13-year-old Sarah Bosch and her parents, Teresa and Michael, are committed to giving back to Shriners Children’s Boston and are helping to make the 6^th annual Boston Haunted Walk, the Most Amazing Halloween Walk Anywhere!

Born in China, Sarah sustained severe burns to 60% of her body when she was just one year old. Her burn scars were so severe that her birth family made the difficult decision to bring her to an orphanage. Sarah’s joyful spirit caught the eye of the Boschs in 2012, when they saw a photo of her on Facebook. Teresa and Michael were drawn to Sarah almost immediately, and traveled to China later that year to adopt her.

Sarah arrived back in the U.S. with Teresa and Michael in September of 2012 and began her care at Shriners Children’s Boston the next month. She required multiple surgeries, and as she grew older, the frequency of her surgeries decreased. She now returns to Boston for care every one to two years, depending on her needs.

For Sarah and her family, co-chairing the Boston Haunted Walk is a meaningful way to give back to the place that changed their lives. “It is a small way to say thank you,” Sarah said.

For DJ and her parents Derek and Larissa Winchester, this year’s Boston Haunted Walk is a full-circle moment.

DJ was just nine years old when she sustained a severe scald burn from a kitchen accident. Within 24 hours of her injuries, Larissa, a registered nurse, and Derek, were referred to Shriners Children’s Boston.

From the very beginning, the team at Shriners Children’s Boston made DJ feel seen, safe, and empowered. A dedicated gymnast before her injury, DJ feared she’d never return to the sport she loved—but her care team reassured her at every turn that she would practice gymnastics again.

DJ’s follow-up care included frequent visits to Shriners Children’s Boston—every other day at first – then tapering off overtime. But her connection to Shriners Children’s Boston never faded. At age 14, inspired by her own experience as well as the stories of others, DJ launched her own advocacy platform: We All Have Scars. What started as a booth at a field hockey league quickly grew into the “We All Have Scars Golf Tournament,” which raises funds for Shriners Children’s Boston.

“When people ask, ‘Why Shriners Children’s?’ we tell them our story—and they get it,” says DJ.

Larissa agrees: “Once you see what Shriners Children’s does—not just for patients, but for families—it’s impossible not to want to give back.”