Sara Broome's Post Cancer Care & Giving Back

If you know Sara Broome well, you know she has always had a ginormous heart for helping others! As a passionate personal trainer, she's helped children and adults learn to properly exercise and cook healthy meals. Perhaps you are one of her beloved clients. She's written and published a wonderful children's book, encouraging ways to help sea turtles and our oceans (Blinky Saves the Sea Turtles). Now, life has taken a sharp turn, and she's wanting to help cancer patients, even while she is one herself.

Colon cancer is known to reveal itself in life's later years (60-ish), but Sara was diagnosed with Stage 3 at the shocking and early age of 41. Immediate surgery was needed, and while she hoped for a 6-week recovery, here we are, nearly three years later, 6 painful visits to the ER, 3 major surgeries, 8 inches of colon removed, nearly dying of sepsis after her 1st surgery, an unexpected ileostomy bag, and then a procedure to place it back inside her body....and now she has her 4th major surgery scheduled for March 26th due to complications and continuing pains affecting her daily life.

What does this upcoming surgery entail? Doctors are hoping to repair a collapsed colon due to an abundance of scar tissue surrounding surgery areas and organs. Her colon needs to move freely, yet is attached to the scar tissue. This creates severe pain and has unfortunately caused her to miss a lot of work. Her surgeon will work meticulously in hopes of separating this tissue from her colon. Secondly, her abdominal muscles will be sewn back together, as they never healed after her ileostomy procedure.

Sara has never been one to ask for help, as she's a "do it myself" kinda gal (we later found out she has literally driven herself to and from hospitals, in pain). However, when it comes to paying for all of these unexpected procedures, AND post-surgery recovery care, she finds herself in a difficult situation. Her mental health has been challenged, as anyone's would, and while therapy is recommended and necessary, it isn't covered by insurance, nor are any of her suggested holistic modalities of therapy. All money kindly donated is going straight towards remaining medical bills from last summer's major surgery, upcoming surgery fees not covered by insurance, and her out-of-pocket post-healing therapies.

Sara and I call each other "Soul Sista", because we are equally giddy towards life, hold immense hope for making our world a better place, and want to help others see the beauty and power within themselves. Over these past 2 1/2 years, my Soul Sista has been much more isolated due to constant stomach pains, and she's afraid to be out in public, not knowing how her body will handle eating and digesting.

Financial responsibilities have been difficult, trying to pay off multiple surgeries and therapy from the past few years. Understandably, missing work due to unexpected physical discomfort hasn't helped. Her family has been there with constant support, and we're hoping to give them a break. She still has close to $20,000 in bills coming with this next major surgery, therapy, and mental health care sessions. It breaks my heart to see her bright light dimmed, and my hope is that this next special procedure will give her the healing her body needs to eventually bounce back to the vibrant Soul Sista Sara she truly is!

She has already begun her journey of helping other cancer patients, even while she's in the depths of it herself. With social media pages like "Become a Healthy Human," and now "Connecting Through Cancer," Sara wants to create space for survivors and their loved ones to emotionally heal, share, and thrive in whatever stage of life they are experiencing. THIS is a perfect example of where Sara is different than most; she doesn't let the journey of life merely pass by, she is constantly wanting to turn the bad around and make something GOOD out of it. Let's be her wave of love, rising up from underneath and giving her the opportunity to pay off surgery/therapies, to HEAL properly, and to become a powerful force of good for those needing her help! If you've ever worked with her, you know the positive impact she leaves on your soul. It's time to rally for our beloved Sara!!