Help Sarah Roberts Fight Breast Cancer
Donation protected
My dear friend Sarah, who at 42 years old, has had to come to terms with the fact that she has Breast Cancer, and will be getting a double mastectomy on May 21st.
On January 2nd of this year, Sarah returned to her 1st-grade classroom after a holiday break feeling completely drained and defeated. Despite the two-week recess, she felt exhausted and weak. She told me that she cried at her desk just minutes before the students arrived for the day because she didn’t know how she was going to make it through. She knew at that moment that the decision had been made up in her mind. Sarah would have to leave her 14 year teaching career behind, so that she could get better.
Sarah has spent the last 8 years suffering through a variety of ailments with little solution. She saw many, many doctors, and ended up with a pharmacy’s worth of prescriptions, but no answers. She has soldiered on, enduring her aching back pain, the feeling that her whole body is tied in knots, and so on.
I can’t imagine not understanding why your body feels so out of whack and no doctor has found anything to connect the dots. Note here that Sarah is not a quitter; she has had to make a heart-breaking decision between herself and her students. She loved teaching and adored getting a new class each year, but she felt like she lacked the patience she once had. Due to two back injuries, Sarah would struggle to stand for extended periods, and no amount of sleep ever seemed to be enough. When I saw her for the first time in years, back in April, she looked sad, tired, and defeated. That is not the Sarah I knew.
Her plan when she left teaching was to find a job where she could just focus on doing her work in the most comfortable way possible for a while: at home and in PJs. Sarah had wanted to stay with Canyons District and just work at the district offices, but they don’t have a job transfer option for that. It felt wild and crazy for her too, but Sarah knew she needed a change. She couldn’t handle the pain and the emotional burden any longer, and she was scared that she might not be able to stay in control. She knew she had nothing left to give and tried to do what was in her students best interest.
When Sarah left her teaching position, she had planned to take a month or so off and get to the bottom of a few nagging medical issues, then work on obtaining another position, which would allow her to not be on her feet for 7 hours a day. Unfortunately, Sarah's health did not improve in the following weeks. Her energy levels remained low. Nothing seemed to have positive long-lasting effects. If anything, she felt worse. At a pain management appointment for her back, she asked her doctor what were the next steps. At this point, surgery was the only option to actually fix the problem. So she met with a surgeon, formulated a game plan, and was ready to move forward and get on with a more normal life.This was an unexpected development, but she was told she would be able to return to a light duty job after approximately 8 weeks, so Sarah and her husband John thought they could manage it.
The next week, during her annual mammogram, a large lump was discovered in her left breast. She was sent for a biopsy, which confirmed the presence of cancerous cells. She met with a surgeon, who ordered a second biopsy. The results of this second biopsy were similar to the first, but slightly more conclusive. She was diagnosed with a common form of breast cancer in its early stage.
Due to the size and location of the tumor, it won’t be possible to save the breast. She has a small lump in her right breast that is thought to be benign, but they’re not taking any chances. She will be having a double mastectomy later this month.
With her cancer diagnosis and several major surgeries coming soon, Sarah now won’t be able to get a job for some time. Sarah’s husband can afford their usual household expenses, but with Sarah not working, there is nothing left over. They cannot afford Sarah’s car payment. They cannot afford for Sarah to go and get a massage. They cannot afford to put Kendall into a dance class to help her make some friends over the summer. And then there’s all the uncovered medical expenses.
We want to show Sarah and her family just how much we love them, by supporting them at this time. If you know Sarah and John, please share this! Please support this family and help Sarah get through this!
On January 2nd of this year, Sarah returned to her 1st-grade classroom after a holiday break feeling completely drained and defeated. Despite the two-week recess, she felt exhausted and weak. She told me that she cried at her desk just minutes before the students arrived for the day because she didn’t know how she was going to make it through. She knew at that moment that the decision had been made up in her mind. Sarah would have to leave her 14 year teaching career behind, so that she could get better.
Sarah has spent the last 8 years suffering through a variety of ailments with little solution. She saw many, many doctors, and ended up with a pharmacy’s worth of prescriptions, but no answers. She has soldiered on, enduring her aching back pain, the feeling that her whole body is tied in knots, and so on.
I can’t imagine not understanding why your body feels so out of whack and no doctor has found anything to connect the dots. Note here that Sarah is not a quitter; she has had to make a heart-breaking decision between herself and her students. She loved teaching and adored getting a new class each year, but she felt like she lacked the patience she once had. Due to two back injuries, Sarah would struggle to stand for extended periods, and no amount of sleep ever seemed to be enough. When I saw her for the first time in years, back in April, she looked sad, tired, and defeated. That is not the Sarah I knew.
Her plan when she left teaching was to find a job where she could just focus on doing her work in the most comfortable way possible for a while: at home and in PJs. Sarah had wanted to stay with Canyons District and just work at the district offices, but they don’t have a job transfer option for that. It felt wild and crazy for her too, but Sarah knew she needed a change. She couldn’t handle the pain and the emotional burden any longer, and she was scared that she might not be able to stay in control. She knew she had nothing left to give and tried to do what was in her students best interest.
When Sarah left her teaching position, she had planned to take a month or so off and get to the bottom of a few nagging medical issues, then work on obtaining another position, which would allow her to not be on her feet for 7 hours a day. Unfortunately, Sarah's health did not improve in the following weeks. Her energy levels remained low. Nothing seemed to have positive long-lasting effects. If anything, she felt worse. At a pain management appointment for her back, she asked her doctor what were the next steps. At this point, surgery was the only option to actually fix the problem. So she met with a surgeon, formulated a game plan, and was ready to move forward and get on with a more normal life.This was an unexpected development, but she was told she would be able to return to a light duty job after approximately 8 weeks, so Sarah and her husband John thought they could manage it.
The next week, during her annual mammogram, a large lump was discovered in her left breast. She was sent for a biopsy, which confirmed the presence of cancerous cells. She met with a surgeon, who ordered a second biopsy. The results of this second biopsy were similar to the first, but slightly more conclusive. She was diagnosed with a common form of breast cancer in its early stage.
Due to the size and location of the tumor, it won’t be possible to save the breast. She has a small lump in her right breast that is thought to be benign, but they’re not taking any chances. She will be having a double mastectomy later this month.
With her cancer diagnosis and several major surgeries coming soon, Sarah now won’t be able to get a job for some time. Sarah’s husband can afford their usual household expenses, but with Sarah not working, there is nothing left over. They cannot afford Sarah’s car payment. They cannot afford for Sarah to go and get a massage. They cannot afford to put Kendall into a dance class to help her make some friends over the summer. And then there’s all the uncovered medical expenses.
We want to show Sarah and her family just how much we love them, by supporting them at this time. If you know Sarah and John, please share this! Please support this family and help Sarah get through this!
Organizer and beneficiary
Crystal Fulton
Organizer
West Jordan, UT
Sarah Roberts
Beneficiary