By JULIE CARLE
BG Independent News
Sara Hackler never expected cancer to change the course of her life—let alone lead her to help others navigate theirs.
At 35, what began as a familiar trip to the emergency room for kidney stones turned into something far more serious. Doctors discovered a mass the size of a basketball on her ovary. Within days, Hackler went from a busy nurse and mother of two to a cancer patient facing a life-altering diagnosis.
“I walked into the cancer center and thought, ‘I don’t belong here. I’m too young,’” she recalled being in the midst of folks much older than her.
Fortunately, her cancer was caught early. Surgery—a total hysterectomy—removed it all. Within a few years, she was declared cancer-free. But the experience left a lasting impression.
“I had no guidance,” Hackler said about her cancer journey. “I was working, raising kids, trying to process everything on my own. I wish I’d had someone to sit down with me and say, ‘Let’s take a breath. Here’s the plan.’”
Years later, that wish became her mission.
Today, Hackler serves as a cancer navigator. Based out of the Maurer Family Cancer Center at Wood County Hospital, she helps patients move from diagnosis to treatment with clarity and support. In a role she helped build from the ground up, she coordinates care, connects patients with specialists, and, most importantly, eases the overwhelming uncertainty that comes with hearing the word “cancer.”
Her impact is measurable. Before navigation services were introduced, patients waited an average of 124 days between an abnormal test and treatment. Now, that timeline has dropped dramatically—to about 19 days for those working directly with her.
“We’re cutting out fear and confusion,” she said. “People don’t need to feel lost.”
Hackler’s own journey gives her a unique perspective. She knows firsthand the fear, the questions, and the emotional toll. Even years after her recovery, a car accident in 2015 triggered a cancer scare when scans suggested possible metastasis. The diagnosis turned out to be fractures—but the anxiety brought everything rushing back.
“That’s what patients live with,” she said. “If I can take even a little of that anxiety away, I will.”
Now, Hackler is taking her commitment to new heights—literally.
Later this summer, she will rappel 225 feet down the 16-story Toledo Edison Building as part of a fundraiser for The Victory Center, which supports cancer patients and their families. The effort pushes her far outside her comfort zone.
“I’m terrified of heights,” she admitted. “My biggest fear is they’ll have to push me off the edge.”
But like the patients she guides every day, Hackler is focusing on taking it one step at a time.
“That first step is always the hardest,” she said. “After that, you just keep going.”
Biggby Coffee’s Friday promotion to support Hackler’s fundraiser
To raise funds, she’s partnering with Biggby Coffee’s Bowling Green locations at Wood County Hospital and 215 E. Wooster St. On Friday (July 17), a portion of sales will go toward Hackler’s goal, starting at $1,000 that is needed to participate in the event. The hospital location is open 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., and the East Wooster Street location is open 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Hackler also invites patients and supporters to sign a T-shirt she’ll wear during the rappel—a symbolic way of carrying their stories with her.
“I want to take as many people over the edge with me as I can,” she said.
For Hackler, the event is about more than conquering fear. It’s about honoring the unpredictable path that brought her here.
“You just don’t know,” she said. “I never thought I’d have cancer. I never thought I’d work in oncology. And I definitely never thought I’d be rappelling off a building.”
But if her journey has taught her anything, it’s that life rarely follows a plan—and sometimes, the most unexpected paths lead to purpose.
And when they do, Hackler is ready to help others find their way—one step at a time.
For more information or to donate to support Hackler’s participation in The Victory Center’s Over the Edge fundraiser, visit her Facebook page or find her name on the Victory Center’s Over The Edge website at ote4victory.org. She must earn $1,000 to be a confirmed participant on Sept. 4.
