The Bachelor’s Sarah Trott, from Matt James’s season, is speaking out to raise awareness about the hardships of being a caregiver.
Sarah spoke to The San Diego Union-Tribune about her Facebook group for caregivers, which has become an important support system for her and many others.
Sarah Trott uses her platform to inform people
Bachelor Nation remembers when Sarah decided to leave the competition after Week 3 due to the fact that she was worried about her father’s health. On the show, she revealed that she decided to leave her job in order to take care of her father who was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
Trott took to her Instagram (@thesarahtrott) to spread the news about the San Diego Union-Tribune article and tell other caregivers that they are not alone
Would have saved us a painful season. 👉🏼 Repost from @iwillnotacceptyourrose
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She captioned, “It’s been an honor to connect young female caregivers who are at a crossroads in life — starting out on a career path, developing relationships, beginning the exciting decade of your 20’s — then all of a sudden being confronted with something as heart wrenching as a parent diagnosed with a terminal illness.”
“It’s not a pretty thing to discuss on social media but it’s real life,” she continues. “So many of us are going through something similar and we never talk about it because it’s easier to pretend like our lives are perfect and fun.”
Sarah hopes to continue to create a support system for these people who have gladly put everyone else’s needs ahead of their own.
“Through this journey I’ve learned you are not alone. You ARE able to continue your life and have an identity beyond being a caregiver,” Trott asserted.
Victoria Paul, who was on season 24 of The Bachelor, commended Sarah’s strength.
Trott’s San Diego Union-Tribune article
In this article, Trott shared how her father’s diagnosis flipped her life upside down.
When her father was first diagnosed, Sarah was able to finish her education at the University of Missouri. But she always made sure she was close enough where she could easily drive home to her family if needed.
When her father was placed into hospice care in 2019, Sarah left her job as a journalist so she could look after him.
“I felt like it was the least I could do was just to return in gratitude all of the things that they’ve, they’ve done for me, that this is just a small token that I could do for them,” Trott told the newspaper.
Sarah then opened up about her decision to travel to be on The Bachelor, and her departure from the show.
“With ALS, the timeline is really unclear, and my parents always were supportive of me continuing on my life path and finding happiness in my career or relationships with others and were fully supportive of me pursuing these things, including The Bachelor,” she said.
But the worry was too much for Trott to handle. Things were put into perspective for her when castmate and new Bachelorette Katie Thurston revealed that her father had died, and she wished she had more time with him.
Although it broke Matt James’ heart to see Sarah leave, he knew that was what she needed to do.
Now, Trott has moved back to Southern California, and partakes in the ALS Association San Diego chapter.
In January, Sarah created the Facebook group for other people who put their lives on pause so they could take care of a sick family member. The group now has over 700 members!
“I think that makes you feel less alone to know you really aren’t on this journey alone.”
The Bachelor is currently on hiatus at ABC.
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