Dear friends and family,

Our dearest Sophia is a healthy 14 (almost 15) year old athlete who loves to play softball. On July 2, 2020, Sophia was diagnosed with having a muscle spasm in her left shoulder blade. Seems normal for being an athlete, but over the next couple of days, more symptoms developed that were not in line with a muscle spasm. 

When she awoke on the morning of July 5th, she couldn't move her right leg. She was taken to the ER where she began to lose feeling and mobility from her feet up to her chest as the evening went on. She was immediately transferred to Loma Linda Hospital and admitted to the Pediatric ICU for further testing. MRI's and CT scans were ordered along with more testing. The pain and discomfort that Sophia was experiencing in her neck didn't allow for an accurate MRI to be done. Doctors needed to sedate her to keep her still during the MRI and intubated her to stabilize her breathing.  Finally, they got an accurate test completed.  After multiple doctors and residents reviewed her MRI, it was determined that she has a tumor in her spinal cord column. The tumor caused her spinal cord to suffer a stroke. The stroke caused Sophia to gradually lose feeling and mobility from her torso down to her toes.

Sophia's life has been changed forever. The doctors cannot tell how much damage has been done by the tumor or the long term effects. Surgery is not an option as the tumor is intertwined in her spinal cord column. Proton radiation treatments have started with the intention of breaking up the tumor. She will remain in the hospital during the course of the next 3-5 weeks for treatment. The cost of ongoing treatments and hospital stays is adding up each day. 

The immediate expenses projected to get Sophia home are overwhelming for Sophia and her family. Sophia will have needs that will not be covered by insurance. She will need equipment such as a hospital bed, a mobile lift system to transfer Sophia in and out of bed into a wheelchair and in and out of the car, a power wheelchair, a manual wheelchair, and their current van will need to be modified to make it wheelchair accessible. In addition to these modifications, she will have the cost of daily medicine, in-home nursing care, and physical and occupational therapy.

The ongoing medical care that Sophia will need over the next months and possibly years is something that no family could ever be prepared for. Our goal is to bring Sophia home where she can be supported by her family on a daily basis. Any and all support is greatly appreciated by Sophia and her family.

If you'd like to help Sophia Duong and her family, DONATE HERE.