Sarah

A true love story

“There are two ways in this life for a soul to awaken – great suffering, and great love.” – Father Richard Rohr

“You are worthy. You are worthy of love so great, that even in the face of great suffering, you can be blissfully happy.” – Aaron Lazar

There’s a lyric in Stephen Sondheim’s Passion that says: “I thought I knew what love was.”

I thought I knew what love was, too. I’d played a number of romantic love interests on Broadway, sweeping audiences off their feet with epic dramatic love stories.

And I had known love off stage…

Divorce and Loss

However, my 15-year marriage ended in divorce, and a four-year relationship ended after that. I was a mess. I was a mess after the divorce, of course. The boys were five and seven. I was living in a 700-square-foot bachelor pad with no idea who I was anymore, trying to pick myself up off the ground—sometimes literally—while remaining a strong, loving, confident father.

And I had no idea what divorce was. My parents are about to celebrate their 51st wedding anniversary. Divorce was never something I even considered. Marriage was forever. That’s how I was raised, and that’s what I believed, which made it all the more shocking and traumatic when mine ended.

When I found love again, it wasn’t easy. My partner and I had a blissful first year of getting to know each other during the pandemic. But we realized we had different life goals and split. Then symptoms of ALS began—before a diagnosis—and our relationship grew rocky. We broke up half a dozen times in as many months, navigating my bouts of existential panic and anxiety, not knowing what was happening to me, until enough was enough.

Then came the diagnosis. I called. She came back. We made the best of the next two and a half years, even getting engaged. But as my symptoms worsened, I felt her pull away. She dove headfirst into work, unsure how to spend time with me and the boys. Within months, we broke up again. This time it was really over.

I made a vow: I would not date again until I was fully recovered. I had learned to love myself. I felt, for the first time in a long time, that I would be okay.

Surprise

It was May 2024 when I attended a private healing event in Malibu at Kelly Gores’ home with energy worker Rob Wergin. We bonded, perhaps because I was the only man there except Rob, who later invited me to work with him again.

Six months passed when I found myself in Huntington Beach, in the basement of what I thought was Rob’s house. I noticed wedding photos on the mantle—a blonde woman, her husband, and their son with a surfboard. Rob noticed me looking. “This is my daughter’s house,” he said.

After our session, I wheeled myself outside into the driveway to sit in the sun. That’s when I heard the door open. I turned around to see a beautiful brown-haired woman in a white t-shirt and jeans. She said, “Hi, I’m Sarah.” I said, “Hi.”

Cosmic electricity ran through me. It’s a moment I will never forget.

“I expected you to be blonde,” I said. “The pictures in your basement.”

“Oh, those are my kids,” she smiled. The Hall & Oates song made sense.

Sarah.

She joked about road-tripping to Sedona to visit her dad. I upped the ante—“My friend has a plane. Maybe he could fly us there.” He did, a few months later.

And here we are, defying all the odds, approaching our one-year anniversary.

Sarah

Love with Sarah is a miracle. She is an angel, truly an angel sent from God.

At first, I didn’t trust it. Not the love. Not her interest in me. How could a woman want me like this—in a body weakened by ALS? Why would anyone want to sign up for this? Sure I’m planning on beating it, but what if…

Sarah kept showing up.

Her incredible smile, her hilarious laugh, her soul—so full of integrity. Week by week, she showed up. First for visits, then for overnight stays, supporting me and my parents.

Friends and family were skeptical. People whispered: “She must be in it for money.” Huh? What money? Sarah kept showing up. Without agenda.

She saw me healed. She still sees me healed. She tells me every day.

Love Heals

Being with Sarah has meant surrender: letting her see me naked in this body, helping me on and off the toilet, feeding me meals, things most couples don’t face until late in life—if ever. And yet, I rarely feel disabled when we’re together.

Sarah doesn’t even use that word. She prefers “challenged.”

Sarah has connected with my boys. She’s weathered storms with me, and through it all, I trust her because I trust myself.

Living with ALS can be brutally difficult, not just for me but for everyone around me. And yet, Sarah’s presence—our souls’ connection—makes life not just survivable, but fun, hopeful, normal, miraculous. Not just for me, for all of us.

A God-Timed Love

Sarah didn’t want a relationship either. She had sworn off dating, especially with a son still in high school. She had even stayed away from the house the day we met—trying to avoid her dad’s friends.

But as the Universe would have it, my dad and I arrived late to her house that day. Rob convinced his daughter to go outside and say hello. Sarah begrudgingly did. And our lives changed forever.

Now, we can just look at each other and cry. These are tears of love, of joy, of gratitude. These are tears that acknowledge how lucky we both feel that our souls have found each other in this lifetime—as crazy as the timing may seem.

We know we must have been connected before. Maybe in another lifetime. And we are so grateful that God has connected us now, when we need each other most.

And Sarah has her father’s gift of healing hands. Her touch is truly healing.

Napoleon Hill said that when you have a clear purpose, you need a mastermind alliance—someone who believes in your purpose as much as you do. For me, Sarah is that one person. Alongside my children, my family, and my closest friends, she is my number one cheerleader.

We dream together of vacations with our boys, of healing, of freedom. And we dare to manage ALS with the unshakable belief that love itself heals.

Why I’m Writing This

I’m writing about Sarah not just to celebrate and be grateful for our love—but because I hope to inspire you.

If you’re in a relationship, there’s more love waiting to be discovered between you. Maybe it means showing up more. Saying yes. Being unapologetically yourself. Letting go!

Sarah and I are 100% ourselves with each other. No censorship. No masks. We frequently finish each other’s sentences because we are vibrating at the same frequency.

And in almost a year, we have not had one fight. There’s nothing to fight about.

In the face of a nightmare, I’ve learned what a dream love can really be.

A few months after Sarah and I met, her dad Rob called me. “Sarah doesn’t know that I’m calling you to tell you this, but my daughter loves you unconditionally. And so do I.”

I hung up the phone and burst into tears. I thought I knew what love was—and here was a man I had only seen a handful of times in my life and a woman I had only met a few months before—telling me they loved me unconditionally.

I thought I knew what love was. I thought I had learned to love myself. But that night I realized I needed to love myself even more –unconditionally.

Ever since, life has felt better.

Thank you my Sarah. Thank you to our dad‘s for being part of our finding each other. Thank you to my kids. And to your kids for their support.

And thank you all.

With love—true love,

Aaron

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