Sophie, two, bounces back from battle with cancer

Now she is the inspiration behind a new charity launched this weekend to raise money and awareness of the biggest cancer killer in children.

Sophie was just 11 months old when she was diagnosed with a brain tumour. She had been suffering unexplained vomiting for some weeks and various conditions were suggested as the cause before her condition deteriorated and she was admitted to Sheffield Children’s Hospital

Hospital staff initially suspected a urine infection. She was also suspected as having meningitis before a CT scan revealed a large tumour in her brain. Almost immediately after diagnosis, Sophie underwent emergency surgery to deal with the excessive build-up of brain fluid, caused by the presence of the tumour.

Her parents, Peter, 35, and Abigail, 34, were totally devastated.

“Not only did we have to come to terms with the fact that our little girl’s life was in immediate danger from the pressure on her brain, there was then the brain tumour to be dealt with. I cannot put into words how we felt!

Although the emergency surgery went well and Sophie’s condition was stabilised she returned to theatre just four days later for a 14-hour procedure to remove the tumour.

“We tried to keep busy but in the end ended up back at the hospital pacing until we knew she was ok. There were times when I feared she may not pull through. The neurosurgeons warned us it was about as bad as it could be.” Despite losing a lot of blood and suffering a fit towards the end of the procedure, Sophie survived the operation, and her family will always be indebted to the neurosurgical team that saved her life.

Sophie suffered many short-term side effects as a result of the surgery such as being unable to swallow but, although she is now deaf in one ear, the rest faded over time and developmentally she has caught up with her peers.

However a biopsy on the tumour and revealed it to be an anaplastic ependymoma, described by doctors as being particularly aggressive cancer.

“I hadn’t really thought about it being cancerous, I don’t know why,” says Pete. “We then had to come to terms with the fact that she would have very strong courses of chemotherapy over a 16 months period.”

Sophie spent much of her time in hospital, being admitted for suspected infections and for several blood and platelet transfusions as well as for scheduled chemotherapy.

She lost all her hair, was fed through a tube, and spent a lot of time unwell and unable to enjoy childhood to the full. She was however remarkably resilient right throughout her treatment, and would bounce back quickly from illness, and towards the end of the treatment was often to be seen running up and down the hospital ward with her drip stand trailing behind her.

She completed her treatment in December 2010, although she continues to have regular check-ups and scans at the hospital keeping track of her progress. Her confidence and energy levels have increased since the end of her treatment, and she is developing well, even attending nursery two mornings a week.

Little Sophie has been an inspiration to her family and friends, who decided to set up Sophie’s Wish in recognition of her bravery and in memory of her hospital friends who lost their lives to brain tumours. They hope to raise as much awareness as possible of the symptoms, diagnosis and treatment of brain tumours as well as raise much needed funds for further research in order to help improve detection and survival rates under the umbrella organisation Brain Tumour Research.

Sophie’s Wish is being officially launched with a family fun day on Saturday, at St Thomas’s Church Centre in Crookes, Sheffield.

“Although Sophie is in good health for the time being, many others have not been so lucky. During her time in hospital, we were shocked and saddened to discover how common brain tumours are in children and young people. We have witnessed firsthand the effects of this condition and seen many of Sophie’s hospital friends lose their lives to this cancer that can strike so quickly and indiscriminately.”

Proceeds from the event will go to Brain Tumour Research www.braintumourresearch.org.

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For more information on the event, visit www.sophieswish.org.uk