DAWN SANDOVAL

Welcome!  My name is Dawn Sandoval.  I'm 37 years old, married to Stephen Sandoval (2003) and mom to Hope (9) and Esben (6).  I'm an American living abroad.  My husband and I moved to Brussels, Belgium just 2 weeks after our wedding to finish our studies/degress in Bible and Theology.  After 3 years there, we moved to Copenhagen, Denmark to work and teach in a church, help International University students, and all along the way find the marginalized, the ones that are easily forgotten or overlooked due to economic, political, religious, or personal discrimination and struggle.  We never anticipated that we would fit some of those descriptions ourselves one day.  Five years ago in 2013, Stephen suffered 3 aneurisms on his Spinal Arterial Vascular Malformation.  When he woke up from the emergency surgery, he was tetraplegic and spastic with severe nerve pain that we later understood to be the first signs of the rare condition: Brown Sequard Syndrome.   In these past 5 years we have fought for survival, celebrated small victories and watched every area of our lives change.  Raising two children in the midst of it all has been a challenge...plus discovering our son has autism has turned our world upside down one more time.  Sometimes life does not look like you imagined.  Sometimes life feels so hard, you feel like the breath in your chest wants to evacuate at the first possible chance.  And yet, we get this one life: this body, whole or broken, this family, this opportunity to own our story, our experiences and move forward with courage even in the midst of chaos, uncertainty and grief.  Beauty does not mean perfection, but it encompasses flaws, darkness and even doubt.   So, in that way, my life is truly beautiful.