Sanara The Warrior
Donation protected
Imagine at age 11 being in excruciating pain, not sure of why and wondering if when you go to sleep whether or not you will wake up or die. Sanara was recently diagnosed with a very rare disease, Atypical Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (aHUS). This page has been organized for her family. Donations are appreciated to provide the family with support. Sanara inspires us all with her will to live and perseverance. No child should have to face this, yet she fights every day with the support of her family.
You don't always have to be strong, by Sanara
I never thought I would go through something like this before. I just turned 11 and I was so excited because it really was the best birthday I ever had. But everything started to change, I started off with horrible headaches a week after my birthday. I couldn't even eat, all I did was sleep all day. But that went away after a week so I was like "oh ok I' fine, that was nothing", then more stuff happened.
My stomach and my sides started swelling like crazy. It was worse at night. But then I had terrible stomach pain, so bad I couldn't eat anything. I remember my mom made hame, rice, and mac and cheese. I almost cried because I couldn't eat. No one would be able to tell me how bad my pain was. I felt like I was going to die once, I told myself "Am I gonna die. I can't die. My brother and my mom and I need them". Whenever I tried to eat I threw it right back up. Of course, my mom took me to the doctors, they didn't do anything. They told me it was my stomach muscles, was it? No. I knew it wasn't, stomach muscles hurting you shouldn't make you feel like you're dying. I even asked them to take blood because I knew something wasn't right. They said "no, she doesn't need it" oh trust me, I did. And plus what 11 year old wants to get a needle? I did not want it, but if it would help me then sure. Do it. But I kept on getting worse and worse every day. Not eating, stomach pain, swelling stomach, body burning hot, I couldn't do it anymore.
My mom took me to the emergency room on the 23rd of August. They put us in a room and took blood, and I got an ultrasound. One of the doctors tried to tell me it was mental like I had something. But when that other doctor came in to tell me what was wrong, you could see it in his face. It wasn't good. He started saying my blood was abnormal. Then he went on about my kidneys. They were leaking fluid that was building up in my lungs. You should've seen my moms face. I felt so bad because I've never seen my mom cry before. I still didn't understand what was happening. I thought we were going to go home and my mom makes chicken with rice. I was so wrong. They took me into the ICU on my first day. I still thought I was leaving soon. I told my best friend and she asked me "when are you leaving" and I said "Thursday probably", yeah I was wrong. Its September now, I just remember me breaking down one night from the pain and how sad I was. I just wanted to go home to my brother and my aunts. But me and my mom pray every night together. My mom is here for me, that's why I love her so much.
It took them a week to figure out what I have, but after that week they figure out what I have, but after that week they figured out that I have atypical HUS. Atypical HUS is an extremely rare, life threatening disease that almost killed me. But it didn't. It tried to but it didn't. I've been in the hospital for 3 weeks now. I get dialysis to help take the fluid out of my stomach and out of my lungs. Dialysis is where they put tubes in my neck and they drain out the blood and clean it and put it back in me. At first I was terrified of it but now I'm used to it. But before I end this little paragraph here's something my mom always says to me. You don't have to be strong. Let it out, you have a right to feel sad.
You don't always have to be strong, by Sanara
I never thought I would go through something like this before. I just turned 11 and I was so excited because it really was the best birthday I ever had. But everything started to change, I started off with horrible headaches a week after my birthday. I couldn't even eat, all I did was sleep all day. But that went away after a week so I was like "oh ok I' fine, that was nothing", then more stuff happened.
My stomach and my sides started swelling like crazy. It was worse at night. But then I had terrible stomach pain, so bad I couldn't eat anything. I remember my mom made hame, rice, and mac and cheese. I almost cried because I couldn't eat. No one would be able to tell me how bad my pain was. I felt like I was going to die once, I told myself "Am I gonna die. I can't die. My brother and my mom and I need them". Whenever I tried to eat I threw it right back up. Of course, my mom took me to the doctors, they didn't do anything. They told me it was my stomach muscles, was it? No. I knew it wasn't, stomach muscles hurting you shouldn't make you feel like you're dying. I even asked them to take blood because I knew something wasn't right. They said "no, she doesn't need it" oh trust me, I did. And plus what 11 year old wants to get a needle? I did not want it, but if it would help me then sure. Do it. But I kept on getting worse and worse every day. Not eating, stomach pain, swelling stomach, body burning hot, I couldn't do it anymore.
My mom took me to the emergency room on the 23rd of August. They put us in a room and took blood, and I got an ultrasound. One of the doctors tried to tell me it was mental like I had something. But when that other doctor came in to tell me what was wrong, you could see it in his face. It wasn't good. He started saying my blood was abnormal. Then he went on about my kidneys. They were leaking fluid that was building up in my lungs. You should've seen my moms face. I felt so bad because I've never seen my mom cry before. I still didn't understand what was happening. I thought we were going to go home and my mom makes chicken with rice. I was so wrong. They took me into the ICU on my first day. I still thought I was leaving soon. I told my best friend and she asked me "when are you leaving" and I said "Thursday probably", yeah I was wrong. Its September now, I just remember me breaking down one night from the pain and how sad I was. I just wanted to go home to my brother and my aunts. But me and my mom pray every night together. My mom is here for me, that's why I love her so much.
It took them a week to figure out what I have, but after that week they figure out what I have, but after that week they figured out that I have atypical HUS. Atypical HUS is an extremely rare, life threatening disease that almost killed me. But it didn't. It tried to but it didn't. I've been in the hospital for 3 weeks now. I get dialysis to help take the fluid out of my stomach and out of my lungs. Dialysis is where they put tubes in my neck and they drain out the blood and clean it and put it back in me. At first I was terrified of it but now I'm used to it. But before I end this little paragraph here's something my mom always says to me. You don't have to be strong. Let it out, you have a right to feel sad.
Organizer and beneficiary
Mary Mackey
Organizer
Hartford, CT
Sandra Martin
Beneficiary