Dear Friends -

We are just a small group of teachers who created this GoFundMe page for an amazing young student we’ve known since kindergarten. We met Sophia just after her mother passed away from cancer and she entered the foster care system.

 Sophia was born with sight, yet now faces the heartbreaking reality of being totally blind in the very near future. 

She suffers from an inherited eye disorder :

Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP), which causes the retina—the light-sensitive layer at the back of the eye to gradually deteriorate. 

When RP begins in childhood, it can progress quickly, starting with night blindness, moving to tunnel vision, and ultimately leading to total loss of sight.

Despite enduring more loss than any child should, she continues forward creating and inspiring with joy. 

With the help of her team of Doctors at MGB she has been accepted into a gene-replacement clinical trial in Melbourne, Australia the only one of its kind. The treatment itself is covered, but the travel and living accommodations —both for the initial procedure and the required follow-up visits—are significant. To secure her place, the trial’s sponsors need assurances that she can participate fully through every stage, which makes this fundraising effort essential. 

Since the fall of 2023 we’ve raised over $25,000 to support her during the initial phase, but we need help to reach the total funding required by the end of September 2025. We really need your assistance. 

Even the smallest amount—$1, $2, or $5—makes a difference. If you can’t donate, sharing this page or sending encouragement would mean so much. Together help us make this happen. 

With gratitude,

Susan, Cathy, Denise, Monique