As many of you know, Sarah has been battling an aggressive case of Ulcerative Colitis for about a decade. The constant uphill battle has included more than 150 days in the hospital, over four months of IV nutrition to combat malnutrition, and another four months of receiving all her nutrition from meal replacement drinks with no solid food at all. Every drug, diet, and treatment recommended by doctors, naturopaths, and specialists around the country did nothing to help, leaving the only seeming solution: to remove her colon- a drastic "bandaid" solution that Sarah prayed to avoid.

Then, the Lord led her to Dr. Borody in Sydney, Australia who took her on via telemedicine on a pro bono basis. The founder of the Center for Digestive Diseases, Dr. Borody put Sarah on a protocol he developed to target root causes that American doctors were not even aware of. And it worked! Sarah gradually improved over the course of a few years before hitting a plateau, and though she still has chronic pain, fatigue, and digestive symptoms, Dr. Borody believes she is ready for the next phase in his protocol, which he thinks can send Sarah into remission for the first time in 10 years, possibly even curing her completely - something most American doctors do not even believe is possible.

If this treatment is successful, Sarah will be able to get off her medications, enroll in nursing school without having to balance her health, and begin trying to grow our family. Obviously, we are very excited for this opportunity!

Unfortunately, this phase requires us to spend two to three weeks in Australia going through outpatient procedures in Dr. Borody's office.The medical costs alone for the treatment are projected to be around $12,500. When you add in round trip airfare to the other side of the planet, plus 2-3 weeks of lodging, food, and transportation, our total estimated cost is somewhere in the neighborhood of $20,000.

This is well beyond our means, but we believe that if this treatment is God's will for Sarah, He will provide, and so we are working to raise funds for this trip, trusting in God's provision. We are reaching out now because we have seen God's hand moving through the people in our lives countless times. Sarah is so well loved by her family, by her friends, and by the members at our local church, and you all have come through for us time and time again.

If you feel led to give or share this with others, we are forever grateful! We are so looking forward to being on the other side of this ten-year-long battle, and thank you all for every prayer and every kind word and your presence in our lives!

Periodic updates on our journey will be posted on our CaringBridge, which you can access at this link.