikTok to reach more people within the chronic illness community. At the core of all her efforts is a desire to minimize suffering in a broken world and ensure that no one feels alone in their health struggles. Through practices like journaling positive thoughts, regular therapy sessions, and music therapy, she maintains her own mental wellbeing while continuing to support others.
Erica’s story reminds us that even in our darkest moments, we can find purpose and connection. By transforming her pain into advocacy, she demonstrates that, while we cannot always choose our circumstances, we can choose how we respond to them—and, in doing so, create ripples of hope that extend far beyond ourselves.
