Written by Shana Schwarz
Reagan Sarver is 17 and should be thinking about college. She loves to perform and should be finishing
up her high school years at Desert Vista doing plays and just being a kid. But with a new diagnosis and a
lifetime of health issues behind her, she’s got other things on her mind.
When she was just 6 months old, Reagan went into the hospital for three days. Ever since then, she’s
been in and out of doctors offices trying to track down what’s causing her so much pain and discomfort.
Her mother, Meredith Stam, has known Reagan and her sister (Riley, 12 years old and another Armer
Kid) have Primary Immune Deficiency Disease for years, but a new diagnosis of SAMS (Superior
Mesenteric Artery Syndrome) has thrown them all for a loop.
“I’d just told Jennifer that I didn’t think we’d need the Armer Foundation this year when we found out
about Reagan’s diagnosis and that Riley needed surgery,” says Meredith. “The hits keep on coming and
I’m so tired. I try to stay positive and I’m so lucky, but we need a break.”
The girls are both tired of appointments, infusions, and trips across the country to help keep them
healthy, but you’d never know it to talk to them. Both Reagan and her sister have maintained positive
attitudes and emotional intelligence far beyond their years. The girls lost their father on Christmas Day
in 2015 and could have become bitter and resentful of the cards life has dealt them, but they didn’t. In
fact, Reagan, who works in the daycare at her church, blows her mom’s mind often with her kindness
and observations about the kids she works with.
Reagan was recently in a television show and is learning to play the guitar, but her health forced her to
drop out of Romeo and Juliet at school recently. She’s not giving up on her dreams and is excited to start
planning for college, but knows she could still be facing multiple surgeries, feeding tubes, and a barrage
of healthcare appointments that most kids her age don’t have to face. The Armer Foundation is proud to
support Reagan’s family through this journey and can hopefully ease the financial burden as much as
possible while Reagan keeps shining her light.
