Up until May 18, 2017, Sophie was a typical, healthy 2-year-old child.
When Sophie became ill, her parents Shelby and Jonathan assumed she had allergies. Sophie is two years old.
Her doctor suspected asthma because she was having trouble breathing. However, it wouldn’t take long to realize how much worse things were.
A few days later, Sophie was supposed to have an allergy test.She was unable to take the test, nevertheless.
One night, she stopped breathing.
It’s a nightmare for all parents.Jonathan and Shelby hurried to dial an ambulance. They were off to the hospital in a matter of minutes.
Only then were the doctors able to determine that Sophie’s condition went well beyond allergies and asthma.
A tumor the size of a softball was found in young Sophie’s chest by the doctors. It had turned out to be T-cell lymphoma. Cancer. Abruptly, the young girl found herself in a battle for her life.
Sadly, her cancer continued to spread despite intensive chemotherapy. Sophie’s ability to eat, walk, communicate, and use her hands was all affected by the therapies.
Sophie’s parents stayed by her daughter’s side in the hospital for several hours while the young girl battled for her life.
Beverly, Sophie’s mother, is by her daughter’s side at all times. Shelby was just worried about Sophie and her treatment.
Stem cell transplantation was necessary for her frail physique.
The mother saw that a special nurse was making a lot of effort to stay invisible in this hectic and challenging scenario. Shelby, though, was observing.
Shelby took a picture when the nurse’s back was turned, and she uploaded it to the Facebook page her parents had set up to chronicle Sophie’s battle with the illness.
“I see you,” Shelby wrote, sharing everything she had seen while looking for her daughter.
Mom Shelby pens:
“I observe you. I see you all day long as I sit on this couch. You make such great effort to stay hidden from me and my child.
When she sees you, I see your face fall a little and she starts crying. You make a lot of attempts to allay her worries and win her over. I watch you hesitate to cut off bandages or poke her. You apologize and say “no owies” more often in a day than most people say “thank you.”
“I notice that you have numerous rubber bracelets on your arms and around your stethoscope; each one represents a child you have loved and cared for.
I watch you caress her small bald head and securely tuck her covers into her. I see you comforting the mother who has received terrible news. I imagine you carrying the infant whose mother is unable or unable to accompany her to the hospital while attempting to chart on the computer.
“You ignore everything going on in your life for twelve hours in order to tend to the sick and dying youngsters. You enter every room grinning, regardless of the activities taking place within. Even though Sophie isn’t one of your patients, you come check on us since you saw her name on the schedule.
“You make as many calls as need to the blood bank, pharmacy, and doctor in order to receive my child the supplies she needs on time. You come to check on me just like you do on her. Even when your to-do list is a mile long and your phone is buzzing, you sit and listen to me talk for ten minutes.
“I observe you. Everyone can see you. There aren’t enough cards or snack baskets to adequately convey how much we appreciate you. To us, you are Jesus each and every day. Without you, our kids wouldn’t have what they need. Without you, mothers like me wouldn’t feel heard or rational. Without you, we couldn’t have saved our babies.
In addition to the nurses for whom Shelby wrote the essay, other parents who experienced firsthand how important nurses are to the pediatric unit and who also had similar experiences were moved by Shelby’s poignant remark.
The worst moments of any parent’s life are experienced repeatedly by these nurses on a daily basis, making their work unbelievably challenging.
Sophie, however, never had the chance to live long enough to express her gratitude to all of the professionals who struggled to save her life.
Her body was simply too small to cope with the intense cancer and all the therapies.
On December 22, 2017, she relapsed once more, and the family chose to stop her treatment. Sophie was finished.
Parents Sophie died in Shelby and Jonathan’s arms on January 4, 2018, after 13 days of snuggling, reading, singing, watching movies, and being loved.
“My intention has been to be open and truthful throughout this entire process, shedding light on the realities of fighting cancer.” I haven’t hidden the difficult moments, but I have also been able to highlight the amazing things the Lord has accomplished in this time. Shelby says, “I hope to keep doing that as we move on without her.
The worst thing that comes to mind is cancer. in particular when it targets kids.
The lesson from Sophie’s experience is to live each day as though it were your last. to cherish as if there were no tomorrows.
Her experience also demonstrates the need for recognition for the wonderful nurses and other hospital employees.
They impact innumerable lives as healers, assisters, playmates, storytellers, counselors, and comforters; they take care of not just their tiny patients but also their entire family.
They willingly engage in a conflict that most of us hope to avoid. And they continue to do so for successive families on a daily basis.
Spread the word about the amazing work that the hospital and nursery personnel do by sharing mom Shelby’s words.
