Anna-Sophia Leukaemia Support Fund

ANNA SOPHIA'S COURAGEOUS JOURNEY TO BEAT LEUKEMIA

On May 24th 2018  Vicky Watermeyer took her 4 year old daughter, Anna Sophia to the family doctor
because she was pale, had a persistent cough, intermittent fevers and unusual bruising.  The doctor referred Anna-Sophia straight to the children’s ward at their local hospital and within a few hours she  had been diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia (A.L.L.); transfusions of whole blood and platelets administered, and Anna Sophia was in an ambulance on her way to the children's wing of a well known Oxford Hospital.  It was an incredibly traumatic outcome that no one expected, especially sweet little Anna Sophia.

This life threatening disease has a good prognosis but it has brought a sudden, monumental change to the Watermeyer home.  Vicky had to immediately stop working to care for Anna Sophia who has been in hospital almost full time since the diagnosis.  

Anna Sophia is a vibrant, imaginative, playful four year old with an extraordinary vocabulary!  She loves to play in her "palace", between the fruit trees in the family garden.  Leukemia has changed this sweet girls life - but not for forever!   

Anna Sophia will get better, but that journey to health has been incredibly challenging and the Watermeyer's have needed the full support of the local and wider community to see them through this  difficult time. 

With little to no immune system, further impacted by the prompt start of chemotherapy and steroids, infection has been frequent, pain is almost constant and daily body functioning is both painful and scary for her.  By the third week if treatment, during a particularly virulent bout of sepsis, Anna-Sophia became unable to walk and has yet to recover this ability. Then there are the myriad of surgical and medical procedures that make sure she keeps going towards the target of full health!  Anna Sophia is so brave, and despite being in pain almost all the time, she has been a real trooper.  Her dad Mike, and older brother Elijah, miss their mum and sister terribly, but visit as often as they can.


Anna Sophia's treatment is expected to last 2.5 years and it is unlikely that Vicky will be able to return to work for quite a while.  This means that the family is only receiving half of their monthly income (Mike, and Vicky are equal earners) whilst coping with the increased expenses that come from caring for a severely sick child.  These include the frequent transport to local and Oxford hospitals, food for Vicky whilst there and the costs related to caring for Anna Sophia - everything from extra sanitation, diapers and many other needs.  Research has shown that a conservative estimate of increased monthly expenditure for caring for a child with leukemia is six hundred pounds - over and above existing costs. It is expected that a small monthly sum will be provided by social care, but this will only be available from three months post diagnosis. Our aim is to ensure that all the financial gaps are filled for this family, so that the only stress they are coping with is the care of their precious daughter. 

The family has been incredibly touched by the generosity of donors that ensured we raised our initial amount of eight and a half thousand pounds!  We are very much hoping that we will meet our final target of seventeen thousand pounds, which will give them breathing space for six months.  

The sense of everyone cheering them on and jumping in to give something has been such a huge blessing for this family!  Every donation, no matter how big or small, with notes of encouragement attached make all the difference in the world.  Thank you to everyone who has been part of Anna Sophia's journey, we look forward to sharing all of her milestones along the way.