What Happened to Sarah Danh? Inside the Newlywed's Horrible Health Ordeal

A honeymoon is a time for a couple to deeply connect, reminisce about their wedding, and begin planning the next chapter of their lives. However, life has an interesting way of putting us in situations we’d never expect. And as for newlywed couples, those circumstances can put your vows of “love, honoring, and respecting your spouse” to the ultimate test.

Sarah Danh, a 27-year-old labor and delivery nurse from San Antonio, Texas, is currently in the fight for her life. After recently tying the knot with her husband, Luke Gradl, and enjoying their honeymoon in Japan, things took a turn. Now, the newly minted bride is being airlifted back to the United States in hopes of improving her condition.

According to People, Sarah began to feel sick just two days into her honeymoon. The outlet shares that the nurse was diagnosed with acute liver failure and has been in critical care ever since.

Interestingly, the cause of Sarah’s condition is currently unknown. Luke told the outlet that she has been “suffering” from several symptoms, including jaundice, vomiting, fever, body aches, and "extreme" hepatic encephalopathy.

Per The Cleveland Clinic, hepatic encephalopathy, aka portosystemic encephalopathy, is defined as “happens when your liver isn’t filtering toxins as it should, leading to a buildup in your blood, which can affect your brain, causing confusion, disorientation, and other changes.”

Unfortunately, the organization shares that the condition can advance to a coma or death.

Sarah’s mother, Le Le, who previously joined the couple in Japan, returned to the U.S. separately. It’s reported that due to her condition, AirMed and Sarah’s employer, Methodist Hospital Stone Oak, in San Antonio, they were able to coordinate an emergency evacuation flight back to the hospital.

The flight was set to arrive in the evening hours of April 21, 2026.

"Thank you to HCA Healthcare and Methodist Hospital for providing the medical flight home,” Luke and Le told the publication. "That generosity means more to us than we can put into words."

They went on to give a huge thanks to the medical team in Japan and AirMed, citing that the teams were diligent with moving quickly.

"A huge thank you to the medical team in Japan — the doctors and nurses who worked nonstop to keep Sarah stable up until evacuation,” Luke and Le shared with the publication. “We'll never forget your care and dedication. To the AirMed team, thank you for moving so quickly and making everything come together when it mattered most. You made a real difference for us."

They continued: " We're also so thankful to the team in San Antonio for being ready and waiting for Sarah. Knowing she was going into such good hands brought us peace during a very uncertain time. Thank you to HCA Healthcare and Methodist Hospital for providing the medical flight home. "That generosity means more to us than we can put into words."

Given that Sarah was hospitalized in Japan and flown back to the U.S., medical expenses have been piling up. So, the couple’s close friend, Danniella Ongmachi, decided to create a GoFundMe page to help them.

“In Japan, hospital bills must be paid in full, or treatments will be stopped, which adds another layer of stress to an already overwhelming situation,” the donation page reads. “The funds raised here will go directly toward covering Sarah’s hospital bill, securing flights home for her and Luke, and helping with any other urgent expenses that arise as she recovers. Every contribution will help ease the financial burden and give Sarah the best chance to heal and return home safely.”

The page has a goal of $180,000. And as of this writing, they have raised a little over $177,000. Judging by the donations that are coming in, we believe that the family will be able to achieve their goal.

As of now, there’s no word on Sarah’s condition, although she should have arrived in San Antonio. That said, in consideration of HIPAA laws, any information we’ll learn will likely come from the family.

At this time, we’d like to send Sarah and her family love and light. Hopefully, the newlywed is able to recover.