A Family Connection

by JENNIFER JORDAN

Life’s challenges hit everyone differently. For some, struggles can lead to feeling completely overwhelmed and lost. This is a valid reaction. Others regard difficulties as mountains that they will summit. They take the burdens they’re given and persevere to emerge victorious.

Sarah Richardson has encountered her fair share of struggles, but she is one of the persevering kind. With an infectious smile and a grateful heart, Sarah recounts how she and her family have fought through serious health challenges to come out on the other side. At the age of 11, Sarah battled and defeated cancer, only to have her own daughter diagnosed with a tumor 22 years later at the same exact age.

During the ice storm of December, 2000, Sarah was not feeling well at home in Maud. Her mother, Paula Richardson, worked as an RN at CHRISTUS St. Michael. Due to the storm, Paula stayed at a hotel across from the hospital so she could help patients. Sarah joined her mother there during the aftermath of the storm. Soon, she spiked a fever of 106 degrees, and Paula took her to the emergency room. Sarah describes her vision as showing everything “flipping over, spinning in front of me.” Paula noticed a massive lump on the side of Sarah’s head, and Sarah was scheduled for a CT. “This is where our whole journey began,” Sarah recalls.

Local physicians determined that Sarah needed to go to Arkansas Children’s Hospital immediately. Dr. Bower, her ENT doctor, and Dr. Sasinta, her cancer doctor, initially diagnosed the mass as a schwannoma, a benign tumor wrapped around the 9th cranial nerve. However, they also thought that it looked more like a ganglioneuroblastoma and suggested that the family take a vacation.

Sarah had surgery to remove the tumor, which, indeed, was revealed to be ganglioneuroblastoma cancer. Doctors did not expect Sarah to be able to walk or talk, but all thanks to God, her only issues were speech, swallowing, and a lazy right eye. “Swallow therapy would not work, so I had a feeding tube inserted. I wanted to eat, but it took a hot dog to finally do it, “ Sarah explains. “I started choking on a hot dog, and I swallowed for the first time several months after the surgery. It was an amazing feeling to eat again.” Sarah also notes that “whenever I get hot, one side of my face will grow white, and the other side, red. My friends say, ‘Oh, she’s two-faced again!’” Sarah credits her lifelong friends, Kayce Freeman and Amanda Hanson, with helping her to get through everything. “We had just moved to Maud before I was diagnosed. I met these girls, and they were there for me.”

In 2001, at age 12, the tumor returned, emerging in Sarah’s neck. She was scheduled for surgery, but scans revealed that it had disappeared. All she has now is a scar. Small pieces of the cancer remain, but they do not bother her. Sarah feels incredibly blessed, and she has since recognized that many of her family members have experienced severe headaches, which may or may not reflect a genetic issue. “It’s a deep root in our family,” she says. “My brother, Robert; my sisters, Courtney Harrison and Shannon Moore; my stepmother, Pam; my mom, Paula; and my dad, Bobby, who died in 2020, have all suffered.”

The family connection became only more apparent when Sarah’s daughter, Elizabeth Burt, endured the same symptoms this past summer, at age 11. “We just thought she had swollen lymph nodes, but a tumor popped up,” Sarah explains. Elizabeth was treated at Cook Children’s Hospital in Fort Worth, where she was diagnosed with a schwannoma. “We thought it could involve the carotid artery, the jugular vein, and the 10th cranial nerve. We did not know the outcome because of the carotid risk. The doctors suggested a family vacation, just like with me.”

Sarah cites the support of her community – “whether it was financial, visiting, food, or just crying with me” – who came to help out. “Pastor John and his wife at Church on the Rock, as well as Mrs. Kimi Ryan, have been such a source of comfort,” she asserts. “In addition, Pastor Augustine Alenez and his wife, Lugenia, at Faith Community Baptist Church in Maud have been very helpful to us.”

Elizabeth had to have several different scans, and Sarah understood what her mother must have felt 22 years ago. “I just thought back to my mom and wondered how she did it.” Sarah chuckles as she recalls how advanced MRIs have become in the past two decades. Elizabeth had a counselor walk her through the scans, and she was able to listen to music and wear goggles to watch a screen inside the machine. “The lady was really nice,” Elizabeth comments. “Cook Children’s Hospital is just great,” Sarah avers. “Dr. Roberts and Dr. Macincuk are so understanding.

“I had a little breakdown before Elizabeth’s surgery. It could go bad, or it could go perfectly,” Sarah remembers. “I just prayed and prayed. I had a dream that God took Elizabeth by the hand, and I knew it would be okay. I believe 100 percent that without God, it wouldn’t have turned out this way. After the four-hour surgery, the doctor texted that they had finished, and the ENT doctor came to Elizabeth’s father and me and said, ‘We got all of it.’ It was a big relief. It only affected the 10th cranial nerve. They took a few bites out of the nerve because it could reverse function,” Sarah explains. “The tumor was literally on my last nerve,” Elizabeth quips. Within hours of the surgery, Elizabeth was speaking. She recovered so well that she was released after two days to go home.

Elizabeth continued to heal over the summer and began the sixth grade at Texas Middle School. She enjoys drawing and listening to music. Both Sarah and Elizabeth share a lazy eye. “The doctors cannot explain it. It just happens with this,” Sarah explains.

Sarah and her family are thankful for all that God has given them, despite the health challenges experienced by several family members. Sarah’s youngest daughter, Emily, age 9, has autism, and is doing very well in Mrs. Tarantino’s class at Wake Village Elementary School. “Since she was a year old, I knew something was different. Emily has been in therapy at Temple Memorial Rehabilitation Center, where they have gone above and beyond for her. The staff is extremely supportive,” Sarah comments. Sarah’s father, Bobby, suffered from alcoholism. “Although he died from cancer, alcohol damaged his body,” Sarah states.

“I struggled with the reasons that he passed, but I know it’s genetically passed. I want to tell my dad that I’m sorry for him having to deal with it.” For this reason, Sarah has a goal of helping people with substance abuse disorders. She is pursuing her bachelor’s degree in psychology, with a minor in business, scheduled to graduate from Texas A&M University-Texarkana in 2024. Not only does Sarah attend college and care for her daughters, but she works full-time as well. “I used to work at Cracker Barrel. I loved decorating the trees and working with the merchandise in the gift shop.” Recently, Sarah took a teller position at Guaranty Bank & Trust. “I think people are fun. I love interacting with people. I try to anticipate customers’ needs before they ask.” Sarah has had a great time training at Guaranty’s Summerhill Road location and looks forward to working at the 7th Street location. She also enjoys baking and used to run her own business, “Homemade Happiness,” before the cost of ingredients became prohibitive. “My On the way to Cook Children’s Medical Center grandfather and aunt loved to cook,” Sarah says. “It runs in Ft. Worth, Elizabeth loves to stop at Buc-ee’s. in the family.” Here, she is laughing and having a great time Regardless of what life has thrown her way, Sarah’s with her father, Chris Burt. faith buoys her positive mindset. “If there is something I can learn to help others, I want to do it.” Through her studies at TAMU-T, her new job at Guaranty Bank & Trust, as well as her gratitude for Elizabeth’s recovery and Emily’s therapy, Sarah has demonstrated tenacity with a servant’s heart. She has risen up to not only meet, but overcome obstacles, modeling strength and grace for her daughters. How blessed they are to have a mother like Sarah Richardson.