Alumni Stories

By Dana (Larkin) Sauers ’74, HOH 26, P ’99, P’03, P’03, P’09

Two months before Rebecca Lyn (Sauers) Simms ’99 was to be married at St. Aloysius Church in Littlestown, she was diagnosed with colon cancer, a highly unusual occurrence for one so young. Despite her cancer survival, Becca’s celebration did not come without intense physical and psychological consequences. Both were long-term, along with learning to live with limitations in society.

“Many people think that when one overcomes cancer, all is well, and they can just get on with their lives,” she said. But this was not the case for her and many others.

Becca completed high school as a strong student and graduated from the University of Pittsburgh and Trinity College, Dublin, Magna Cum Laude, with an Honors degree in history and philosophy. She began her Master's at Temple University hoping to become a licensed counselor, but soon found that goal derailed.

The realities of chronic illness and disability are as varied as those who experience them. Her life has taught her that there is no one way to manage or process that reality.

Becca added, “In the media, it is a frequently cast idea that survivors are considered heroes, or that they inspire heroics in others. But the reality of many people’s experience is that the most challenging aspect of disability is coming to terms and reimagining one’s life with its new limitations.”

“When these new limitations do not match the public’s expectation of what a person with a disability can and cannot do, it is viewed as a moral failing rather than a physical reality,” Becca said. Being viewed in this light is damaging to a newly disabled person, but it also deprives the community of all a person with a disability can provide.

Many disabilities are invisible to others. If one has not experienced a chronic condition, then it is difficult to remember it exists even when one is close to the disabled person. Becca explained: “Within a community, there is a societal expectation of being upbeat, helpful, productive. This places the onus on the individual who is unwell to project wellness. Either holding up a façade of wellness or constantly reminding others of one’s pain is exhausting and can often cause a further withdrawal from community.”  

Community, however, is essential to those with disability, just as it is to those without. Furthermore, the community as a whole can benefit from a person with disabilities because that lived experience can provide a level of understanding and empathy that might not otherwise exist. We only need to look back to see that some of our greatest philosophical minds had disabilities. For when you cannot act, what else is there but the intellectual and spiritual world?

In a culture that invariably measures a person’s worth by what they can produce, we can lose sight of the fact that there is intrinsic dignity in everyone. When we forget this, all of society loses.

If one lives long enough, they will eventually become disabled. (Note the number of people who use accessibility devices like glasses, canes, special can openers.) By engaging with individuals with chronic illness and disability, one can learn about the realities of our medical system long before they need it. How insurance works, the pitfalls of certain medications, and how to advocate for yourself during a doctor's appointment are skills most of us don’t learn until we are at our most vulnerable. Knowing how things work and advocating for yourself lead to better-formed laws and better outcomes for everyone.

Becca graduated from Delone Catholic with a service award. Some things have not changed. She has contributed many hours toward literacy through volunteer service via the South Western School District and the Guthrie Memorial Library. During her leadership of the Scholastic Book Fair at Park Hills Elementary, Becca was responsible for getting close to 10,000 free books into the hands of children. But even volunteer service requires understanding from the volunteer coordinator. When a person with disability has multiple medical appointments or cannot get out of bed, this can put an understandable strain on the organization. However, the benefits often far outweigh the inconvenience. Not only to the person with disability, but to everyone who engages and models to others how to create a kinder and more equitable world.

Our federal government in the US offers no partial disability assistance; you must be completely unable to hold even the most basic part-time job, or you must go without any financial aid. A person with disability must prove again and again that they are without the ability to contribute, often in front of a federally appointed judge. Only about 38% of individuals applying for full disability benefits are initially approved. First appeals see only about a 10-15% approval. The median time for an appeal to go before a judge is 245 days in Pennsylvania (210 Rule 903 Time for Appeal, PA Bar Association). Still, Becca waited nearly two years without income or health insurance. Many do not live to see their appeal date and go without any assistance in their final days, leaving their partners or parents with extraordinary medical debt as a result. The myth that thousands upon thousands of people are living on disability without having one is not true.

According to Becca, “Our systems dictate that the stereotype be perpetuated. Many advocates have tried to change the system, and great strides have been made. But until we can acknowledge that a person with disability can meaningfully contribute to their community, then the work is not done. Making judgments about another’s qualifications is harmful.”

Becca adds: “So, the next time you see someone who you consider too well to use a handicap spot, consider that fibromyalgia, some forms of cancer, and lupus, along with many other medical conditions, are not readily seen, and unless you are with that person day in and day out, you have no idea what their experience is.”

Disability has given Becca the time and space to become educated on a broad spectrum of topics.  When she is out in the community, people often remark on how well she seems. It is hard to explain the intricacies of her condition to a casual acquaintance, so she smiles and nods. Becca says, “My interior world is vast, and I’m becoming a bit of a dilettante.”  She can talk intelligently about the ninth circuit court, the world of publishing, Japanese embroidery, and how to negotiate effectively with an insurance company. Her hobbies include fabric arts spanning multiple cultural traditions, reading, and participating in bookish communities, and helping others with disabilities (as her health permits). She focuses most of her energy on family, which is the center of her world.

“I have a beautiful life. It is not an easy life, but it is a beautiful one,” Becca says of her husband Benjamin and their son Everett.