Sara Kate Loves Happy Wheels!

The last few months have been incredibly challenging, marked by extended hospitalizations and new diagnoses. Yet, even in this difficult season, we are holding onto the small, everyday joys that steady us.

In 2007, we were blessed with our special needs daughter. I won't pretend it has not been easy; life for her and our family has been anything but. At the same time, it has truly been the most amazing journey of our lives. We have watched an incredible child defy every odd thrown her way and flourish against all expectations.

Our lives irrevocably changed on May 7, 2007, during a routine doctor's appointment. We heard the words no expectant parents should ever have to hear: "There is something wrong with your baby." That day, our story began — a story we could never have imagined, but one we would not trade, not even on our hardest days. Our daughter Sara Kate was diagnosed with Dandy-Walker and hydrocephalus before birth and Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome (a severe form of epilepsy) as a baby. She has had many other diagnoses as she has gotten older. 

Sara Kate spends a significant portion of her life in the hospital and visiting specialists to manage her complex health needs. We've endured weeks and even months in hospital rooms, and she has, heartbreakingly, been admitted during almost every major holiday and celebration. Navigating the constant ups and downs of caring for a chronically ill child would have been impossible without our incredible "family" — a term that encompasses not just our relatives, but also our cherished hospital community, dear friends, and supportive hometown. This extended network has nurtured us, celebrated our successes no matter how small, and provided immense comfort during our darkest times. Little did we know how profoundly our journey would shape us, or how much richer our lives would become because of the extraordinary people we've met along the way. We are eternally grateful for every single member of our family.

As we continue on this path, I constantly remind myself that small, everyday joys truly matter when raising a child with special needs. They provide emotional equilibrium, strengthen our connections to others, and infuse hope into an often long and uncertain journey. A significant source of our family’s joy and comfort comes from Happy Wheels. We actually look forward to Mondays in the hospital because that's when we get to choose a new book or, more recently Sara Kate’s new found love, games. Sara Kate loves a good book or game – sometimes, it's the only thing that can settle her on a particularly difficult day. It's more than just a new item; it represents pure joy on some of the hardest days a child can endure.

Happy Wheels has been an immense blessing to our family through their weekly visits, and we will be forever grateful for the love and kindness they have shown us during countless hospital stays. Please consider donating to Happy Wheels so other families can experience the same comfort and profound joy they have so generously given ours.

One day, each week throughout the year, Happy Wheels volunteers make rounds to each inpatient room with a decorated surgical cart filled with brand new books and toys. Happy Wheels visits approximately 400 children weekly at all 3 children's hospitals in South Carolina. Each child gets to pick out one toy/book of their choice every week for the duration of their admission. They get to keep the gifts and take them home!