Support for Sophia as she Battles Cancer

On June 24th 2020, Sophia, who is just 28 years old, felt a sharp pain in her abdomen and began getting sick. She continued getting sick throughout the day into the late evening. Unable to keep water down and thinking she might have caught a stomach bug, Sophia went to the Emergency Room. What the ER doctors found was much worse than she imagined. Sophia’s appendix was so enlarged that she needed emergency surgery. She underwent an emergency appendectomy, which is when the surgeon found a growing tumor attached to Sophia’s appendix and colon. An emergency surgery that was supposed to last 45 minutes lapsed over 2 hours as surgeons carefully removed not only Sophia’s appendix, but a tumor and part of her colon. Sophia began recovery, but doctors needed to do pathology testing on the tumor. After a long and worrisome 2 weeks awaiting pathology results, Sophia’s worst fears were confirmed. The tumor was a rare type of cancerous neuroendocrine tumor. The test results were not enough to determine if the cancer had spread so the doctors ordered more tests, and the surgeons recommended Sophia undergo another surgery to remove more of her colon for further pathology testing. On August 5th 2020, just 6 weeks after her emergency appendectomy Sophia underwent another surgery to remove more of her colon which was affected by the cancerous tumor. The surgery went well, and Sophia is beginning another recovery from another surgery as she awaits more test results. Sophia went from being a healthy, active, full time essential worker with uplifting hobbies and a vibrant lifestyle to out-of-work, without an income, bedridden and immunosuppressed overnight. Sophia’s job is labor intensive on the front lines, so she has been unable to work since her initial emergency surgery in June. In these already uncertain times during this global pandemic, Sophia has been forced to focus on her health and healing while dealing with her loss of income and steep health care bills. Sophia has overcome many obstacles. She was born premature and at a very young age was diagnosed with several chromosome deficiencies and intellectual disabilities. She has managed to surpass all that was expected of her and more. She participated in the Special Olympics, completed high school and attended a program at Utah State University. Sophia is a full time, hardworking employee. She has recovered from over a dozen surgeries in just 28 years. Sophia’s loving family has been by her side every step of the way cheering her on and helping her make strides in her accomplishments. Sophia’s Mom and Dad have been with her, advocating for her since her initial ER visit to help her get to appointments and navigate her situation. Sophia’s disabilities limit her capacity to fully understand everything she is experiencing. Sophia is a fighter and a strong soul. She never gives up and always overcomes, but she is struggling financially at this time and every bit of funds donated will help her in her recovery. Donations will go directly to medical bills resulting from these surgeries and to replenish Sophia’s loss of income so she can maintain her residence and pay bills. All donations, big and small, are greatly appreciated and will add up to mean more than you can imagine to Sophia. Thoughts and prayers for Sophia and her family at this time are also greatly appreciated. With your help and support, we can keep Sophia’s livelihood and spirit going strong while she is fighting to recover. Thank you so much for your time and donation!