Sarah B Aken for Some New Wheels

Sarah is quite possibly the most friendly, funny, kind, accepting, generous, fun-loving, fearless and hardworking person you could ever meet. She is the kind of person who always has a smile on her face. It's a smile that gets bigger when she sees someone important to her -- especially her family & friends.

Sarah radiates an energy that draws people to her.  She has a great sense of humor and can make anyone laugh and as a unique ability to lighten a tough situation with humor.

She is currently and student at Madison College and is pursuing a second degree. She is active and enjoys camping, riding her motorcycle and ATVs. Recently, she took up running and was planning on doing her first 5k this year and training for a half marathon.

On August 23rd a tragic accident took place at her home in just outside of Madison, WI. 

While riding an ATV and going only five miles an hour in front of her house, the ATV lost balance and tipped over, smothering Sarah beneath it. Thankfully, her husband, Andy, was right there and called 911 immediately. But the damage had already been done. Sarah had a complete spinal cord injury that has left her paralyzed below her belly button. 

Sarah is no stranger to adversity. She handles every single thing in her life with a tenacity that few of us can even dream of garnering in even the most dire of circumstances. When news came of the ways that Sarah’s life would change, her friends and family were in shock but also knew that it’s nothing that Sarah can’t handle. In just a few weeks she has quickly learned how to sit up without the aid of all of her muscles. She relearned about dressing and washing herself, started becoming comfortable in the wheelchair the rehab unit at UW Health is lending her, and is working on her upper body strength so when she returns home, she is able to live as independently as possible.

The physical changes to her life are something that we can’t protect her from. This is a journey she will have to take and she will learn new things every day about taking care of herself and completing daily tasks that we all find simple. 

But since the newlyweds were living paycheck to paycheck before the accident, and Sarah was a student, they couldn’t afford health insurance. Now Sarah and her husband are faced with hundreds of thousands of dollars of medical bills and potentially more when she returns home based on the kind of care she will need to receive. 

Please help us raise as much money as possible to help Sarah with all of the medical expenses. Our goal is to raise at least $5,000 to cover the wheelchair she will need. Any additional money will help Sarah & Andy more than you can imagine. 

So please consider donating. Any amount helps!