Sophia's Para-Athlete Photoshoot Dreams Become Reality
A huge thank you to Presca Sportswear for organising a fantastic photoshoot a few weeks ago with our 11-year-old superstar, Sophia and the wonderful para athlete Jake Woods.
Back in Summer 2020, Sophia found a lump on her left foot. After an ultrasound, MRI and biopsy, her and her family were told she had two rare types of cancer, MPNST (Malignant Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumour) and Rhabdomyosarcoma and Sophia would have to have her foot amputated.
Sophia’s treatment started with 6 months of intensive chemotherapy and several trips to hospital for blood and platelets transfusions. She finished the treatment in mid-March 2021, and then had 6 hours of surgery for her below knee amputation on the 7th of April.
We felt like our whole world had been ripped apart, everything the doctor was telling us we couldn’t take in.
Sophia, being the absolute angel that she is, wanted to use her experience positively and dreamed of being involved in a photoshoot for a sports brand to raise awareness for childhood cancer and amputees. This is when our Family Support Team approached the wonderful Presca Sportswear to see if they could help…
Sophia has an absolute love for swimming, she would and is aiming towards, para swimming for the Olympics.
Not only did Presca Sportswear organise a photoshoot in Bristol for Sophia and her family (below are a few of our behind the scenes photos from the day), they also invited para athlete and Presca ambassador, Jake Woods along to join in!
Jake had a rare primary bone cancer (Osteosarcoma) which affects about 160 people in the UK every year, most of whom are under 30. To treat the cancer, in 2020 Jake had a twelve months of chemotherapy and 14 hours of surgery to amputate his right leg and part of his pelvis.
We cannot thank Presca or Jake enough for the time they spent with Sophia. We hope that you will help her dream come true and share or comment on our Facebook post to help spread awareness about childhood cancer and amputees. Watch this space, as soon we will be sharing the professional photos from the shoot!
