Pete and Lura’s Story
The weight of a life-changing diagnosis doesn’t hit all at once. It seeps in slowly, in the moments that used to be effortless. In the way Pete Sawyer’s muscles didn’t respond quite like they used to, in the nights Lura lay awake trying to convince herself it was nothing. And then, in April 2015, the words came: ALS.
For Pete, it meant a body that would slowly betray him. For Lura, it meant stepping into a role she never could have imagined—his full-time caregiver, his voice, his lifeline. What they didn’t know then was just how hard it would be, and just how much fight they had in them.
What ALS Takes
ALS—amyotrophic lateral sclerosis—is a ruthless disease. It attacks motor neurons, the body’s messengers between the brain and muscles, until movement, speech, and even breathing become impossible. There is no cure. No way to slow it down. Once it begins, it does not stop.
For Pete, it happened fast. Within a year, he lost the ability to walk. Then his voice—gone. And now, in the silence, Lura has learned to speak his language: a blink for yes, a blink for no. The world still sees Pete, but only Lura knows the weight of his every look, the sentences behind the silence.
How Lura and Pete Chose to Keep Going
Some would have retreated. They would have stayed in their home, let the world move on without them. But the Sawyers? They chose something else. They chose to keep showing up. To find joy in the moments they still had. To fight, not for a cure they might never see, but for the people living with ALS right now. They chose to Do Hard Stuff.
That’s why they created Let Hope Grow—not for research, but for those who are already in the trenches of this disease. ALS doesn’t just take from the person diagnosed—it steals from their caregivers, their families, their entire world. Let Hope Grow is a lifeline for those people. It provides resources, creates community, and makes sure that ALS patients and their families don’t just survive—they live.
The Fight for a Life Worth Living
The truth is, doing hard stuff isn’t always a choice. No one chooses ALS. No one chooses to become a full-time caregiver to their once healthy loved one. But once it happens, you do have a choice—to keep fighting or to let it consume you. Pete and Lura chose the fight.
Their fight has led them to places they never expected. In 2022, they were honored with the ALS Association’s Flame of Hope Award for their advocacy. But more than awards, more than recognition, their fight is about impact. It’s about making sure that families facing ALS have support, that they don’t walk this road alone.
Why Do Hard Stuff Sent Them More Than Just a Shirt
Recently, Do Hard Stuff had the honor of sending Lura and Pete gear—hats, shirts, a message they already live every single day. Lura posted a picture wearing it, a silent testament to the fact that some of the hardest things people do aren’t about fitness, lifting weights, or pushing limits in a gym.
Sometimes, the hardest stuff is lifting a person you love into bed, over and over again. Sometimes, it’s watching them lose parts of themselves and choosing, every single day, to love them just the same.
That’s what Lura does. That’s what Pete does. And that’s what Do Hard Stuff stands for.
How You Can Help
Not everyone will face ALS. But everyone will face something hard. A loss, a diagnosis, a challenge that makes you question if you can keep going.
We wear Do Hard Stuff apparel because it reminds us that we can. That we will. That we are not alone in the fight.
You can support Let Hope Grow by donating or sharing their mission. Every contribution helps a family like Pete and Lura’s continue living the life they deserve.
Or, you can represent the hard stuff you do every day—whether it’s caregiving, pushing through grief, or taking on the challenge of simply showing up. Wear the message. Live the message. Shop the collection today.
Life doesn’t wait for us to be ready. It throws the hard stuff at us, and we either sink or we fight. Pete and Lura are fighting. And so are we.
The question is—will you?