We love sharing time with Sarah as she drives us home on The Breeze at the end of our workdays each week. But right now, as a Breeze family, we're supporting her decision to temporarily step away from the mic so she can take care of her young family.
Sarah announced on air this week that she's been juggling a difficult period in her family's life, as her six-year-old son Josh has been in and out of hospital this year.
"Josh has some severe food allergies, which have made him increasingly scared of food."
A year ago, he was down to fewer than 20 accepted foods he would eat. By the start of 2024, the list was down to just five.
"We were extremely worried and stressed about his health."
Seeking help from a dietitian only worsened her son's struggles, and it became clearer that Josh was neurodiverse, recently diagnosed with autism and ARFID (avoidant restrictive food intake disorder).
Sarah's son was eventually admitted to hospital with dehydration and starvation and was given a feeding tube to sustain him through a liquid diet - but it looks to be needed for some time.
As he's unable to go to school, he barely leaves his room and gets upset every time Sarah is away from him. Sarah shared that as a parent, it's only brought "guilt" attempting to balance her work commitments but not being able to spend more time caring for her child.
After another recent hospitalisation, Sarah decided, "It became clear to me that I need to take some time off."
"This inner voice was screaming at me... 'You're his person, and he needs you. This is where you need to be.'"
Sarah will take time away from broadcasting on The Breeze from next Monday for an extended period so she can care for Josh full-time. And we know that our Breeze listeners have shared their support for Sarah in this difficult season.
"I absolutely want to come back and I will come back. But at the moment, I need to be with him."
"I can't thank my Breeze family enough for their support during what's been the hardest few months of my life."
