Erin Moran’s husband Steven Fleischmann shared details about the actress’ final days in an open letter posted on Facebook by her “Happy Days” co-star Scott Baio on Tuesday.
Fleischmann wrote that the cancer was first diagnosed last November, after Moran discovered bleeding coming from her tonsils. After a biopsy revealed “squamous cell carcinoma,” Moran immediately began undergoing radiation and chemotherapy treatment.
“It got so bad so fast. By the middle of February, Erin could no longer speak or eat or drink,” he wrote. “She had a feeding tube implant and I fed her 6 to 8 times a day.”
The actress died on Saturday at the age of 56, after having “likely succumbed to complications of stage 4 cancer,” according to the Harrison County Sheriff’s Office. Fleischmann further explained that she passed in her sleep while the couple watched television together.
“She was there watching TV in bed. I laid down next to her held her right hand in my left,” he wrote. “I feel asleep woke up about a hour later still holding her hand and she was gone, she was just gone.”
The autopsy conducted after her death revealed that Moran’s cancer had progressed far more than expected, having already spread to multiple other organs.
“The coroner told me it was really, really bad,” Fleichmann wrote. “It had spread to her spleen, she had a lot of fluid in her lungs and part of her brain was infected. The coroner said even if she was in the hospital being pumped full of antibiotics she still would not of made it.”
“He said it was the best that she was with me and went in her sleep,” he continued.
Read the full message below:
Erin and I met 4/22/1992 and parted ways 4/22/2017. We were planning to go to
Thunder Over Louisville to celebrate.
She was feeling fine on our anniversary
11-23-2016. Maybe four or five days after we got back Erin woke up and had about a dime size blood stain on her pillowcase. She said
I think i bit my tongue. A couple days go by and
there’s a bigger spot of blood. We get like 4 days into December, there’s more blood. I get a flashlight and say let me look.
It was not her tongue it was her tonsil on the left side. I thought it was tonsillitis.
So we went to an ENT who said they wanted to biopsy it. It came back squamous cell carcinoma. She started radiation and chemo. Five days a week radiation and chemo only on Thursdays. We did that the whole time. It got so bad so fast. By the
middle of February, Erin could no longer speak
or eat or drink. She had a feeding tube implant and i feed her 6 to 8 times a day. She was still happy, she was active, she texted people on her phone all day. On the 21st she was having trouble
breathing. She woke up on the 22nd, she was not 100%.
She needed Kleenex, so i went to the store and came
back. She was there watching T.V in bed. I
laid down next to her held her right hand in my
left. I feel asleep woke up about a hour later
still holding her hand and she was gone, she was
just gone.. Norton Cancer Institute never said how bad it was.. The coroner told me it was really really bad. It had spread to her spleen, she had alot of fluid in her lungs and part of her brain was
infected. The coroner said even if she was in the hospital being pumped full of antibiotics she still would not of made it. He said it was the best that she was with me and went in her sleep.
So that’s it.
PLEASE feel free to send the above to Any and ALL
news outlets The press has been relentless. they knock on the door constantly. Thank you Harrison County Sheriff’s I Called last night and they came out ran them off got up this morning
they were all back sheriffs ran them all off again. the last time two cop cars ran off the last ones right before it got dark. we will see what tomorrow brings….
PEACE my friends.