Sarah Alò suffered from chronic illness since age 6, but she didn’t learn how expression heals until her late 20s, after being diagnosed with 3 out of the 20 most painful conditions according to the National Institute of Health. Sarah’s experience at The Second City in improvisation, comedy writing, and standup fueled her mission. She started writing scripts, producing and directing films, acting, and writing poetry and music in addition to her comedic pursuits. In 2020, she was pitching her series about chronic illness as well as showcasing her standup comedy songs live. However, the pandemic halted both her performances and her filmmaking unexpectedly and suddenly.

In 2021, Sarah didn’t have the funds to make films, and her day job wouldn’t allow her to focus on performing. She wanted to paint, but she couldn’t afford canvases. So, she began recycling glass bottles from everyday purchases to paint. They became holders for pens and pencils, stash jars for lighters and papers, altar accessories for incense, catch-all trays, and all sorts of glass around her apartment, adding color to moments in a dark time. Eventually, her focus became creating abstract painted vases with the recycled glass and drying bouquets in order to preserve permanent beauty in her temporary situation.

In 2025, Sarah held her first home gallery viewing of the painted glass and dried bouquets, in addition to murals in every room of her apartment. She also started a practice of renewing used cardboard by hand-cutting 777 hearts to display and share.

In 2026, (He)art Gallery became a nonprofit mission to promote art therapy through Sarah’s art, events, and an artist incubator to help fund the dreams of other female artists with disabilities.