Sarah is a 41-year-old single mother working on her doctorate in educational leadership to support people with disabilities. In 2017, after taking a road trip with her eight-year-old son, she found she couldn’t walk, had problems speaking, and had debilitating pain and fatigue. This sudden onset of symptoms began a long series of tests and doctors and a laundry list of diagnoses, all leading up to the uncovering of a rare connective tissue disorder called Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS) and Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS). While having these diagnoses after seven years of fighting to uncover the cause of symptoms is helpful, Sarah still has a long road ahead to search for treatment options and regain mobility and independence.
As a single parent, Sarah considers raising her son Zane her greatest joy. Before her chronic illness limited her movement, she was an EMT, a deputy sheriff, a black belt in Tae Kwon Do, a teacher, a life coach, a guide-dog raiser, a cub scout leader, and many others. Although life now looks different, she still fights for ways to contribute to the joy and protection of others, especially children and people with disabilities. You can often find her watching the sunrise, her favorite pastime.
Since the onset of her chronic illness, Sarah has struggled with walking, standing, and any sustained movement of her muscles, making it increasingly necessary to use a powered wheelchair to be able to leave the house. With a malfunctioning autonomic nervous system, there are times when she cannot speak and relies on using sign language or accessible technology to communicate. Since her body does not regulate its temperature, she relies on heating pads, ice vests, specialty tools, and adaptive equipment.
Sarah is fundraising for the adaptive equipment and medical costs not covered by insurance. The first item that she hopes to be able to purchase is a more stable powered wheelchair that will replace the foldable power wheelchair that has begun to break down after several years of use. The next dream is to purchase a wheelchair-accessible vehicle that she can use to be once again a part of the community, watch the sunrise, and function independently. Sarah’s dream is to complete her doctorate and use her knowledge and creative skills to continue to serve and support others, especially those who have unmet and unseen needs.
Please donate to Help Hope Live in Sarah’s honor today, and ask your friends and family to give, too! We would love to plan some fundraisers in Sarah’s honor, too, so if you can help with that, please email at longislandsunrise@gmail.com. Thank you for your generous support!
Family and friends of Sarah Ryan are raising money for the nonprofit Help Hope Live to fund uninsured medical expenses associated with Catastrophic Illness.
Sarah has chosen to fundraise for Help Hope Live in part because Help Hope Live assures fiscal accountability of funds raised and tax deductibility for contributors. Contributors can be sure donations will be used to pay or reimburse medical and related expenses. To make a tax-deductible donation to this fundraising campaign, click on the Give button.
For more information, please contact Help Hope Live at 800.642.8399.
Thank you for your support!
