Some of you who don’t follow her on social media might have wondered what happened to Erika Erickson from Fox 2 News. Well, she’s here to set the record straight and tell her story about why she decided to take a break from TV.
I started following her on socials a few years back. Of course, like many of you, I watched her on the local news broadcast. Then one day, she was gone…or so it seemed. She had fought the battle for several months before calling it quits.
Just a little backstory. I’d never met Erika before asking her to come by the station and talk about her struggle. She immediately said Yes. I found her very easy to talk to. She’s very much an open book. She told me the whole story of her medical issues, right through coming off the air, depression, and of course, her comeback – which she’s in the middle of now.
She suffered numerous ailments that changed the trajectory of her life and career.
*She had Trigeminal Neuralgia – nerve pain in her face.
*Cervicogenic headaches – headaches from the neck.
*Intractable migraines – she told me she got one that lasted 3 weeks recently but was able to go about my life even during that!
*Spinal stenosis – this is in her neck.
*Hypertension/mini-strokes – likely due to ibuprofen abuse, lack of sleep, etc.
“People were kinda wondering where I was” she said early on after leaving TV, so she would update people on social media. “I was trying to stay on the air, while I was basically passing out”. She said the numbness was everywhere. “I had numbness that was going into my hands, and into my feet.” She told me about the vertigo she suffered as well. Listening to her talk about how her head was in so much pain, she could barely sleep. It was so bad, she ended up cutting the back of her hair out because she couldn’t even brush it. “That was very emotional”
She hadn’t been to work in months and it was “getting real, really fast” in her words. She said Dr. Lauren A. Aymen, DO was an angel on Earth who figured out what the problem was and fixed Erika up. Talk about a crazy story, she was taking so much ibuprofen that her blood pressure was so high, they tested her for cocaine!
This was taking place during a terrible time – the pandemic. She said she would try to get through each minute, hour, and day. She spoke about how she passed the time while she was at home, trying to fight this battle.
Even though she’s heading in the right direction, she still has some scares here and there. She mentioned a Thunder Clap headache she had recently.
How’s this for how she touched so many in the local community? People she didn’t know reached out to her. “We’re here for you, we’re fighting for you” from total strangers.
She talked about a recent photo shoot she did with Brad Ziegler. You can see those pictures below as well.
So, how is she doing now? “I don’t think I’ve ever felt better!” She spoke to being able to do things, pain-free, including something as simple as moving her neck. That being said, she has some issues from time to time, but she’s discovered ways to fight them off. She’s taking it one day at a time. “Mental and physical health, if you don’t have that in check, everything else just falls by the wayside.” She said she kept grinding even though she wasn’t feeling well. Now, she takes care of herself first. She does a lot of work at home with her dogs. “I’m just really a different person. I wouldn’t change anything about what has happened.”
And, yes, she’s still in contact with many of those she worked with on Fox 2. “They’re my family”
She talked to me about other things she’s doing now, working on TV in her hometown, some other stops she made in her career, and lots more.
This is a very inspiring, uplifting conversation. I’m so fortunate that Erika took me up on the invite to come by and tell her tale. Watch the interview below…..
It was great to meet erika in person.
this is what Erika did to her hair after she couldn't even brush it.
She said her friend Tracie and hair extensions helped her a lot.
Some photos she shoot recently she did with Brad Ziegler
Erika posted a bunch of these on her social pages.
More pictures taken by Brad Ziegler
They named this photo shoot “Eras with Erika”
More "Eras with Erika" photos from Brad Ziegler
As Erika posted these pictures, and told me as well. “Listen, we’ve all been through some serious sh!t. I’m not the only person who has had health struggles, awful relationships, lost loved ones, etc. When you look into someone’s eyes, they may have different stories, but the pain is the same. The tears they shed are the same.”
"Eras with Erika" photo shoot with Brad Ziegler
As she posted on her Facebook “We are all constantly evolving. While we might feel stuck or in crisis, that is when we truly grow within, and sometimes outgrow our surroundings. Want a meaningful life? Perhaps it’s time we stop looking for it and start creating it. Because hasn’t it been inside us all along?”
Erika, keep up the fight!
It was great to talk with Erika, who went from someone I followed on social media, to a friend.
