You Woke Up Today
A conversation about surviving beyond the timeline you were given
At age 5, Erin Mark overheard a conversation between her father and the Make-A-Wish Foundation and learned her life expectancy was only 18. Instead of letting that devastate her, she decided to squeeze as much joy, fun, and living as she could into her life. Now in her 40s, Erin has far surpassed that original life expectancy.
Talking with Erin was one of my favorite conversations. Her energy and outlook are contagious, and there’s so much to learn from the way she approaches life, like her morning alarm goes off every morning with the message “you woke up today.”
I left the conversation wanting to live a little more like Erin.
Born with cystic fibrosis, Erin grew up with a reality most people don’t have to face: building a life while believing your time may be running out. But instead of letting that diagnosis define her, she kept pushing forward, even as her health steadily declined and she entered end-stage illness.
Erin is a sought-after keynote speaker, TEDx speaker, and storyteller. In this conversation, we discuss:
The emotional toll of living with chronic illness
What it feels like when people start giving up on you
Why self-advocacy matters so much
Grieving your health, fertility, identity, and the life you imagined
The kind of grief that exists outside of death
Holding onto joy even in the middle of uncertainty and loss
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XO,
Heather