A Goal for Sophie

Sophie is a 21 year old local Cessnock girl . Sophie has been very active in our local community and works at Cessnock Multipurpose Children’s Centre.

Early 2015 Sophie had her young life tipped up side down with the news she has a brain tumor. Sophie is to have an operation that will cost over $50000. After the operation Sophie will need to have intense therapy which will also be a cost burden.

We are asking the local community to come together to help Sophie and her family. No matter how small or large your donation is, every dollar will help.

We will also be holding an event on the 1st August 2015 at Cessnock Leagues Club with details to come soon.

Sophie’s Story

Playing soccer was always something that I loved to do, as I grew older it became all I really knew from training every night to playing in competitions against other states. For 11 years I did what I loved, that’s half of my life, I never thought I would be asked to stop playing or have to stop because of some disease that I really knew nothing about. You hear about people being diagnosed with these illness’s and you really feel so saddened for them and the families that are going through it, but ultimately we never think it will happen to us and when it does it feels so surreal, none of it really makes sense and you think why me? Or why our family?

I wish it was all easy going to how I was diagnosed with this Brain Tumor but it wasn’t, for 12 month’s I struggled with excruciating headaches each day, they were particularly worse of a morning and night these headaches also made it very hard to concentrate, blurred vision, tiredness, lethargic, nauseas to the point of not being able to eat, very light headed all the time, along with those symptoms I was sick a lot. So for months on end I was at the doctors coming home with different antibiotics for a different infection each week, sinus infections, throat infections, ear infections, I thought I knew my body and I thought I couldn’t possibly be this sick all the time I was always so active and healthy.

For 12 hard months I had these symptoms but everyday I continued to go to work and fulfil my full time job that I also loved to the best of my ability even though I was struggling with these symptoms, I never really made much of a complaint about how I was really feeling I’m not sure my family even knew how bad it was until it all worsened and I knew I couldn’t just be sick it had to be something different, so back to the doctors I went, I was then sent to a specialist, for a few weeks I was mistakenly diagnosed with chronic fatigue until I was sent for a MRI, this is when I first heard I had a Brain Tumor.

For me its been such a emotional rollercoaster, being so positive became harder as the news worsened, but really the only thing that will help us all to get through something like this is to accept what it is and see the positive out of such a negative, it has been hard letting go of a lot of things In my life that I have loved doing, being 21 years old very sporty and active, very social and love being with my friends, it has been almost impossible for me to continue with that lifestyle. For me I wish there was more awareness or more education and knowledge of this disease for people that might not be as positive as I have been, I can’t imagine how hard it would be for people that aren’t as determined or positive to fight something that really is so emotionally and physically demanding.

If I can help any body in the future who are or have experienced anything similar whether they’re struggling or not I think that would be the answer to my question ‘why me?’.

This is not the end of my story it is just one of those chapters that challenge you. With these words in mind “Whatever it takes” I will be back doing the things I love!