This Go Fund Me page is for my granddaughter, Sophia. She was diagnosed with Bi-lateral Retinoblastoma on May 1, 2017. My son, Bobby, and his wife, Alisha were devastated with the diagnosis, as were we all. She underwent chemotherapy for 6 months until all of the tumors in her eyes were considered "dead and flat". Sophia had a year and half without requiring anything other than her normal Eye Ultrasound Assessments (EUA), which is conducted under anesthesia. During this time she became a big sister to her brother Robert. She is such a good sister!!! She attends Visually Impaired Pre-School (VIPS) two days a week and we know she will always have vision issues for the rest of her life, but this is nothing compared to the worst case scenario of potentially loosing her eye(s). As you can see in the profile picture, she is a beautiful two year old little girl who loves water. She has a lot of "Sass" as her mommy calls it. Other than the cancer, she is a normal two year old who loves everyone she meets and is a big helper to others all around her.
In May, Sophia's doctor (Dr. Ramasubramamian...or Dr. Rama for short), during her regular assessment, informed Bobby and Alisha that she had one new tumor and another tumor that had returned and she would need more chemotherapy. This was bad news, but what was worse was that her doctor (the only Retinoblastoma specialist in our region and considered the best in the country) was moving to Arizona to work with another specialist who helped create Intra-Arterial Chemotherapy for Retinoblastoma patients. In other words....localized Chemotherapy directly into the eye. Sophia's doctor believes this is the best option for Sophia's treatment. Sophia will also need her monthly EUA's with Dr. Rama in Arizona.
All of this being said, Bobby and Alisha cannot afford to fly out to Arizona once per month to get Sophia the treatment she needs. The costs are astronomical because they have to pay for airfare and food (thank goodness for Ronald McDonald house because they only have to pay about $15 a night to stay there) while in Arizona, as well as continue to pay their bills at home. Bobby and Alisha both work full time. However, due to Sophia's medical needs, neither have a lot of paid time off left. They need to be able to take care of Sophia, but it's hard for them to not worry about their home. My hope is that we will be able to raise enough money for them to get through the next six months of treatment for Sophia and ability to pay their bills as well.
Sophia's has to be in Arizona on Friday, July 19, 2019 to have an EUA and meets with the Oncologist on Monday, July 22, 2019 to determine how these next steps will begin. Any amount you can donate is appreciated. If you can only give $1, that is as important as $10, or $100. If you cannot donate at this time, we understand and would just request that you share this page so that as many people as possible can consider donating to Sophia's fight. We truly appreciate you helping our sweet Sophia and her mommy and daddy while they go through this very difficult time.
Sincerely,
Sophia's Nana, Annette Scott
In May, Sophia's doctor (Dr. Ramasubramamian...or Dr. Rama for short), during her regular assessment, informed Bobby and Alisha that she had one new tumor and another tumor that had returned and she would need more chemotherapy. This was bad news, but what was worse was that her doctor (the only Retinoblastoma specialist in our region and considered the best in the country) was moving to Arizona to work with another specialist who helped create Intra-Arterial Chemotherapy for Retinoblastoma patients. In other words....localized Chemotherapy directly into the eye. Sophia's doctor believes this is the best option for Sophia's treatment. Sophia will also need her monthly EUA's with Dr. Rama in Arizona.
All of this being said, Bobby and Alisha cannot afford to fly out to Arizona once per month to get Sophia the treatment she needs. The costs are astronomical because they have to pay for airfare and food (thank goodness for Ronald McDonald house because they only have to pay about $15 a night to stay there) while in Arizona, as well as continue to pay their bills at home. Bobby and Alisha both work full time. However, due to Sophia's medical needs, neither have a lot of paid time off left. They need to be able to take care of Sophia, but it's hard for them to not worry about their home. My hope is that we will be able to raise enough money for them to get through the next six months of treatment for Sophia and ability to pay their bills as well.
Sophia's has to be in Arizona on Friday, July 19, 2019 to have an EUA and meets with the Oncologist on Monday, July 22, 2019 to determine how these next steps will begin. Any amount you can donate is appreciated. If you can only give $1, that is as important as $10, or $100. If you cannot donate at this time, we understand and would just request that you share this page so that as many people as possible can consider donating to Sophia's fight. We truly appreciate you helping our sweet Sophia and her mommy and daddy while they go through this very difficult time.
Sincerely,
Sophia's Nana, Annette Scott