Sarah Sundae Walked Dogs and Took Odd Jobs After Every Grant Was Denied for Son Rowan’s Wheelchair Van, and Strangers Gave Past $60,000

Sarah Sundae, a single mom in Maryland, started posting videos of herself walking dogs and doing odd jobs in June 2026, after grant applications for a wheelchair-accessible van for her son Rowan were all denied. By Oct. 3, donations from strangers across the country had pushed her past her $60,000 goal, according to People, shared on Yahoo on Nov. 8.

More than 1,000 people gave, and about 90% of them were strangers. Rowan is 7, uses a wheelchair and cannot speak or eat by mouth.

Why the Family Needed a Van

Sarah, 38, said Rowan is growing quickly, and moving him into the family car now takes three people. A wheelchair-accessible van with a rear-entry ramp would let him stay in his chair and roll in. In People’s account, she said it would mean “not hesitating, saying yes, and expanding Rowan’s world to new adventures.”

Accessible vans cost about $70,000 to $100,000. Sarah applied for several grants and did not get any of them.

Dog Walks, Odd Jobs and a GoFundMe

She began posting videos of her dog walking and odd jobs with a plan to save $60,000. A friend then encouraged her to start a GoFundMe, which topped $900 in its first 24 hours.

The story spread from there. One video passed 100,000 views. A cupcake fundraiser with Icing on the Cake, a bakery in Columbia, Maryland, reached more than 3 million views. A mother Sarah met at the hospital raised over $1,000 by asking friends to donate instead of buying gifts for her own son’s birthday, and Ed Kim and his mother, The Korean Mama, shared the story with nearly 1 million followers.

According to a second People story, a celebration event was planned for Nov. 7 in Ellicott City, Maryland.

How a Flu Changed Rowan’s Life

Rowan got the flu in March 2022, when he was 2. It brought high fevers and seizures, and he was intubated and spent 11 days in a coma at Children’s Hospital in Washington, D.C. Doctors found extensive brain damage, and he was later diagnosed with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, a rare form of epilepsy. Sarah and her mother spent about 10 months living at the hospital.

Today Rowan gets his nutrition through a feeding tube and depends on others for nearly everything, People reported. Everyday sounds and smells can trigger seizures. Sarah works full-time from home as a writer and communications professional, and her 73-year-old mother helps provide round-the-clock care. The family pays out of pocket for medicines, formula and supplies that insurance does not always cover.

What Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome Is

The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke describes Lennox-Gastaut syndrome as a severe form of epilepsy. Seizures usually begin before age 4, and people often have several types. Most have some degree of intellectual difficulty and developmental delay. There is no cure, and complete recovery is very rare, the institute says.

The Epilepsy Foundation says the syndrome accounts for only about 2% to 5% of childhood epilepsies. Its page on the syndrome adds that families benefit from an early epilepsy care team, a social worker and respite help, and that caregivers should learn seizure first aid and keep a seizure action plan.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lists brain dysfunction such as encephalopathy among the complications of flu in children. It recommends an annual flu vaccine for everyone 6 months and older, and says some children from 6 months to 8 years need two doses, according to its flu guidance for children.

In People’s account, the van is meant to let Rowan stay in his wheelchair instead of being lifted into the family car by three people.

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This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.

Image: Mr.choppers – CC BY-SA 3.0/Wikimedia Commons