Influencer with ALS Announces Her Own Death at 39, Less than 3 Years After Diagnosis: ‘Glad I Didn’t Go Suddenly’

Sara Bennett has died at age 39, nearly three years after she was diagnosed with ALS.

Her death was announced on Tuesday, Jan. 13, with a post to her Instagram page, where the mom of two documented her journey living with the neurodegenerative disease. The caption — which accompanied a smiling photo of Bennett — was written by the late content creator herself.

“I am not in pain, or tired. I can laugh, talk, and I can move. Reflecting in my last few months of my life, I am glad I didn’t go suddenly even WITH the suffering. I finished my list,” she wrote. “Even if you don’t believe in any thing, I am feeding the earth, and my tree. I loved this life, and am grateful for the time.”

Bennett originally started sharing online in 2020 to promote her professional organization business, the Ananda Edit. However, she changed her account’s username to @TheAnandaPivot following her ALS diagnosis in March 2023, as she explained in a post pinned on her page.

“My world turned upside down. So many things to do from a personal standpoint. So many things to address from a disease standpoint. So many things to get in order,” she explained in May 2024. “When I thought about my business, I felt like deleting the account and stepping away. But… that would just be one more thing this disease was taking from me.”

In recent months, she’s posted reflections on her life, her death, her marriage to her husband of over 11 years, Rusty, and how she continued to parent their sons Lincoln, 9, and William, 7, as her illness progressed.

In August 2025, a few months before Bennett started sharing content about her palliative care, she posted about how she did a “dry run” of what she called her “End Of Life Ceremony.” Despite the fact that she “ugly cried” the whole time, Bennett says it was a “beautiful” experience hearing what her loved ones would say after she died.

“The idea of a traditional funeral just doesn’t feel ‘like me,'” she wrote. “I know it is sad, I am not trying to make it easier. I just want to reframe it, and I won’t let fear or discomfort keep me from the chance to do this.”

Sara Bennett has died at age 39, nearly three years after she was diagnosed with ALS.

Her death was announced on Tuesday, Jan. 13, with a post to her Instagram page, where the mom of two documented her journey living with the neurodegenerative disease. The caption — which accompanied a smiling photo of Bennett — was written by the late content creator herself.

“I am not in pain, or tired. I can laugh, talk, and I can move. Reflecting in my last few months of my life, I am glad I didn’t go suddenly even WITH the suffering. I finished my list,” she wrote. “Even if you don’t believe in any thing, I am feeding the earth, and my tree. I loved this life, and am grateful for the time.”

Bennett originally started sharing online in 2020 to promote her professional organization business, the Ananda Edit. However, she changed her account’s username to @TheAnandaPivot following her ALS diagnosis in March 2023, as she explained in a post pinned on her page.

“My world turned upside down. So many things to do from a personal standpoint. So many things to address from a disease standpoint. So many things to get in order,” she explained in May 2024. “When I thought about my business, I felt like deleting the account and stepping away. But… that would just be one more thing this disease was taking from me.”

In recent months, she’s posted reflections on her life, her death, her marriage to her husband of over 11 years, Rusty, and how she continued to parent their sons Lincoln, 9, and William, 7, as her illness progressed.

In August 2025, a few months before Bennett started sharing content about her palliative care, she posted about how she did a “dry run” of what she called her “End Of Life Ceremony.” Despite the fact that she “ugly cried” the whole time, Bennett says it was a “beautiful” experience hearing what her loved ones would say after she died.

“The idea of a traditional funeral just doesn’t feel ‘like me,'” she wrote. “I know it is sad, I am not trying to make it easier. I just want to reframe it, and I won’t let fear or discomfort keep me from the chance to do this.”