Surrounded by friends, Carrie and Eric Swanson reminisce about all their good times together.
“Eric and I did a lot of really fun things together,” Carrie expressed. “We used to go up to Cleveland often, to Ohio City and eat, have a couple of cocktails here and there, and we called them Carrie and Eric days.”
The inseparable couple married in July 2013, but four months later, life hit them hard.
She relived that moment. “It was awful. He had neck pain and low and behold when they got in there to look there was a mass. Eric was diagnosed with stage 4 stomach cancer and it was just really hard to wrap our heads around at first.”
Emily Fryar has been friends with both Eric and Carrie for years and recalled the initial shock of the news.
"It was just absolutely heart wrenching…and Carrie was just, ah, she was just devastated.”
After having to leave her job to be a full-time caregiver, Carrie didn't know how she was going to get through. Then a friend suggested she use social media as a means of support. And that's exactly what she did.
Calling the page #teamswanson101, Carrie caught the attention of more than 260 Facebook supporters.
“It’s just a means for everybody to see what’s happening and to share stories and moments and it just turned into this explosion if you will of just amazingness it was just, it’s just amazing,” she said.
Fryar added, “there’s so many people from not just Wadsworth, but all around the area, there’s people supporting him via Facebook from all over the world, it’s just ballooned out, it’s a big village.”
Late last month, Eric and Carrie were able to bring all of their supporters together for special fundraiser, where they also decided to renew their vows.
“It was a celebration of Eric and his life, and it was also a means for everybody to kind of be a part of our love and it was really nice.”
Eric is now on hospice after his 2 1/2 year battle. The couple told me regardless of his fate, they'll continue to give back and help cancer patients through #TeamSwanson.
“We know how important it is to have support that knows exactly what you’re going through,” Carrie said. “So the ultimate goal is for me to continue what Eric started.”
"They’re amazing people," Fryar said. "They give a lot to the community. Just whatever he can do to give back, that’s his motto.”
Even though their journey has been met with many challenges, Carrie told me they’re a team and they’re going to fight together to the very end.
“I feel incredibly blessed, there’s no place I’d rather be, than helping him. I feel honored to help him and try to nurse him back to a healthier state.”
