Brave Sophia
Sophia is about to turn three, she loves to dance, play with her twin brother and watch Dora on TV. She has also spent more than a year bravely battling cancer.
Diagnosis
Sophia was diagnosed with Neurofibromatosis Type 1 (NF1) at birth. In May last year she was diagnosed with optic glioma tumours behind both her eyes.
“The tumour behind her left eye was the larger of the two and Sophia has lost her vision in that eye,” says Raewyn.
Sophia’s treatment will take two years, with the family receiving treatment in hospital in both Palmerston North and Auckland since her diagnosis.
“Sophia has had a hard time with her treatment. Having so many transfusions and long hospital visits has meant being away from her family lots. she was our sick wee girl for a while, needing an NG tube for feeding and IV antibiotics until recently when she was able to have the tube removed.” say Raewyn.
Despite set-backs, like losing her vision and her hair, Sophia has been so very brave and continues to smile.
Treatment and beyond
The long journey has been helped by the support they family has received from the Child Cancer Foundation.
“Our local Family Support Coordinator, Cushla, has been great with all the support that she has given us. From the initial time of diagnosis through to getting back on our feet after being away for many weeks in hospital."
Sophie's Mother Raewyn
Raewyn and Daniel are also very grateful for the financial support the Foundation has been able to offer the family, including assisting with grocery and travel costs from the many journeys to Auckland for Sophia’s treatments and specialist appointments.
“We just have a long journey ahead of us, but we are very grateful to the support of the Foundation.”
How you can help
The Child Cancer Foundation is a nationwide organisation that works hard to reduce the impact of cancer. A donation from you will help us provide the support families need from that terrible time of diagnosis, throughout treatment and beyond.
Our support is powered by you.