She’s 18, fiercely competitive, Ohio State’s biggest fan (don’t ask about that Michigan game), and a proud in-chair athlete with the Kyle Pease Foundation. 

Thanks to Chive Charities’ generous donors, Erika just got her very own adaptive racing chair and competition trike, opening the door to her next big goal: completing a half Ironman.


But let’s rewind. 

Erika’s journey to athlete stardom began far from finish lines and race medals. Born with Desbuquois dysplasia, a rare skeletal disorder that affects only a handful of people worldwide, Erika spent her earliest years in a Chinese orphanage without a diagnosis or clear plan for her future.

At age seven, she was adopted and brought to the U.S., where her new family—already big and bustling—grew even stronger with her in it.


“She was just so tiny,” her mom, Teresa, remembered. “We were told she had Larsen syndrome, but I knew that wasn’t quite right.” After a series of genetic tests, Erika’s official diagnosis—Desbuquois dysplasia—was confirmed. 

The condition is characterized by severe short stature, hypermobile joints, hearing and vision impairments, and, in Erika’s case, chronic migraines and a spine that curved so dramatically it required full spinal fusion.

That surgery came in 2022 after five and a half weeks in the hospital, preparing her fragile spine for the intense procedure. “It gave her three and a half inches in height,” Teresa explained. 

“Before that, she was around 30 inches tall. Now she’s closer to 36. But the tradeoff was stiffness—she lost a lot of flexibility.”

The newfound height didn’t stop Erika’s hustle, it just gave her a new challenge to master. As she recovered, aquatic therapy helped loosen up her muscles and rebuild strength, and it was during one of those pool sessions that Erika’s world truly changed. 

Her therapist introduced her to the Kyle Pease Foundation, an organization that supports athletes with disabilities by helping them participate in endurance races.

“I didn’t even know that was possible,” Teresa said. “She started racing in their adaptive chairs, and she loved it. At one dinner, they called her name and said, ‘You’re one of our athletes.’ And Erika just lit up—she turned to me and said, ‘Wait, I’m an athlete?’ And I said, ‘Yes, you are!’ That moment meant everything.”

From then on, there was no stopping her. Erika completed her first triathlon in 2022, then swam the full swim portion on her own the following year. She backstrokes with support swimmers at her side, using her strength to push through open water. “I can’t swim on my stomach,” she explained. “My neck doesn’t bend like that. So I do backstroke. I just want to do it myself.”

This September, Erika plans to return to that same race and complete both the swim and the bike portions herself. That dream got a lot closer when Chive Charities and donors like you purchased an adaptive competition trike and a racing chair, totaling $10,225 in impact. 

“When I told her your organization was doing both,” Teresa said, “she was so excited. She kept saying, ‘Really? Both?’ She couldn’t believe it.”

The new trike allows Erika to train both inside and outside the house, which is huge news for the girl who used to zip circles through the kitchen and living room every morning for 40 minutes straight. 

“She’s so fast we had to weigh down the back of her old trike to keep her from flipping when she turned corners,” Teresa said. “She actually left a dent in our wall at the last house.”

But speed isn’t the only thing Erika brings to the table. She’s also hilarious. At barely three feet tall and fiercely independent, she zips around with her dog Seraphina—"cute but naughty, just like Erika," Teresa laughed—tucked in a sling on her lap. 

She doesn’t let her family members mess with her power wheelchair van (her dad accidentally dented the ramp once), and has to manage expectations of the siblings who want to participate in races with her.

“She’ll let you push her once,” Teresa laughed, “but that’s it. She wants to go fast and be pushed by people who can keep up. She’s competitive—she’s not here for a leisurely jog.”

Next year, Erika hopes to qualify for the Boston Marathon by completing a full marathon. Long-term, she’s got her sights set on becoming an Ironman.

It’s a big dream, but if anyone can power through every mile with grit, charm, and a sparkle of mischief, it’s Erika. She’s got the mindset. She’s got the heart. 

And now—thanks to Chive Charities—she’s got the gear to match her ambition. Erika is the definition of unstoppable, leading a race that’s uniquely hers.

Oh, and if you ever catch a flash of wheels and laughter flying by, you’d better pick up the pace.

She’s probably lapping you.

“See ya!” - Erika, probably.

Don’t worry, you can still go the distance. LEVEL UP with a monthly donation and help us fill the recipient photo wall at theCHIVE HQ and change 25 more lives just like Erika’s. Let’s race to impact—together. DONATE HERE.