👩🏼‍🦽
Sarah was hit by a drunk driver while driving in the canyon with some friends last summer.
Due to her back injuries cutting off blood supply, both of her lags had to be amputated.

I heard about Sarah within a day of her accident because she is from our town. Mutual friends reached out to tell me what had happened. They wondered if I had advice for her and her family.

I gave no advice.
Jason and I never gave advice when this kind of thing happened.
We knew, from experience, that they would navigate this shocking journey the exact way they were meant to navigate it.
And at some point in the future, if they wanted to connect with us in some way, we would be there.

I watched Sarah over these last months on social media.
Checking off milestones in the hospital that included skills like balancing her body, learning to move into her chair, lifting her arms above her head.
All skills that Jason didn’t necessarily experience exactly but I understood the importance of them.

Sarah is a warrior.

But let’s talk about her mom.
She’s the one I couldn’t help thinking about.
She’s the one I found myself focusing on.
She’s the one who my mother-in-law, Sophia, and I talked about.
She’s the one I felt connected to.

I’ve never been the mom of a person in a wheelchair. Sophia was. 
But I am a mom. And I was a caregiver of a person in a wheelchair.
I related to Amy Frei.

I finally reached out to Sarah and Amy and asked if I could meet them.
I went to their home. Checked out Sarah’s ramp and her ability to scoot herself so well from her chair to the sofa. I spent time with them and Sarah’s dad, Greg.

Sarah is a warrior.
And so is her supporting cast.
Her dad. Her family. Her cheerleading squad. Her friends. Her neighbors. The strangers who are inspired by her perseverance and smile.
And her mom.
Amy, thank you for the light you give.
You really are a warrior, too. A beautiful, compassionate, resilient warrior.💙✊🏻