Sarah Robison’s life path has taken her places she never thought she’d go…literally. The journeys and adventures she’s been on, the opportunities and challenges that Sarah has experienced have required many things of her: time and tenacity, silence and surrender, perseverance and perspective. And along the way, Sarah learned that a path worth taking will be marked by detours and diversions, valleys and vistas, boring days and beautiful ones.
“At 11:20am on Monday, October 11th, 2021 after 207 days of life on foot, I summited the majestic 5,269 feet of Mama K.—Mount Katahdin. Not only does the wooden sign that rests atop her peak signify the Northern terminus of the Appalachian Trail, but my arrival to its legs signified my evolution of self. My confidence. My courage. My strength. My fearlessness. My acceptance. My patience. My wanderlust. My willingness. My dedication. My grit. My pain. My faith. My trust.”
Ten months before this life changing moment, Sarah was working as a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA) at UPMC Presbyterian. But on a cold January morning, Sarah decided it was time for her to do something that would be, well, life changing.
“It was then that I told Helen, my manager, that I would be resigning from my position of 13 years as a Nurse Anesthetist. Not to seek gainful employment elsewhere. Nor as a result of relocation. Certainly not because of job dissatisfaction. Quite the opposite, in fact…I decided to put down the manual that was handed to all of us with our welcome packet to adulthood and instead be the author of my own.”
A few months later, Sarah would set out on an adventure of a lifetime, hiking the entirety of the 2,190 miles of the Appalachian Trail. Throughout her 7-month hike on the Appalachian Trail, a continuous footpath traversing through 14 states from Georgia to Maine, Sarah met dozens of strangers that would become lifelong friends. She walked through mud and snow, rain or shine, mile after mile. As Sarah tells it, the story of her thru-hike is one about overcoming her fears and breaking out of her norms. Perhaps it’s best summarized by a quote that Sarah included on her blog, AndThenIWalked.com, from Ralph Waldo Emerson: “What we fear of doing most is usually what we most need to do.”
Ten months before this life changing moment, Sarah was working as a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA) at UPMC Presbyterian. But on a cold January morning, Sarah decided it was time for her to do something that would be, well, life changing.
“It was then that I told Helen, my manager, that I would be resigning from my position of 13 years as a Nurse Anesthetist. Not to seek gainful employment elsewhere. Nor as a result of relocation. Certainly not because of job dissatisfaction. Quite the opposite, in fact…I decided to put down the manual that was handed to all of us with our welcome packet to adulthood and instead be the author of my own.”
A few months later, Sarah would set out on an adventure of a lifetime, hiking the entirety of the 2,190 miles of the Appalachian Trail. Throughout her 7-month hike on the Appalachian Trail, a continuous footpath traversing through 14 states from Georgia to Maine, Sarah met dozens of strangers that would become lifelong friends. She walked through mud and snow, rain or shine, mile after mile. As Sarah tells it, the story of her thru-hike is one about overcoming her fears and breaking out of her norms. Perhaps it’s best summarized by a quote that Sarah included on her blog, AndThenIWalked.com, from Ralph Waldo Emerson: “What we fear of doing most is usually what we most need to do.”
Though it was challenging to step away from her job at UPMC and chase after such an ambitious goal, Sarah knew it was what she needed to do. Hiking the Appalachian Trail “will change the way you view the world,” Sarah said. For Sarah, the experience even changed the way she viewed success.In retrospect, Sarah sees that her experience included two successes. The first was her attempt to get to the starting line of the AT: standing at a trailhead in Georgia and taking a path into the unknown. “Starting [the Appalachian Trail] means you faced whatever you were afraid of to make the changes in your life to get there. It’s getting to the starting line but also being honest with yourself and not worrying about what other people think. I didn’t finish it for anyone, and I didn’t not finish it for anyone.” Her second success, Sarah says, was in finishing: in walking every step of those 2190 miles across 14 states. Of those who begin the AT, only 1.6% walk every single step from one end to the other.And while taking risks and making a big life change can be scary, Sarah’s story is proof that the refining process of change can help us become more fully alive, more aware of others, and even more appreciative of the place we left behind before everything changed. She reflected on that very thing:
“Upon my return, I had my choice of employment opportunities in my job-search, as the market was hungry for anesthetists. I chose to return to UPMC for its reliability, innovation, compensation, and my managers’ willingness to create a part-time Trauma/Transplant position for me in order to keep me on board. I felt valued and respected in my experience and relationship with UPMC. Not a number, but a human.”
