A Brave Announcement
On January 13, 39-year-old Sara Bennett, a retired teacher and professional organizer, announced her own death through a scheduled Instagram post. This post marked the final chapter of a journey she had been documenting since her ALS diagnosis. Along the way, she prepared a powerful gift for her two young sons.
Followers were stunned by the announcement. For those who had followed her battle with ALS, the farewell was heartbreaking but not unexpected—a tragic confirmation of what they had feared.
Racing Against Time
Sara was diagnosed with ALS, an incurable disease, in March 2023. From that moment, she fought against her own decline. Her mission: to leave something meaningful for her sons, Lincoln, nine, and William, seven.
A Mother’s Love Etched in Ink
In November, Sara revealed one of her most personal projects: a scrapbook of letters for her boys titled “Advice and Love Letters to You Both From Your Mom.”
She shared glimpses alongside family photos, while keeping most content private. “Those are just for us,” she explained. Even in brief excerpts, her words were deeply moving. She urged her children to be kind and strong in a world that isn’t always kind.
“People are insecure and will say mean things to make themselves feel better,” she wrote. “You’re both so sweet, that makes you better than most men. Don’t let anyone take that away from you.”
The Scrapbook: A Labor of Love
The scrapbook spanned over 100 pages and took more than 100 hours to complete. “The hard part is I will never feel like it’s enough,” Sara admitted. “But it was the most important thing to do for me.”
Even as ALS stole her independence, she remained determined to give her children what the disease could never take: her wisdom, her love, and her voice.
“When I got sick, I started writing everything I could to help guide you,” she said. “It was the most important work I’ve ever done—other than being your momma.”
She ended the post with a poignant instruction: “I think the best way to honor me is to use the scrapbook as a guide.”
From Business to Battle
Sara’s Instagram originally chronicled her lifestyle business, The Ananda Edit, launched in 2020. But in 2023, everything changed.
“When I thought about my business, I felt like deleting the account and stepping away,” she wrote. “But… that would just be one more thing this disease was taking from me.”
Instead, she pivoted, renaming it The Ananda Pivot, and shared her journey with honesty, courage, and vulnerability.
“Life will not always go as planned,” she reflected. “When a pivot is required, even in the most devastating circumstances, the direction change doesn’t have to be all bad.”
A Fast and Furious Decline
By September 2025, ALS had taken a visible toll. In a gut-wrenching video, Sara documented her decline, which had begun before her diagnosis, following spinal surgery in 2022 for cervical myelopathy.
“It’s been a hard, fast decline since then,” she wrote. “I wish it didn’t take a year and a misdiagnosis to get where we are, but that’s pretty much common with ALS.”
She urged others to advocate for themselves: fight, insist, and persist. “You sometimes need a third and fourth opinion. You are your best advocate.”
Preserving Precious Memories
Just months before her death, Sara celebrated her 11th wedding anniversary with her husband, Rusty. She created an Artkive book filled with wedding photos, their marriage certificate, and cherished memories.
“Artkive isn’t just for kids’ artwork!” she wrote, proudly showing the keepsake. Even as her life slipped away, she focused on preserving the past for those she loved.
A Haunting Farewell
Sara’s final Instagram post, scheduled before her death, was serene, poetic, and final.
“I am not in pain, or tired. I can laugh, talk, and I can move,” she wrote. “I am glad I didn’t go suddenly even WITH the suffering. I finished my list.”
She left her children—and her followers—with peace, not fear:
“Even if you don’t believe in anything, I am feeding the earth, and my tree. I loved this life, and am grateful for the time.”
A Legacy That Lives On
After her final post, followers poured love onto her page. “I’m tearing up; this is so sweet, thoughtful, loving,” one wrote. Another commented, “The boys will cherish it—their future partners and children. Such an honor to read these.”
Sara Bennett called the scrapbook her “most important work”—a mother’s words, preserved forever to guide her sons through life, even without her by their side.
