Sarah Knopp

Sarah Knopp, BCPA Sarah Knopp is a Board Certified Patient Advocate (BCPA) through the Patient Advocate Certification Board, and patient navigator. She is the founder of Living Before Dying Corporation, an advocacy practice based in Northern California serving clients across the United States and worldwide. Sarah brings diligence, deep empathy and compassion to every client relationship, going the extra mile when a case demands it — whether that means tracking down a specialist, communicating with a family through a difficult conversation, or simply being available when things get hard. Clients and colleagues consistently describe her as easy to talk to: someone who listens first and acts second. Her advocacy work spans some of the most challenging territory in patient care. She has supported clients facing difficult and advanced diagnoses, complex comorbidities, and the layered realities of aging and dementia, in addition to her core focus on oncology navigation. This breadth means Sarah is equally comfortable coordinating care for a patient newly diagnosed with cancer, supporting a family navigating a loved one's dementia progression to helping a client manage multiple overlapping chronic conditions at once. Starting with the person is what distinguishes Sarah's approach; not with the diagnosis. Drawing on her own lived experience navigating serious illness, she helps clients get curious about their own values and goals before any treatment decision is made. Rather than defaulting to what's expected by family members, providers, or the broader medical system, Sarah works to ensure that care plans reflect what the patient themselves actually wants — whether that means pursuing every available treatment option or choosing a gentler path. She believes curiosity, not certainty, is what allows patients and families to move through uncertainty with less fear. Sarah is an active volunteer on Stanford Healthcare's Patient and Family Advisory Council (PFAC) and serves as a PCORI Ambassador, contributing the patient perspective to research priorities and care design. She is a frequent speaker on oncology navigation and patient-centered care, bringing both professional expertise and personal experience to audiences of clinicians, advocates, and patients alike. Whether working with a single client or supporting a care team across continents, Sarah's goal remains the same: helping people define what success looks like for them, and walking alongside them to get there. Healthcare navigation doesn’t need to be this hard.

*Board Certified Patient Advocate (BCPA) through the Patient Advocate Certification Board *Project Management, University of California Berkeley Extension *Death Doula Training, INELDA *Pursuant of ICF ACC coaching credential

I volunteer on the Stanford Healthcare Patient and Family Advisory Council (PFAC) and serve as a PCORI Ambassador, keeping me connected to patient-centered research and institutional quality efforts. I am affiliated with Hope Cancer Network and have co-presented on the patient experience and advocacy alongside oncologists at Stanford and Healthcare IT professionals.