Sarah and her parents, Teresa and Michael, are committed to giving back to the hospital where their daughter received life-changing care. Now 15, Sarah has been coming to Boston for burn care since she was 3 years old.
Sarah was born in China and sustained severe burns to 60% of her body when she was a year old. By the age of 2, her burn scars had contracted so much that she could not stand or walk, causing her birth family to make the difficult decision to bring her to an orphanage. Despite the pain she was in, Sarah, nicknamed “Mei-Mei” by the American volunteers at her orphanage, remained happy and upbeat.
Her joyful spirit caught the eye of Teresa in 2012 when she saw a photo of “Mei-Mei” moving around the orphanage on a scooter, smiling with delight. Teresa and Michael were drawn to “Mei-Mei” almost immediately, and traveled to China later that year to adopt her. While they were there, the couple consulted with the volunteers and orphanage staff who helped treat Sarah to learn more about her medical needs so they could plan for her care when they brought her home.
Before bringing Sarah home, Teresa and Michael also consulted with a local plastic surgeon in their hometown of Washington, D.C. It quickly became clear that her injuries were outside the specialist’s comfort zone and Sarah was going to need more specialized care, so Teresa reached out to Shriners Children’s. She was overwhelmingly impressed, saying, “It was obvious that Shriners Children’s had expertise nobody else had, and we were on the same page with them from that initial contact.”
Sarah is all geared up for soccer practice.
Sarah enjoys a beautiful day at the beach.
One of Sarah's favorite hobbies is horseback riding.
Sarah and child life specialist Rebecca stand in front of a photo of a younger Sarah during a recent clinic visit.
It also became clear early on that the sense of safety and stability created by the loving team at Shriners would be critical in making Sarah’s many difficult procedures more tolerable.
Sarah arrived in the U.S. with Teresa and Michael in September 2012, and began her care at Shriners Children’s Boston that October. Despite being so young, Sarah remembers many positive experiences from her care. She fondly recalls receiving Lego sets after her surgeries, saying they became a fun way to pass the time. In the early years of her treatment, Sarah had multiple surgeries each year to accommodate her rapid growth. As Sarah grew older, the frequency of her surgeries decreased, and she now returns for care every one to two years, depending on her needs.
Sarah expressed appreciation for the meaningful impact of her care team, especially the physical therapy and child life staff, who made a lasting impression on her and her family. The family expected that her initial care would be at Shriners Children’s Boston, and then they would transition to care closer to home, but they were surprised to learn that Shriners Children’s was the best long-term option to manage all aspects of the treatment that Sarah needed for her burn injuries. Teresa praised the seamless integration of care from Shriners Children’s, recalling how the hospital’s team quickly responded to any medical concerns, including one instance where they prevented a serious infection before it became life-threatening.
“Shriners Children’s has everything she needs under one roof, which made traveling and managing her care so much easier for our family,” Teresa said. “It also became clear early on that the sense of safety and stability created by the loving team at Shriners would be critical in making Sarah’s many difficult procedures more tolerable.”
For Sarah and her family, co-chairing the 2025 Boston Haunted Walk is a meaningful way to give back to the place that changed their lives. “It is a small way to say thank you,” Sarah said.
They hope their story will inspire others to support Shriners Children’s Boston and the life-changing care the hospital staff provides. “Sarah’s story is one of resilience, and we want to share it in a way that both honors her past and inspires other families who may be going through the same thing,” Teresa said.
Now in her final year of middle school, Sarah enjoys writing, coloring and creating dresses from fabric scraps in her free time. She has also developed a passion for animals and dreams of becoming a veterinarian.
