Our sweet daughter, Sophia, was two-years-old when she began to get morning headaches. The headaches, vomiting, and loss of balance turned out to be the side effects of a very aggressive brain cancer: anaplastic medulloblastoma. We still have nightmares of her screaming in pain when from the pressure in her head. After recovering from her first brain surgery, she went through high dose chemotherapy, an additional exploratory brain surgery, and a triple tandem stem cell transplant. We practically lived in the hospital for six months. It hurt to see her suffering from the side effects of the treatments. She cried when her hair fell out. She felt terrified when she first got her vascular catheter implanted in her chest. The vomiting upset her. She ended up with a g tube in her stomach because she quit eating. We cherished the days in the hospital when she felt well enough to get up and dance, go to the playroom, and create beautiful art projects.  

 

After she finished the first protocol, we enjoyed three happy treatment-free months. Then one day, Sophia suddenly started stumbling again. We were devastated to learn that the cancer had returned. Two more brain surgeries, radiation therapy, and outpatient chemotherapy all failed to tame the cancer.

 

In October of 2008, the difficult decision was made to place Sophia into home hospice care. We did our best to help her feel safe and keep her out of pain as we filled her days with as many wonderful activities as possible. She never gave up on life. As the cancer grew, she lost her hearing and her face became partially paralyzed. She refused to give up, using her finger to open her eyelid so she could watch her videos and color. You could not help but to be inspired by her passion for life until the very end. After a 20-month fight with cancer, she passed away in the arms of her mommy and daddy. She was only four-years-old. If you have some time, watch the video to the right that we made in memory of Sophia on her first angel anniversary last year.

 

CURE Childhood Cancer is an organization that is helping to find a cure so that no more children will die from this terrible disease. We have personally seen this organization at work and we can say that the money you donate will make it to pediatric cancer research. In addition, we can also attest to the fact that pediatric cancer families are also helped directly by this organization in the form of hot meals at the hospital, holiday parties for the kids, grocery cards, and bereavement weekends. Please help us raise money so that they can continue their important fight.