Sara Bennett is a force. She had a career as a social studies teacher, club advisor, and swim coach, all while also running a small business helping people get organized. She's a mom of two young boys, wife to Rusty, and dog mom to Grif.

“I thought of myself as a therapist, a cleaning lady, and a coach in a cocktail shaker,” she shared. As an educator, entrepreneur, mom, wife, sister, and daughter, she has now taken on the role of an ALS warrior since her diagnosis in March 2023, almost exactly one year after her symptoms began. Since her diagnosis, she's retired from teaching.

After finding Live Like Lou through social media, Sara registered for our Connect and Serve program providing volunteers for projects in/around the home of families affected by Lou Gehrig's disease. The Bennett family was matched with volunteers from Lou Gehrig's Fraternity brothers at Ohio Wesleyan University in September 2023.

“The volunteers were willing to jump right in and get to work, they were very earnest and sweet. I think we present as a pretty ‘normal family,’ and I think it’s a really cool opportunity to have volunteers in our home so they can see what life really looks like. Their time gave us our outdoor Christmas lighting and decor that we otherwise would’ve probably skipped this year. I am grateful for their help to make the holidays a little more magical for our crew,” she shared.

As Sara and her family learn to pivot (she even changed her business name from “The Ananda Edit” to “The Ananda Pivot”), it is striking how much our hero, Lou Gehrig, and Sara have in common. Lou’s courage, humility, and deep sense of gratitude are our inspiration, and we are in awe of Sara’s selflessness, resilience, and authenticity in the face of ALS.

Follow along with Sara’s journey, hear her tips, and check in on her travels on Instagram. "As I become more disabled, it’s been important to me to find adaptive tools," Sarah shared. "My social media platform allows me to share these resources for those who have similar challenges. I’ve always been social and the hardest part of this disease is the loss of my voice. This platform gives me an opportunity to talk about anything I want, until I can’t anymore."

For more information about Live Like Lou’s Connect and Serve program delivering short-term or one-time support to ALS families in and around their homes, visit www.livelikelou.org/als-families or register with us!