09/03/2026
I don’t talk about my injury much on here because I’ve never wanted my business to be centered around, “I should buy from her because she’s disabled,” or because someone feels sorry for me because of my disability or health struggles. I want people to support Sayre Design Co. because they genuinely love the products I offer and the designs I create.
But I also don’t want to pretend that my spinal cord injury isn’t a huge part of how I got here, because it is. Sayre probably wouldn’t exist if my life hadn’t changed the way it did in 2020. So with September being Spinal Cord Injury Awareness Month, I figured it was as good a time as any to talk about that part of my story a little more.
In 2020, I sustained a spinal cord injury (along with 36 broken bones, multiple torn ligaments, lung punctures..) in a near-fatal MVA that left me paralyzed. In an instant, it took away the career I loved and had worked so hard for. I tried another business venture before this one, but unfortunately, at the time my body just wasn’t able to handle it.
Eventually, I started getting back into designing and making shirts as a hobby and something to keep myself busy. I’ve had a pretty extensive background in graphic design and photography from different jobs I’ve had since I was as young as 14. My friends and family kept telling me to make a page, work when I could and just start small.
I never imagined that “starting small” would turn into what Sayre Design Co. is today, and I truly couldn’t have done it without all of you.
There are days when my health issues, and trust me, there’s a whole Bible of them that come along with having a spinal cord injury, make working impossible. There have been times I’ve sat in a hospital bed ordering inventory so I could come home and get right back to filling orders. 😂 I absolutely love what I do, even on the days my body says, “Nope, not today.”
I’ve had to learn when to slow down, when not to overdo it and when to accept help. Thankfully, I also have a couple of pretty amazing helpers who accept food and Stitch love as payment. 😂🩷
I say all of this not because I’m trying to be inspirational or because I want my disability to define me or my business. I’m sharing it because it’s Spinal Cord Injury Awareness Month, and this is what living with a spinal cord injury can look like too.
SCI is so much more than not being able to walk. There are a million things that come along with it that most people never see, the health issues, bed sores, blood pressure drops, nerve pain, migraines, hospital stays, bad days, learning your body all over again and constantly having to adapt. But there’s also still work, family, goals, hobbies and a whole life happening alongside all of that.🩷
I’m incredibly lucky that I found something I genuinely love doing that also allows me to work around what my body needs. If you would’ve told me when I graduated college that I’d be doing this instead of working in the psych/social work field, I would’ve laughed. 😂 This was definitely not the plan I had for my life, but God apparently had a different one.
So for Spinal Cord Injury Awareness Month, I just wanted to share a little piece of what life after SCI has looked like for me. It changed the direction of my life in ways I never could have imagined, and there are still plenty of hard days, but I’m really proud of the life and business I’ve built along the way.
And as always, thank you for loving Sayre Design Co. for what it is, supporting my crazy ideas and allowing me to keep doing something I truly love. 🩷 It doesn’t go unnoticed or unappreciated! 🩷
