Hi all, 

A couple of weeks ago we posted here to tell you all about beautiful little Sofia, the 8 year old daughter of Con and Andrea. Sofia was the recipient of a heart transplant a few days post Christmas after being born in 2014 with a problem in her heart.  

The last month was full of so many challenges, a number of complications following the surgery, three steps forward one day so to speak and then two steps back on another day. 

Sadly on last Monday morning Sofia passed away. 

People that knew Sofia, will remember her strength and love, the aura of light that continually shone from her every single day. Sofia was always trying to protect and look after those around her. As we’ve said previously she was the girl of a thousand hugs. 

A short life full of so much struggle meant that Sofia was one of the most empathetic and wise 8 year olds you would ever meet. At the end of the day however she was still a little girl and the fears she had in the last few weeks were profound, the pain she experienced was manifestly unfair and for her parents the loss is unimaginable. The pain of losing someone so young are dreams unrealised and Sofia was a little girl who possessed so many dreams, none of which were to the benefit of herself. Probably the only dreams she had for herself in the short term was to see her little dog Skye again whom she missed incredibly while an inpatient at the RCH and to be healthy for her to get back to school. After 8 years of struggle, hopes, fears and pain, however mostly light, love, laughter and compassion towards others Sofia is now at peace. 

We want to say an enormous thank you to those who were so generous a few weeks ago when we put up the GoFundMe page to assist Sofia's parents during the extremely difficult time following her heart transplant. The response was incredible and we met our target. The money has been critical for Con and Andrea during this period and allowed them to care 24/7 for their daughter. Words cannot describe how appreciative they were for these donations. People from all around the world gave what they could; family, old friends, current friends and people who have never met or even heard of Sofia's story until recently. 

Lastly, despite fully understanding the sensitivity and fatigue around asking for funds again, when we know we have so many stresses and financial pressures going on in all our lives we are wanting to continue with the GoFundMe page for Con and Andrea. The next few months will be unbelievably difficult for them. We would like to get Andrea back to Colombia to see her family that she's not seen in 10 years. We're also mindful of the fact that they will not be mentally ready to return to work for a period of time. It will be a lifelong journey. The smallest donation is treasured and will, we assure you go into a collective effort that we hope will achieve our target once again. 

Thanks again everybody for reading this.   

Hola a todos,

Hace un par de semanas publicamos aquí para contarles todo sobre la hermosa pequeña Sofia, la hija de 8 años de Con y Andrea. Sofía recibió un trasplante de corazón unos días después de Navidad después de nacer en 2014 con problema en su corazón

 El último mes estuvo lleno de tantos desafíos, una serie de complicaciones después de la cirugía, tres pasos hacia adelante un día, por así decirlo, y luego dos pasos hacia atrás otro día.

Lamentablemente, el pasado lunes por la mañana Sofía falleció.

Las personas que conocieron a Sofía recordarán su fuerza y ​​amor, el aura de luz que continuamente brillaba en ella todos los días. Sofía siempre estaba tratando de proteger y cuidar a quienes la rodeaban. Como hemos dicho anteriormente fue la niña de los mil abrazos.

Una vida corta llena de tanta lucha significó que Sofía fuera una de las niñas de 8 años más empáticas y sabias que jamás haya conocido. Sin embargo, al final del día todavía era una niña y los temores que tenía en las últimas semanas eran profundos, el dolor que vivía era manifiestamente injusto y para sus padres la pérdida es inimaginable. El dolor de perder a alguien tan joven son sueños no realizados y Sofía era una niña que poseía tantos sueños, ninguno de los cuales era para su beneficio. Probablemente, los únicos sueños que tenía para sí misma a corto plazo eran volver a ver a su perrita Skye, a quien extrañaba increíblemente mientras estuvo internada en el RCH, y estar sana para poder volver a la escuela. Después de 8 años de lucha, esperanzas, miedos y dolor, pero sobre todo luz, amor, risas y compasión hacia los demás, Sofía ahora está en paz.

Queremos agradecer enormemente a quienes fueron tan generosos hace unas semanas cuando pusimos la página de GoFundMe para ayudar a los padres de Sofía durante el momento extremadamente difícil que siguió a su trasplante de corazón. La respuesta fue increíble y cumplimos nuestro objetivo. El dinero ha sido crítico para Con y Andrea durante este período y les permitió cuidar a su hija las 24 horas del día, los 7 días de la semana. Las palabras no pueden describir lo agradecidos que estaban por estas donaciones. Personas de todo el mundo dieron lo que pudieron; familiares, viejos amigos, amigos actuales y personas que nunca conocieron o incluso escucharon la historia de Sofía hasta hace poco.

Por último, a pesar de comprender completamente la sensibilidad y la fatiga en torno a pedir fondos nuevamente, cuando sabemos que tenemos tanto estrés y presiones financieras en todas nuestras vidas, queremos continuar con el GoFundMe para Con y Andrea. Los próximos meses serán increíblemente difíciles para ellos. Nos gustaría que Andrea y Con regresaran a Colombia para ver a su familia que no han visto en 10 años. También somos conscientes del hecho de que no estarán mentalmente preparados para volver a trabajar durante un período de tiempo. Será un viaje de por vida. La donación más pequeña es atesorada y se convertirá en un esfuerzo colectivo que esperamos logre nuestro objetivo una vez más.

Gracias de nuevo a todos por leer esto.

28 Dec 2022

Hi everyone,

I want to introduce you to a very, very special girl, our 8 year old little superhero Sofia.

Sofia was born with a faulty heart and on and off has spent a large amount of her life in the cardiology department at the Royal Children's Hospital. For most of her short life, fighting against the odds has been a constant way of living. Over her first 8 years she has continued to undergo a number of serious operations which have helped Sofi maintain a relatively healthy, but fragile way of life until she was old enough to become a heart transplant recipient. Despite all of this, you would never have met a more positive, joyful, loving and caring girl than Sofia. She is the angel of a thousand hugs. Sofi is full of such strength and fierce determination that those who meet her can not believe it when they hear of her story.

Sofia received her Christmas miracle. The RCH called Sofi's parents to inform them that they had a new heart for her. A few hours later they were at the hospital and prepped for the most important surgery of Sofia's life. As usual the least concerned and bravest person in the room was the little 8 year old with a maturity and sense of compassion for those around her more akin to someone many, many years older. After an 8 and a half hour operation Sofi's parents were informed that the heart transplant surgery was a complete success. This is however just the beginning of a very long road for Sofi's body to accept her new heart and make a complete recovery. She will spend weeks in the ICU and many months at the RCH recovering until she is strong enough to, we hope live a normal life. There have already been complications with her kidneys and a collapsed lung however we are informed that she is stable and progressively getting stronger.

As friends of Sofi and her amazing parents Con and Andrea the idea of setting up a GoFundMe page grew as we sought for something meaningful we could do for the family over these next few months. Sofia's parents must be with her 24/7, therefore precluding them from work, so we are asking for any kind of financial assistance that you can contribute. The money collected will supplement their expenses (including medications) throughout Sofia's immediate journey or however long that may take as Con and Andrea will be without work.

Again we appreciate any help, regardless of the value, as everything is an important part of helping them in this difficult time.

Lastly we'd like to ask each of you to keep Sofia in your prayers, or for those that are not of a religious persuasion, to send all your love and positive energy. 

Thank you so much for reading.