Help Sarah Broad Fight Leukemia

My name is Emily Russell. Sarah and I have been best friends since Grade 3. We have gone to grade school together, worked, travelled, moved to new cities, volunteered, and studied in post-secondary together. Now, we are facing one of the toughest challenges life can throw at you: cancer.

About Sarah

For those of you who don’t know her, Sarah is my hero. She is a loyal friend, family member, coworker, community member, and social justice activist, all at the age of 27. She has volunteered with organizations such as AIDS Vancouver Island, The Cridge Society, and recently finished her Associate of Arts Degree in Pre-Social Work by my side at Camosun College. She was accepted into UVic where we were to continue our studies for another 2 years in the Bachelor’s of Social Work program. On top of all this, Sarah spearheaded forming the first Starbucks union in North America. Her success in forming the union was a catalyst— over 450 Starbucks across North America have unionized since, and the cause has spread to other service workers in companies such as Amazon, Apple, Trader Joe’s, Indigo, and Petsmart. Sarah has been a driving force in helping thousands of people earn higher wages, receive better benefits, and have power and rights as workers. Because of this activism, she was invited to speak at the Canadian Labour Congress in Montreal this past Spring, and invited to the United States Senate hearing in Washington, DC, supporting those testifying against Starbucks’ unfair labour practices alongside the likes of Senator Bernie Sanders.

What happened

In the first week of September, Sarah felt quite unwell, with a high fever and extreme fatigue. She visited the ER in Victoria on September 7th and was promptly transferred to Vancouver General Hospital via air ambulance, where she was diagnosed with Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia (APL). APL is a very rare form of Leukemia, with only 12-15 people diagnosed in BC annually. While her prognosis is good with a disease like this, there is always significant uncertainty and risk. As she is in the early stages of her treatment, we are holding onto hope while also facing the unpredictability of this disease.

Treatment Plan

Sarah immediately began chemotherapy after being airlifted to VGH. She will continue this intense treatment for one month, which will hopefully land Sarah in remission. Following this, Sarah must undergo 4 cycles of consolidation treatment, which includes 4 weeks of outpatient care from Monday to Friday at Vancouver General Hospital, followed by 4 weeks of outpatient care in Victoria. This means that the best case scenario— if everything goes according to plan— is 9 months of chemotherapy treatment with frequent commuting between Vancouver and Victoria, requiring a home base in each city to stay for one-month stints.

How this will Impact Sarah

Sarah has already endured a great deal of pain and suffering up to this point, receiving blood transfusions, a bone marrow biopsy, a central line in her chest, and managing high fevers, nausea, laboured breathing, extreme fatigue, headaches, intense back pain, and interrupted sleep due to constant testing/bloodwork/IVs. She will continue to feel very unwell during the entire course of this treatment and will not have the ability to work or study. Sarah will lose a massive portion of the income she relies on for normal living expenses. She will also face increased costs due to transportation to and from Victoria and Vancouver hospitals, rent, meals on the go, and more. Extra support from Sarah’s loved ones is also necessary to assist with her daily living, so they too, will incur additional expenses while losing income from taking time off work to travel and support her.

Sarah’s Wishes

In the blink of an eye, Sarah lost not only her health but also her income/employment, study, pets, home, community, and sense of autonomy. Her deepest wish is to keep her apartment in Victoria for her to return to during her outpatient treatment so that she can keep a small sense of normalcy and comfort through a time of unimaginable upheaval in her life. Having her home to feel safe and at peace will ease her pain and discomfort, and will help her keep the mental stamina needed for this long and difficult treatment journey.

Sarah already has the added stress of financial insecurity, and losing her home during this devastating time of sickness is the last thing Sarah needs. With your support, Sarah can focus her energy on what matters: her recovery. Your support means she can have a safe, comfortable, and familiar place to heal.

Through her dedicated and selfless work in labour organizing, Sarah has harnessed the incredible power of solidarity and mutual aid to lift others up. During this immensely challenging time, Sarah and her loved ones are now the ones in need of a shoulder to lean on, and I cannot think of someone more deserving of your support.

What You Can Do

This is where your generosity can make a world of difference. Your contribution will not only alleviate the financial strain on Sarah and her loved ones, but also offer a glimmer of hope in their darkest moments. Please help us lift this burden off of Sarah and support her healing journey by considering donating whatever you can (whether it’s $5, $25, or $100 — everything helps) and/or sharing this fundraiser online to spread the word through the many communities Sarah is connected to. Along with that, you can help by talking about this fundraiser with people you know, and keeping your eye out for other fundraisers (we will be doing some raffles and similar types of fundraisers as well). Above all, please keep Sarah in your thoughts and prayers.

All of the funds donated to this fundraiser will go directly to Sarah’s personal PayPal account, so you can rest assured the funds will be making the most direct impact possible.

Thank you for your consideration and for being the driving force behind Sarah’s brighter tomorrow.

With gratitude,

Emily