Meet Sarah: 2022 Family Advocacy Day Champion

Sarah is participating in Speak Now for Kids Family Advocacy Day from June 12-14. Through this event, Sarah will discuss her health journey, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles’ role in providing her with necessary health care services, and why the public and our elected officials must invest in the future of patients like Sarah.

When Sarah was 11 years old, she was diagnosed with eosinophilic gastroenteritis, a rare autoimmune condition of the intestinal tract.

“After a long hospital stay at Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles, I realized then I would need ongoing specialized care,” says Sarah.

This condition impacted her childhood in several ways. “It was hard not being in a conventional in-person school, having a childhood circle, and not being able to eat ‘normal’ food for five years of my life,” says Sarah.

Ongoing medical treatment was necessary to maintain her nutritional needs and to monitor and treat her condition. Since her diagnosis, she’s been admitted to the hospital roughly 20 times for various surgeries, medical procedures or especially bad flare ups. 

Today at 21, Sarah’s medical status is much better. She is still on daily and as-needed medication to keep the disease steady and to prevent chances of flare-ups, but now she can eat almost any food. In her spare time, she enjoys baking, hiking and ballet.