Sophia Girn

It has been 10 years since Sophia was diagnosed with lymphoma.

A few weeks before her fourth birthday, she seemed like she was coming down with a simple cold. After a round of antibiotics, a chest X-ray revealed something none of us were prepared for — a tumor the size of a grapefruit pressing against her lungs. The day before her fourth birthday, Sophia began day one of what would become a two-and-a-half-year treatment journey.

As a parent, I remember everything.

The needles. The surgeries. The chemotherapy. The hair loss. The loss of appetite. Being suddenly thrown into a world no family ever wants to enter.

But when you ask Sophia what she remembers, she smiles and says:

“It wasn’t so bad. The medicine was horrible. But I met so many nice people.”

She remembers the good — the kindness of strangers, the generosity of people who showed up, the hospital playrooms, and the moments of joy in the hardest places.

This is why we believe in this campaign — a community of winners helping others.

The funds raised through this campaign help families like ours. Research funded by The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society helped shape Sophia’s treatment protocol. Her treatment lasted two and a half years because research showed this significantly reduced the risk of relapse to less than 1%.

The funds raised for education and support also changed our experience. They meant we had access to reliable information about blood cancers — not just late-night searches on “Dr. Google.” They meant we had someone to talk to, to vent to, to lean on. Peer support from people who truly understood what we were going through made an unbearable journey feel a little less lonely.

There are moments when your voice gets lost as a parent — when you’re trying to convince your child to take their medicine, holding them still for procedures, or carrying them to the bathroom because they don’t have the strength to walk. In those moments, you need someone to be your advocate. Someone to make sure your child is getting the right treatment when you are barely holding it together.

Cancer took a lot from our family. We will never be the same “pre-cancer” family we once were. But cancer also gave us a community — a community filled with compassion, strength, and incredible role models for Sophia.

This community includes you.

You are here raising funds so families like ours can focus on what matters most: helping our children heal.

Sophia has grown up with a deep appreciation for doctors, nurses, child life specialists, and especially volunteers — the people who give their time to bring awareness, raise funds, and make families feel less alone.

Because of people like you, families like ours don’t have to walk this journey alone.