And just like that, we delivered our 7000th pair of Supershoes to a beautiful soul! A milestone for us, and for Sophia, our 7000th recipient, she also represents the 6999 youngsters before her who have all been so brave, enduring endless medical appointments; invasive, unpleasant tests; unwanted hospital stays; and fearsome treatment with all its awful side effects; to be rid of the cancer that has taken over their, and their families’ lives.
We’re sure you’d love to know a bit more about Sophia and her very special Supershoes, so read on…
Sophia is 16 and just 3 days after her birthday last December, she was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. Those who know Sophia describe her as graceful, serene, articulate, quietly confident, a very talented musician, playing both violin and piano, singer and ballet dancer, and also a real trooper, who showed great courage when she sang at a concert, following a day of exhausting hospital treatment, just a week after her diagnosis.
But cancer does not discriminate; it hits randomly and unexpectedly. An unexpected lump on her neck, firstly attributed to a bout of Covid, unfortunately proved to be something far more sinister. Sophia sat her mock GCSE exams in the morning, and received a biopsy in the afternoon, which confirmed the cancer diagnosis. Sophia’s treatment hit her hard: she lost all her beautiful, waist-length hair and suffered greatly from the brutal side effects, but as she received her Supershoes, presented to her by Amanda, the Super Artist who created them, her smiling face said it all: “How could you make them so perfect?”
For her A-levels this summer, she hopes to study Chemistry, Politics and Maths in sixth form, with the eventual aim of helping other cancer sufferers by working in the field of personalised treatment and immunotherapy.
Finally, here’s Sophia’s take on her cancer story. Her words are so beautiful that they needed no editing:
“At first, the first thing that went through my mind was ‘Will I even survive?’, but this experience has taught me not only how to survive, but how to truly live, and it has made me want to make sure that whatever I go on to do, that I put everything I have into it and to never ever hold back. Cancer can take away many things but it cannot ever destroy hope or trust. I want everybody to know how important it is not to let yourself become overwhelmed with despair because even in the times where it seems like it is unbearable, there is always a tiny glimmer of light. One of my favourite quotes is ‘Don’t look at what’s happening to you; look towards the light’. Cancer has taught me, amongst so many things, not to focus on the darkness but to look at the light, because light overpowers the dark!
I am so incredibly grateful to Supershoes for the beautiful shoes they have given me. I am especially grateful to the amazing artist Amanda who painted my shoes to be even more perfect than I could have ever imagined. Supershoes is a beautiful charity with the most amazing goal.”
Keep shining your light, Sophia!
