Team Sophia

Team Sophia Update 6/5/12 

Team Sophia: CANCER FREE!

Good morning WORLD! Isn't it a great day? Yeah, it's Monday, and yeah I keep shouting at you, but you know, it's worth it. Check out the email I got from my friend Stacey over the weekend:

So we are all x-rayed and proclaimed cancer free! Blood work has returned to normal, and hair is coming in at a nice rate! We will have to watch her remaining kidney carefully, and will visit the heme-onc clinic every three months to make sure all is well. Here are a few things I have learned:
1. Like the bumper sticker says, cancer really does suck.
2. Kids are stronger than adults ever could be.
3. Seattle Children's LOVES their kids!
Sophia and I will never be able to cut a check worthy of Seattle Children's care and cure. Out of gratitude for what they have done for us, and all they continue to do for many kids, please consider making a donation through this great blog to Team Sophia, and on June 19th, Sophia, Liv & I will proudly walk into that hospital and deliver that donation. GO TEAM! 
 **********

Stacey's a pretty awesome Mom, and you guys, since March of this year, we've raised over $2000 to help send her and her daughter Sophia to visit Grandma & Grandpa in Hawaii. And when I say "we", I mean

YOU

the readers of this blog. YOU came together and made a community of caring, and I cannot thank you enough for that. You guys ROCK!

In my last Team Sophia post, I promised that half of every dollar donated would to to Seattle Children's Hospital, where Sophia received care. In the days that followed, YOU raised $300, so right now we have $150 to take to SCH. And right now, Stacey and Sophia have their tickets to Hawaii (along with several nurses who will help care for Sophe while she's there), so any money you donate between today and 6/19/12 will go to the Children's Hospital Foundation. Let's see if we can double that $150 check, okay? If everyone who reads this kicks in the cost of a latte, we'll blow them away.

Sophia has had so many challenges in her life - most recently this
tango with the big CA (that would be cancer) - but through it all
she's been a tough and resilient little warrior. She's a SUPER GIRL! And you, my dear Rancourtesans, are simply awesome!
(Keep an eye on this blog for some HAWAII PHOTOS! And if you're new here, the "DONATE" button up in the top right corner goes to a PayPal account that's been set up to benefit Sophia and her Mom. 100% goes to them, and you can use your PayPal account or credit card. Thank you!)







Team Sophia update 5/7/12 - almost $2000 raised for Sophia's Hawaiian vacation!

It's been a month or so since I've written about Sophia. For a chunk of that time, she was at Seattle Children's Hospital being treated for the side-effects of chemo. Today we're celebrating the fact that she's only got ONE more chemotherapy session and then, except for quarterly scans to evaluate for recurrence, she'll be done with it. She and her mother Stacey can really start gearing up for their Hawaii trip.  If any two people have earned a vacation, it's Sophia and Stacey.

(Doesn't she look awesome with her do-rag & tatt?)

 I asked Stacey to share a few words on how things are going in Sophia's world...

Although when you're in my shoes you hate to jinx something, I am pleased to say that Sophia is tolerating her second to last chemo well! As of last Wednesday, she has one remaining treatment to go(likely 2 weeks from now) and we can, God willing, put this cancer crap behind us.
I recall an emergency room Dr. once say as he was looking at the sign on her chart that said 18 of 18(she has 18 huge charts!) "Man, she has been through a lot" I responded quickly with, "I don't keep a tally, I just keep track". At that moment I realized the importance of that statement. See, if I kept a tally, it would not be fair to her, and it would be too much for me. She deserves to wake each day and receive the benefit of the doubt. A fresh start to prove just how strong she is, not some ongoing reminder of times of trial or weakness.
Miss Sophia Grace is a kid you don't want to meet in a dark alley. She can, and will, take you down! Thank you to all who have thought of, prayed for, donated to, smiled at, and pondered the power of the Soph. Please know that it is YOU who gives ME the strength to empower HER to live to her fullest.  For that we are both eternally grateful.
 
Living life to the fullest...that's something we all could do a little more of. One thing that has impressed me since the day Sophia was born is that Stacey has always referred to her problems as "differences", not "disabilities". She has always tried to give Sophia Grace experiences that support and maximize who she is. Obviously that's what every parent wants to do, but when you're accruing 18 thick medical charts in the process, you can imagine the difficulty that Stacey has faced. 

Many of you who are reading this have donated to Team Sophia, helping Stacey with a trip to Hawaii to visit Grandma and Grandpa. It's been humbling to see how generous people can be, and I sincerely thank every one of you who has donated or said a prayer on Sophia's behalf. 
Today I'm going to do something a little different. The video below was created by the staff at Seattle Children's hospital. It shows their heme-onc staff and patients performing the Kelly Clarkson song "Stronger". I'm going to take half of all the money donated to Team Sophia as a result of this post and send it to the SCH Foundation, earmarked for their heme-onc floor. I'm a 20+ year employee of Children's, and I can't watch this video without bawling like a baby. If you can kick in the cost of a fancy coffee beverage, you'll be helping Sophia and Stacey with their Hawaiian vacation AND helping the kids at Seattle Children's. 
Peace,
Liv



 
Team Sophia update 3/24/12 - over $1000 raised for Sophia's Hawaiian vacation!

 I promised that I'd periodically check in with Sophia and let you know how she's doing. The short answer is, she's hanging in there. She's undergoing chemo to treat a Wilm's tumor and as a result, she lost all of her beautiful blond hair. While that's a huge drag, Sophia, her Mom, and her amazing nurses just took it as an opportunity to grow a hat collection. Here are some pix of Sophia, in some of her many new hats! (Sophia with a pink bug above, & Sophia in sparkles below)
 

The picture to the right might be my favorite, because since before she was born, pink and brown were Sophia's fave colors. Here she's got a little teddy bear & roses action going on, and I just love it!

Stacey says Sophia's handling the chemo fairly well. She's had some tummy problems, but she's been stable. According to Stacey, she has... 
3 more sessions each 3 weeks apart. Her tummy will dictate how much of a dose she will get. We have started ordering and shipping supplies to HI. She has been looking really good. Lots of energy, long awake days, and good sleep.


 Sophia knows how to rock the glitter, too. Here she's got a flowery bonnet that just couldn't be any cuter. Remember that the purpose of these posts is to help raise money to get Sophe to Hawaii to visit Grandma & Grandpa. There's a PayPal "Donate" button to the right of this post, and if you would give just a little, we'll get the job done. So far this community of blog readers has raised almost $900, which will do a lot to get plane tickets for the team of nurses that Sophia needs to travel with. We're not asking for a lot. If each reader donated the cost of a double mocha frappucino, it would give us a huge boost!


Bye-bye!
And thank you SO MUCH for your generosity. Sophia and Stacey REALLY appreciate it.



This is my first post featuring Sophia. Check back for updates and pictures of her Hawaiian adventure! Published 3/3/12

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

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