So Won't You Smile a While for Me
Donation protected
We don't have a lot of time...so we need a lot of heart!
I don't think there are many people in the world who have no problem getting on a phone at any hour for any length of time with some complete stranger who's in trouble. Find one more person in the substance abuse field who is running into a hospital in the middle of the night because she's an emergency contact for groups of people. That one fact is so indicative of our friends character. When I heard her voice, when I heard someone who publicly spoke with great passion at a moments notice, crying through sentences, I knew we had a serious problem on our hands. I've never seen her turn her back on anyone we threw her way. All of us with friends and family struggling with the same disease that took Sarah from us were received with nothing but open arms, advice, love and genuine concern from Sarah. She didn't get there on accident. Here we had this very messy, very done person who will tell you, "I used to be so drunk, I'd actually wet my bed and stay in it. That was my life. Drunk mess hard pressed on death."
Upon waking up with no memory (as usual) , this time was different. The sign in front of her was Cardiac Intensive Care and the first words we hear from this almost totally incoherent girl? True story. "Heh, look at that....my heart is literally broken." And I thought to myself that should have been an obvious observation. We overlook so much in our lives for so many reasons. Fear, denial, cans of worms....but not Sarah. If she told you she was gonna find a way, she wasn't gonna quit until she had your answer. My love and admiration for this woman....someone who could make you laugh when you're positive you'll never smile again, is unsurpassed. I had the amazing opportunity to watch my dying friend become this force in our world. I'd never seen her so happy, so confident...reborn!
As as is the case with many, Sarah lost contacts with old friends and really just immersed herself in her work as a coach, a counselor, a trainer of trainers and excitedly bounce through the door after six hours of horrendous commuting. Her and her mother would sit and talk for hours on end every night. She had the two most important things right in her grasp and there was peace. Something I had NEVER seen. She spent her free time taking care of herself and her mother...the very Best of friends, sisters, partners...two people you loved to watch throwing their banter back and forth. The laughs bordered on hysterics and I just remember feeling how amazing it felt to be in a room with two people you'd scream and laugh with. Life was good!
it was early February when her mother told her she had cancer. The day she marks as the beginning of the end. Sarah left the job and company she loved because that six hour commute was impossible. Sarah's last day of training was March 30th 2014. Midnight came and went, as usual. She slept in the chair next to her mother on the couch watching Dateline. A little less than an hour later, the most important person in her world, the only person who didn't turn their back, was gone. Sarah held her mother's face and let out screams that brought a small army of security in and just like that, without warning, she left. I don't think any single one of us thought she'd make it through. She didn't turn her "inner autopilot" off for almost two years.
This is is a girl who lives her life alone. Is she gonna risk having someone else abandon her? There are no baby/bridal showers, no wedding that comes with an additional 10 dinners...bachelorette, wedding, christenings - no wishing well for this person who is slipping away from us. This woman with a heart who seems to look more and more afraid and confused than I've ever seen her. Every one of us stayed friends with Sarah for twenty plus years, so we have a lot to compare it to. Because of this, I was never gonna wait for the day that I procrastinated - which then transforms itself from procrastinating to "its too late".
Opening her door to leave, the eviction notice dropped to the floor. On the 15th (yep, this coming one) Sarah will be in court, which I wouldn't worry too much about because the Sarah I knew was articulate and quick witted. She knew how to handle a crisis better than anyone else. I haven't seen that Sarah in far too long. The happy, confident, go getter I watched her become, is leaving her and it's too evident to just sit back and hope. She is being ordered to pay close to $11,000. Do I expect us to meet that goal by the 15th? Not likely....UNLESS....everyone takes one minute until then to be aggressive about sharing this. My friend who loved life, who conquered demons, who faced her fears is crawling back inside of herself and quite frankly, at this point, the only way can help is by stepping up and showing her that she's not alone and that we remember that "once upon a time" there was a better life for her. If she loses her home....she is very literally homeless. She adopted Noah and Gabriel (kittens who had their mother taken from them and left to die under a flipped kiddie pool, freezing in November.) when they were two weeks old. You'll notice their names and how she credits them with saving her. Even more than the home, she will never forgive herself if she lost them. There is positively no such thing as a small denomination in this scenario. Let's show this frightened little girl that she's not alone, that we'll help in any way we can. She needs us.
she really needs us. Now. Twice she removed the PayPal post....not this time!! This time it belongs to us and we're gonna make this work somehow!!
