Erica was struggling from headaches that kept getting more severe from the start of 2015. She also began to have motor function issues which is when we contacted a doctor and were waiting to see one. During the wait, we were visiting her grandfather in Florida when she went numb on the entire left side of her body followed by a severe migraine and we decided to go to the emergency room in Bradenton, FL. It was there they did a CT scan and found a mass on her brain. We traveled quickly back to MUSC and met with their team who informed her that they were fairly certain this was indeed a brain tumor and that immediate surgery was required. At this point Erica was diagnosed with a grade II tumor. Her surgery went well and it was on her follow-up appointment on August 12, 2015 that we were informed that she had a grade III tumor and that six weeks of radiation and chemotherapy was required followed by twelve cycles of high dose chemotherapy. She bravely completed the prescribed course of treatment and continued her chemotherapy throughout the past year and will complete her twelfth cycle of chemotherapy this month. Following her radiation treatments she returned as a full time special education at Knightsville Elementary School. Special education can have its own unique challenges and she was able to not only handle them but be a leader for her team throughout her treatment process. What is important is not that Erica has been diagnosed with brain cancer but it is how she has responded to her diagnosis. It is truly amazing how she fights every single day! She inspires everyone who knows her with her strength and courage in this fight. I could not nominate a more deserving individual for the Keeping the Faith award. She lives out “keeping the faith” every single day since her fight began. As a result of her keeping of the faith she has inspired others to do the same.