Sarah Persons

I came to HSS in 2018 with a complex history of sarcoidosis that required extensive rheumatological care. The disease had spread out of my lungs into other parts of my body including my brain, liver, kidneys but mainly affecting my central nervous system, heart, and lungs. Prior to my arriving at HSS, I had a circle of care of 12 medical specialists at another well renowned hospital in another state. I was never able to go more than a few months without an emergency hospitalization or an ambulance ride. All immunosuppressant treatments that were used to try and stabilize me had failed. I was deteriorating and I was suffering. My prognosis was poor, I was expected to be in a wheelchair and dependent on an oxygen tank within a few years and told that I would not survive to see my 50th birthday. In my worst of times, I was not able to drive a car, ride a bike, carry grocery bags into my home, stand at the stove to cook, or care for my young children. At one point, I was at legal risk of losing custody of my children due to the aggressiveness of my illness bringing into question my ability to be a stable parent. I was 37-years-old when I got sick but went undiagnosed for 7 years. I was living in the shadows of a mainstream world that I could not partake in. I spent years sick in hospital beds, battling an invisible illness and life was passing me by.

I started a new treatment program with Dr. Yee, and I began to show signs of improvement. I felt well enough to return to horseback riding, an activity that I had been passionate about since I was a child. I became cautiously hopeful that Dr. Yee might be able to improve my quality of life. But as fate would have it, my suffering was not over yet.

A year into rheumatological treatment at HSS, on a dark winter evening in early December 2018, I was out riding my horse when I lost control of her on a country road. I suddenly found myself out of control in oncoming traffic with no ability to regain control. In that last second, when I could see the eyes of the driver of the truck that I was about to collide with, I made a split-second decision to jump to save my own life, falling from a high height at a high speed. When I struck the icy pavement, my left arm was torn away from my body resulting in a crippling injury of broken bones, torn ligaments, muscles, and nerves. I felt hopeless and scared when I was told that no trauma surgeon in the state of CT could repair my arm and it was easier to remove it. I was in a rural hospital alone, and I was ready to give up on my life.

By nothing less than a miracle, at my absolute worst moment, Lou Shapiro appeared in my life when someone put a phone up to my ear and I recognized his familiar voice. He said he was bringing me back to HSS where I woke up on the orthopedic side of the hospital with Dr. Helfet standing at the foot of my bed calmly telling me with confidence that I had banged myself up a bit and that he would fix my arm. He was so confident and calm, at that time, in the immediate aftermath, I wasn’t aware of the severity of damage I had endured. I was facing the darkest period of my life complete with a complicated overlay of acute Rheumatological illness coupled with severe orthopedic trauma at the exact same time.

I remained a patient of orthopedic trauma for well over a year, undergoing multiple surgeries on my left shoulder, arm, and hand. While inpatient, Dr. Yee came over from his office and ramped up my sarcoidosis treatment to ensure I remained stable from a disease management perspective, while on the other side of the hospital my orthopedic surgical repairs and subsequent unrelenting physical therapy kept on going, month after month.

Since all of this happened 4 years ago, Dr. Yee has given me a quality of life that I never thought possible. His tireless dedication to me as his patient, and his exceptional medical knowledge of my condition is by far the greatest rheumatological care I have received anywhere. He has given me the greatest gift possible - quality of life. I am now medically stable enough to partake in most of the activities I never thought I ever would again. My progress was slow and sometimes I stalled out, but Dr. Yee never gave up on me and even in the most frustrating times, at the very least, he could get me to laugh, and laughter later led to hope for a better future. To be able to laugh, strengthened my will to never give up.

There was even a surprise a silver lining that was totally unexpected during my treatment with Dr. Helfet. Between surgeries, I picked up a croquet mallet for the first time at 53-years-old. Dr. Helfet and I made an agreement that if I swung the mallet regularly, he would discharge me from the grueling rehab that was necessary to prevent further complications with my arm. That is when I found my wings as a newly minted croquet player.

After fulling utilizing every resource available to me on both sides of HSS, I have finally achieved medical stability and have gone on to live normally in the mainstream world, completing my MFA in Creative Writing from The New School in 2022 graduating with a 4.0. I am also an active member of the United States Croquet Association, having recently participated in the largest Women’s Croquet tournament ever held in the U.S. taking place at the National Croquet Center in West Palm Beach, Florida January 19-22, 2023, where I won the first flight plate in my final game 7-3 against my opponent from Oklahoma. Dr. Yee has always encouraged me with all my goals, the next one, to complete a 5K in 2023.

My new life been made possible by the exceptional level of care that I received at HSS. Now, I have a future to look forward to. I will always be deeply grateful to all the amazing doctors, surgeons and nurses that have rebuilt me and given me the life I have today.