What Happened to Sarah Herron’s Arm? Why Does She Only Have One?

While production of Clare Crawley‘s season of The Bachelorette was halted due to coronavirus, ABC is presenting The Bachelor: Greatest Seasons Ever,’ which will feature a look back at some of the franchises’ most memorable moments.

Hosted by Chris Harrison, the premiere episode on Monday night will feature highlight’s from Sean Lowe’s season of The Bachelor. Before he found his happily ever after with Catherine Giudice, he shared a strong connection with Sarah Herron, who was a fan-favorite contestant from the very beginning.

When Herron appeared on Season 17 of The Bachelor, she stood out not only because of her beauty but for her candid personality, therefore making it easy to forget she only had one arm. Herron also didn’t make her time on the reality series focused on her disability. Instead, she pulled Lowe aside right away to explain privately why she was missing the upper part of her arm and later in the season, was seen bravely jumping off the top of a skyscraper alongside Lowe.

The reason Herron, 33, only has one arm is because she was born with a rare condition known as Amniotic Band Syndrome. According to the National Organization for Rare Diseases, the condition affects 1 in 1,200 to 15,000 live births.

While the exact causes of ABS remain complex and controversial, symptoms of the condition can vary greatly from one infant to another. The three most common affected areas include limb deformation, abnormalities of the head and face, and malformation of the arms or legs.

Herron Founded the SheLift Organization in 2016

As stated on SheLift’s website, Herron created the organization to “[empower] young women and girls with physical differences to discover confidence and self-esteem through outdoor recreation and mentorship.”

For participants of SheLift retreats, they are offered “once-in-a-lifetime experiences, workshops and community events rooted in personal development, risk-taking, authenticity and connection for women and moms of children with physical differences.”

While Herron wasn’t able to find love during her time on The Bachelor or Bachelor in Paradise, it was actually through one of her SheLift retreats that she met her boyfriend, Dylan Brown. They’ve been dating since 2018.

Herron Doesn’t Let a Missing Limb Keep Her From Experiencing All That Life Has to Offer

Of all the former Bachelor Nation stars, Herron has one of the most inspiring Instagram pages. Captioning a photo of herself hiking through Utah’s mountains she wrote, “I used to think that the only thing people found interesting about me was that I was ‘the girl born with one arm.; I was actually convinced it was the only reason I was cast on The Bachelor… For better or worse, the one thing that made me unique, also felt like an identity trap. I couldn’t see the bigger picture.”

“But after A LOT of reflection (aka, self-help books, therapy and community sharing) I’ve come to better understand and accept that the way I look – or in this case my arm – is the absolute least interesting thing about me – now it’s just icing on the cake.”

While Herron makes adjustments for her body, she works out with weights, takes boxing classes, swims, practices archery, and hikes all over the world.

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