Abuse Advocate Sarah McDugal’s Car Crash Recovery

Sarah McDugal has worked tirelessly for years on behalf of abused women, making very little money, because she’s passionate about caring for the most desperate. Now a car accident has derailed her, leaving her with huge financial needs and a traumatic brain injury that needs time to heal.

Quite frankly, Sarah needs your help.

Let us tell you about Sarah.

For the last seven years, a typical day for Sarah McDugal has looked something like this: in between juggling kids’ schedules, homework, medical checkups, therapy appointments and other parenting logistics, she texts with a frantic mother whom the court is forcing to send her kids on unsupervised visitation to a parent who has endangered them. She researches therapists and aid services in the local area to refer the woman to safe help. She spends the next few hours in coaching sessions with women who have escaped and gotten back on their feet, but need clarity on how to find wholeness after the trauma.

Then she answers messages on her Facebook page from a woman molested as a minor by her church leaders, who needs guidance on how to take steps toward justice. She cross checks case files to see if the situation has other known victims. Next, she spends a few hours developing more resources to train coaches and free tools to help abused women, writing blog posts, creating coaching materials, and responding to interview requests. She checks on the progress of Spanish resource translation and replies to emails from a task force she serves on, helping a denomination deal better with abuse cases that arise in their communities.

She touches base with a team of lay caseworkers she’s been mentoring, as they navigate next steps on an abuse cover-up where pastors have colluded to shelter a pedophile. Then she runs to pick up her kids from school, and the next several hours are full-on mama mode. On weekend nights, after her kids are asleep, she hosts a group coaching session leading women to find strength and wholeness after abuse.

Most of these things – she does for free.

Seven years ago, in a leap of faith, she left her salaried job to do this full time while also caring at home for her special needs children, since the need for advocates and trainers was so great. But it’s hard to make an adequate living supporting crisis victims, since most have been financially abused themselves and have so little disposable income.

So she drove a 17-year-old car. She bought a small cabin and was finishing the interior herself in the evenings after working and managing her kids' activities, while staying in her parents’ RV. She tried to save money as best she could so that she could be there for those who needed her.

Then came the crash.

Sunday, February 12 started out as a typical day.

The night before, she hosted a local meet-up with author Sheila Wray Gregoire, talking to 50 people, some of whom had traveled over 3 hours to attend. They both discussed about how progress is being made–how healing is happening and abused women are finding strength. They shared how safe resources are increasingly available and the tide is turning in good ways.

On Sunday morning she spent time with her kids, worked on their cabin, checked a few emails, and planned the week ahead. She knew she’d need to get groceries the next day, but one kiddo needed soccer shin guards and begged for some quality time… so off they went to turn an errand into a mommy date.

At 12:27 pm, in a split second, everything changed.

They were only a couple miles from home when Sarah’s front wheels jerked left even though the steering wheel didn’t move. The car skidded and didn’t respond to steering, then spun and kept sliding forward, trunk first. They went off the shoulder, into the trees. Sarah’s last thought before impact was, “thank goodness it’s going to crash on my side and not my child’s!” She held up her arm to protect her head as the treeline rushed toward her, and the world went black.

Her kiddo climbed up to the road to get help and phone the family. Two women driving a truck and a horse trailer were already pulling over to call

9-1-1.

The paramedics had to cut Sarah out of the car, and she was unconscious for at least 10 minutes. She then threw up repeatedly in the ambulance.

CT scans and x-rays miraculously revealed no fractures or internal bleeding. Sarah’s external injuries include whiplash, severe bruising, and small lacerations from broken glass. However, tests also showed internal traumatic brain injury (TBI). The TBI is causing queasiness, nausea, loss of appetite, dizziness and more. She has severe neck and shoulder pain from taking the brunt of the crash.

Her medical bills will be hefty, and her medical team is encouraging her to have further brain injury tests, as well as follow-up physiotherapy.

Because of her injuries, she isn’t going to be able to continue to finish off their cabin herself, but will need to hire contractors.

Insurance will only cover the resale value of her 17-year-old car.

And she will not be able to do her normal work and resource development for two months.

A group of us are running this GoFundMe for Sarah: People who work in her field and know how much Sarah contributes to the Christian abuse advocacy community. We know how tirelessly she fights for women in what look like impossible situations, and how much this community needs her.

Sarah has a passion for empowering others to find strength after abuse and navigate the murky fog that Christian women experience when they seek safety from abusive relationships. She’s also committed to equipping and mentoring other advocates and coaches to increase the availability of safe, well-trained resources both in the USA and abroad.

Right now the future seems overwhelming. She was already carrying so much; she can’t carry this alone.

And she won’t be able to fully heal if she has the financial stress to carry too.

Will you help us cover her costs so she can get back to what she feels called to do–giving practical help to desperate women who need to know they’re not alone? Will you help her be able to keep carrying out her mission?

The money we raise will cover:

We need Sarah. And Sarah needs you. Please help and share. Any amount would be so appreciated!