Sarah and I met when we were in the third grade. It was in the fourth grade that we became best friends. We shared many birthday parties, slumber parties, and Angilo's pizza together. I remember her dad picking us up in the white Cavalier to take us to her house. I remember her driving that white Cavalier when she turned 16. I think our house was the first place she drove to alone after she received her driver's license and she was the only person Mom would allow me to drive alone with when I only had my permit. I also remember that white Cavalier had a large dent in the front after our friend Clay drove it into a concrete stop at the gas station because he was trying to pick up a package of Twinkies off the floor. And I also remember that if I needed to find Sarah on a Friday night she would be in the parking lot of Depot Car Wash sitting on the hood of her car just hanging out.
I can't say that we did a lot together throughout our high school years but she was always around and we had such an incredible ease when we were together. She would come to our house and we would sit around and talk and laugh and just have fun. Though she wasn't a cheerleader she would support us at every competition every year and always made sure we had our goodie gift baskets. She supported me in every boyfriend I had in high school, whether or not she really approved. She was so incredibly involved in school but always made good grades and was always around when I needed her. We ran around together, laughed together, and would have gotten in trouble together if we were ever caught.
After high school she went to the University of Kentucky and I went down the road to Georgetown College. However, separate colleges did not separate us. I knew that if I ever need somewhere to go, her door was always open and I sometimes took advantage of that. And she did the same. We decided to go to Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg with two other friends for spring break our senior year in college. I will never forget her making the impulse decision to get a tattoo at the little pink hut down the road and wondering if Wes would have a fit when he found out. Two days after we returned home she called me to tell me that she was engaged. She and Wes married about four months later and I had the privilege of witnessing their ceremony. About 2 years later she became pregnant with Cody. He was born at the end of October and I remember her calling me after he was born. I was actually sitting in a hotel room preparing to take the CPA exam the next day but instead spent hours talking to her that night. I made her very nervous several times after that whenever I would hold Cody. She was one of the first people I told when Kevin proposed and she stood beside me during our wedding. I also remember her and Cody coming to our house after Kelly was born. I also remember the random phone calls through the years that she was bringing Cody to Lexington for some various sporting events and would I be home so that she could come by. There is still a little piece of me that is expecting more phone calls...
She spent her entire life fighting the symptoms of a genetic disorder called Ehlers-Danlos. It is the same genetic disorder that caused her mother to experience complications and eventually die of when we were 10 years old. She was double-jointed; sometimes her knees would pop out of place as she was simply walking along. The slightest bump caused the ugliest bruises on her body. She was scared of build up of scarred tissue after Cody was delivered by emergency C-section. She constantly saw her cardiologist due to the mitral-valve prolapse that was common with the disease. But she never complained. She accepted it and made it a part of her life and she did life around it. I never heard her complain about two years ago when she began losing the feeling in her legs and feet. Earlier this year she underwent surgery to improve the condition and something went horribly wrong in recovery leaving her paralyzed. Though she was scared, she never complained. She even made me laugh when I saw her the last day she was in the hospital and was headed to rehabilitation.
I have so many memories of Sarah. She was present in every stage of my life. It's so hard to believe that she won't be there for the future. To be honest, it's very difficult right now to truly believe that she is gone. I attended the visitation last night and the funeral today but it still doesn't feel real. I know that she is now living eternally with Jesus in a body that is more pure and whole than we can ever imagine. But maybe it will never feel like she is truly gone. Maybe that is the blessing of having a friend for a lifetime. She was always my best friend and always will be.
In loving memory of Sarah Jo Nichols Sullivan
April 29, 1977 - December 24, 2011
