Friday, March 2, 2012

Team Sophia

Meet Sophia. She's one of the most powerful little girls you'll ever know. Her mother Stacey is a friend of mine and she can tell you better than anyone else how special Sophia is. When I told Stacey I wanted to add a feature to my blog that would allow people to donate to Team Sophia she said,   
I love the idea. Mostly,I love the world knowing the miracle girl who teaches me daily to dig deeply, love unconditionally, and forgive before the sun sets. The world is better because if her.


Sophia does give us all the chance to be better people. She was born prematurely, with a number of challenges that might have thwarted a lesser kid. She's on first-name basis with most of the staff in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit and the Giraffe acute-care floor at Seattle Children's Hospital. She also has a committed group of nurses and physical therapists who work with her at home. Most recently, she was diagnosed with a Wilm's tumor, so now she's sharing her sunshine with the staff in the chemo clinic (no more long blond hair!) and on the heme-onc floor.

But you know what? Sophia really wants to share her sunshine with her grandmother in Hawaii. Her goal is to make a trip this June, but she needs help. It's not just Mom and Soph and a carseat and some carry-ons. Stacey's a single mom, and she will buy plane tickets for a couple nurses who will travel with her to help with Sophia's specialized needs. And there's equipment - portable suction and emergency oxygen and the like. It's all got to go, too.

The biggest bonus to developing a blog is the feeling that it's part of a larger community, that there are people who check in here to see what's going on in the life and writing of Liv Rancourt. Well, now I want to take it another step. Become a part of this community by donating to Team Sophia. 100% of your contributions will go to Sophia and Stacey. There are no administrative costs - money goes through Paypal into a Bank of America account that has been set up for them. The money will make it possible for them to go see Grandma and to improve their home environment so it is better suited to Sophia's needs. I'll post periodic updates so you know how Sophia's doing. And for sure I'll post pictures of their Hawaiian vacation!
Peace,
Liv

15 comments:

  1. What a precious little angel! I'll be keeping her & her family in my thoughts and prayers, and look forward to updates and pics from her vacation.

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  2. Thanks Elaine! I'm looking forward to making Sophia part of the family here.
    ;)

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  3. Laird - I know from your FB comment that you found the button, and I really appreciate it. I can't wait to post pix of her Hawaiian vaca!

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  4. I love the spirit of people, young and old, who have really difficult struggles. Your friend Stacey and her sweet child touch my heart. Thanks for sharing them with us and I look forward to hearing more about them.

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  5. Stacey has an amazing gift for seeing possibilities where others might see obstacles. Thanks, Sara, for your kind words.

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  6. Thanks for introducing us to this little sweetheart! Hoping she gets some Aloha soon!

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  7. She's a doll! My thoughts and prayers are with you! Can you just go into bank of America to donate or how does that work? My niece had a wilms tumor when she was 2 and is going on 6 cancer free!! Donations helped out so much and I would love to pay it forward to another precious little girl in need <3 xoxo

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  8. Thanks Jeanne & Jillian, for caring about Sophia. Jill, the PayPal Donate button should show up to the right of the post. It's a secure link to PayPal and donates directly to the BoA account. Thanks again...

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  9. What a touching story. I would love to donate but am not in the position to do so. What I can donate is airline miles to fly one of the nurses there. I know how it is to have a special needs child because I have one myself. My heart goes out to you.

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  10. Marcy,
    Thanks so much for your compassion and your generous offer of airline miles. I'm not sure I have contact information for you, but if you could email me at livrancourt(at)yahoo(dot)com, I'd really appreciate it.
    Thanks again!

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  11. Wow. The power of the human spirit! I am SO moved and touched by the flood of positive thoughts, donations, prayers, and words of encouragement! More than anything, I wish you all could experience "The Soph"...she is magic. She wakes, never having ill feelings or resentment from the day before, she greets each day with a heart that only welcomes all who love her. She has the world's greatset smile, and her giggle that appears every few days is enough for you to believe in miracles. Thank you for this new family of love and support!
    Sophia Grace and Stacey

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  12. Oh, man, she's adorable. I'm a single parent myself, but neither of mine have special needs like this. I don't know what I would do or how I would manage. My heart goes out to her family to stay strong.

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  13. Thanks for the positive energy, Suzan!

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  14. Liv, I'm so proud of you for caring about this mother and child like that. I cried as I looked into Sophia's little cherub face and realized the struggles that lie ahead for her. She didn't ask for these burdens. God bless her, her family and YOU for bringing this opportunity to the blogosphere.

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