Help Carry On Erin's Legacy! #ERINSTRONG

*UPDATE 07-22-15 **

Erin passed away peacefully surrounded by family and love on July 21st, 2015. 
Help her family with service expenses and keep Erin's legacy alive forever by purchasing an #ERINSTRONG t-shirt. Though she is gone, her fiery spirit will forever remain in all of our hearts. When you wear these shirts, try to not be sad. Erin wouldn't want that. Instead, put on this shirt/tank top/hoodie and let her spirit envelope you. Live life like she did. Take risks. Love so hard that it hurts. Be Vast. Be Brilliant. Be #ERINSTRONG










Erin Phillips was born with Cystic Fibrosis; a genetic disease that affects nearly every organ in the body, but it's main target is the respiratory system. Mildly affected during her childhood, Erin was an athlete, including winning a state championship in track. In college, CF began to take a toll on her body and ravage it with no stopping. By 2012, she was on death's door and the only way to survive was through a double lung transplant.

Only days after being listed, Erin received the call and was gifted with a second chance at life with new lungs at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, FL.


 From there, Erin lived her life to the fullest and filled it with adventure, love , and compassion, including volunteering full time for a non-profit organization, More Than Just Me, which raises awareness for Cystic Fibrosis, sponsoring a child overseas, Climbing mountains in Colorado, being published in a internationally acclaimed portrait book about those with Cystic Fibrosis, and planning a trip to help orphanages in El Salvador.


Towards the end of June and into the 1st week of July, Erin noticed she was having chest pains and difficulty breathing. She went to the ER at Carolinas Medical Center - Charlotte in North Carolina and was immediately admitted, barely able to keep her Oxygen above 95% without assistance with what X-Rays seemed to determine to be Pneumonia in both lungs. By July 3rd, Erin was intubated, which consisted of placing her on a ventilator to breathe for her to give her lungs a rest and was fully sedated. From there, the team at CMC worked around the clock in communication with her transplant team in Florida to try and figure out what type of infection was causing her rapid decline. 

After a week, CMC exhausted all their capabilities and Erin was flown from CMC to Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville. After being tested for every infection and bacteria possible with no luck, it was determined Erin had ARDS (Adult Respiratory Distress Syndrome) and is fighting for her life under continued sedation in hopes her lungs will be able to heal. 


At this point she has accumulated a great deal of medical bills, which will only continue to accumulate as they are able to transfer her to a long term care facility for recovery and evaluate her for a possible re-transplantation if she is able to recover enough and if that step is necessary. 





The design of the t-shirt wasn't picked at random. If you've ever known Erin, you know her love for colors, shapes, and most all, ELEPHANTS! This design incorporates Erin's love, her spirit, and her overall vibe.