Though it was challenging to step away from her job at UPMC and chase after such an ambitious goal, Sarah knew it was what she needed to do. Hiking the Appalachian Trail “will change the way you view the world,” Sarah said. For Sarah, the experience even changed the way she viewed success.In retrospect, Sarah sees that her experience included two successes. The first was her attempt to get to the starting line of the AT: standing at a trailhead in Georgia and taking a path into the unknown. “Starting [the Appalachian Trail] means you faced whatever you were afraid of to make the changes in your life to get there. It’s getting to the starting line but also being honest with yourself and not worrying about what other people think. I didn’t finish it for anyone, and I didn’t not finish it for anyone.” Her second success, Sarah says, was in finishing: in walking every step of those 2190 miles across 14 states. Of those who begin the AT, only 1.6% walk every single step from one end to the other.And while taking risks and making a big life change can be scary, Sarah’s story is proof that the refining process of change can help us become more fully alive, more aware of others, and even more appreciative of the place we left behind before everything changed. She reflected on that very thing:
“Upon my return, I had my choice of employment opportunities in my job-search, as the market was hungry for anesthetists. I chose to return to UPMC for its reliability, innovation, compensation, and my managers’ willingness to create a part-time Trauma/Transplant position for me in order to keep me on board. I felt valued and respected in my experience and relationship with UPMC. Not a number, but a human.”
It's the human connection that drives Sarah in her work as a CRNA, which Sarah said is a big reason why she loves her job. “I love the satisfaction that I get, clinically, when embarking on and artfully carrying out the anesthetic for a complicated surgical procedure, [and am able to] return the patient safely to their loved ones.” But it's not only about connecting with the patients, but the connection with the people she cares alongside. “I love my colleagues,” Sarah reflected, “Plus UPMC's affiliation with the University of Pittsburgh Nurse Anesthesia Program allows for teaching opportunities both in the classroom and the operating room.”Though her AT adventure came to an end in 2021, Sarah reflects that her current life is full of vibrance and adventure in a different way. Work flexibility allows her to live her life to the fullest — keeping up with her blog, publishing a memoir, hiking, and public speaking about her story and “becoming the author of her own life.” Her job gives her a sense of autonomy and advocacy, and allows her the opportunity to learn and grow.“From trauma, to pediatrics, to organ transplantation, to obstetrics, to neurosurgery, to outpatient surgery, there’s something at UPMC that can meet the interests of every Nurse Anesthetist,” Sarah shared. “I chose to return after a year away, when I had my pick of most anywhere in the nation.”
Life changing is...writing your own story.
For others that are considering a career in this field at UPMC, let Sarah’s story be an encouragement that having a great career doesn’t mean giving up on other dreams. Though our life paths don’t always go the way we imagine, it’s the adventures, challenges, and opportunities that we least expected that often change us and our lives for the better. That's what happens when you summon the courage to write your own story.
It's the human connection that drives Sarah in her work as a CRNA, which Sarah said is a big reason why she loves her job. “I love the satisfaction that I get, clinically, when embarking on and artfully carrying out the anesthetic for a complicated surgical procedure, [and am able to] return the patient safely to their loved ones.” But it's not only about connecting with the patients, but the connection with the people she cares alongside. “I love my colleagues,” Sarah reflected, “Plus UPMC's affiliation with the University of Pittsburgh Nurse Anesthesia Program allows for teaching opportunities both in the classroom and the operating room.”Though her AT adventure came to an end in 2021, Sarah reflects that her current life is full of vibrance and adventure in a different way. Work flexibility allows her to live her life to the fullest — keeping up with her blog, publishing a memoir, hiking, and public speaking about her story and “becoming the author of her own life.” Her job gives her a sense of autonomy and advocacy, and allows her the opportunity to learn and grow.“From trauma, to pediatrics, to organ transplantation, to obstetrics, to neurosurgery, to outpatient surgery, there’s something at UPMC that can meet the interests of every Nurse Anesthetist,” Sarah shared. “I chose to return after a year away, when I had my pick of most anywhere in the nation.”
Life changing is... writing your own story.
For others that are considering a career in this field at UPMC, let Sarah’s story be an encouragement that having a great career doesn’t mean giving up on other dreams. Though our life paths don’t always go the way we imagine, it’s the adventures, challenges, and opportunities that we least expected that often change us and our lives for the better. That's what happens when you summon the courage to write your own story.