I don't think there are many people in the world who have no problem getting on a phone at any hour for any length of time with some complete stranger who's in trouble. Find one more person in the substance abuse field who is running into a hospital in the middle of the night because she's an emergency contact for groups of people. That one fact is so indicative of our friends character. When I heard her voice, when I heard someone who publicly spoke with great passion at a moments notice, crying through sentences, I knew we had a serious problem on our hands. I've never seen her turn her back on anyone we threw her way. All of us with friends and family struggling with the same disease that took Sarah from us were received with nothing but open arms, advice, love and genuine concern from Sarah. She didn't get there on accident. Here we had this very messy, very done person who will tell you, "I used to be so drunk, I'd actually wet my bed and stay in it. That was my life. Drunk mess hard pressed on death."
Upon waking up with no memory (as usual) , this time was different. The sign in front of her was Cardiac Intensive Care and the first words we hear from this almost totally incoherent girl? True story. "Heh, look at that....my heart is literally broken." And I thought to myself that should have been an obvious observation. We overlook so much in our lives for so many reasons. Fear, denial, cans of worms....but not Sarah. If she told you she was gonna find a way, she wasn't gonna quit until she had your answer. My love and admiration for this woman....someone who could make you laugh when you're positive you'll never smile again, is unsurpassed. I had the amazing opportunity to watch my dying friend become this force in our world. I'd never seen her so happy, so confident...reborn!
As as is the case with many, Sarah lost contacts with old friends and really just immersed herself in her work as a coach, a counselor, a trainer of trainers and excitedly bounce through the door after six hours of horrendous commuting. Her and her mother would sit and talk for hours on end every night. She had the two most important things right in her grasp and there was peace. Something I had NEVER seen. She spent her free time taking care of herself and her mother...the very Best of friends, sisters, partners...two people you loved to watch throwing their banter back and forth. The laughs bordered on hysterics and I just remember feeling how amazing it felt to be in a room with two people you'd scream and laugh with. Life was good!
it was early February when her mother told her she had cancer. The day she marks as the beginning of the end. Sarah left the job and company she loved because that six hour commute was impossible. Sarah's last day of training was March 30th 2014. Midnight came and went, as usual. She slept in the chair next to her mother on the couch watching Dateline. A little less than an hour later, the most important person in her world, the only person who didn't turn their back, was gone. Sarah held her mother's face and let out screams that brought a small army of security in and just like that, without warning, she left. I don't think any single one of us thought she'd make it through. She didn't turn her "inner autopilot" off for almost two years.
This is is a girl who lives her life alone. Is she gonna risk having someone else abandon her? There are no baby/bridal showers, no wedding that comes with an additional 10 dinners...bachelorette, wedding, christenings - no wishing well for this person who is slipping away from us. This woman with a heart who seems to look more and more afraid and confused than I've ever seen her. Every one of us stayed friends with Sarah for twenty plus years, so we have a lot to compare it to. Because of this, I was never gonna wait for the day that I procrastinated - which then transforms itself from procrastinating to "its too late".
Opening her door to leave, the eviction notice dropped to the floor. On the 15th (yep, this coming one) Sarah will be in court, which I wouldn't worry too much about because the Sarah I knew was articulate and quick witted. She knew how to handle a crisis better than anyone else. I haven't seen that Sarah in far too long. The happy, confident, go getter I watched her become, is leaving her and it's too evident to just sit back and hope. She is being ordered to pay close to $11,000. Do I expect us to meet that goal by the 15th? Not likely....UNLESS....everyone takes one minute until then to be aggressive about sharing this. My friend who loved life, who conquered demons, who faced her fears is crawling back inside of herself and quite frankly, at this point, the only way can help is by stepping up and showing her that she's not alone and that we remember that "once upon a time" there was a better life for her. If she loses her home....she is very literally homeless. She adopted Noah and Gabriel (kittens who had their mother taken from them and left to die under a flipped kiddie pool, freezing in November.) when they were two weeks old. You'll notice their names and how she credits them with saving her. Even more than the home, she will never forgive herself if she lost them. There is positively no such thing as a small denomination in this scenario. Let's show this frightened little girl that she's not alone, that we'll help in any way we can. She needs us.
she really needs us. Now. Twice she removed the PayPal post....not this time!! This time it belongs to us and we're gonna make this work somehow!!
Organizer
Sarah Schmitt
Organizer
Staten Island, NY