Sophie Turns 15!
As you can tell in this photo of our 5 children (left to right: Sarah, Charlotte, Sophie, Hannah & Baxter), Sophie who turns 15 today, is often the one to laugh the loudest and inspire the rest of us to join in. Which is quite the feat, considering so many of Sophie's other numbers.
Born 5 Jan 2008
Day 1 of life - first heart surgery. I gave birth to Sophie, had a quick shower and got dressed. I went with Sophie directly from the maternity ward to the NICU (Newborn Intensive Care Unit). Sophie had been diagnosed with congenital heart disease at my 20 week scan, so I knew I didn't want any pain relief during her birth as I was fully committed to being able to be with her as they rushed her to the cardiac surgical team. Sophie was born "blue" as her heart didn't work as it should. And we have been working on her heart ever since, in the fight to bring it as close to fully functioning as possible.
Today, Sophie is 15.
To date, she has had 9 heart surgeries and 15 other surgeries. She has a bone-anchored hearing device for her left ear, she suffers from juvenile arthritis, has heterotaxy, was born with a cleft lip and cleft palate (requiring ongoing speech therapy) and she will need further surgeries to help her breathing and speech and jaw development. She is likely to require more work on her heart.
Sophie is severely immunocompromised which meant weekly home infusions of human plasma - we just switched to monthly infusions via IV instead (as the weekly ones were causing her distress).
Sophie's journey has been very tough, each surgery like a new mountain to climb. The hardest have been the heart surgeries. Despite her team being the best in the world, even they struggle to predict how her body will respond to their work to repair her heart as best they can. In December 2020 Sophie had a significant open heart surgery which the team was confident would give us 10-15 years of no further heart interventions. It was considered a major success.
12 months later in December 2021 at her check-up, they determined that they needed to operate on her heart again in emergent circumstances. From walk-in check up, to emergency admission and surgery. That's how Sophie's story has developed her whole life. A further heart surgery was required in August 2022.
We are very aware of, and deeply grateful for, the incredible and loving care she has received in both the Australian and US medical systems. We know that Sophie may not have been as lucky in her journey had she been born in a less fortunate country.
Anyone who knows Sophie knows how much she ADORES dogs. And so during her emergency surgery in December 2021, I found her a new puppy, one just for her. His name is Milo, and he brings Sophie (and the rest of us!) so much joy.
Sophie & Milo (photo credit - Sophie's sister Hannah 💕)
And so today, on her 15th birthday, we celebrate our gorgeous Sophie. All of the sassy magic our daughter/sister/niece/grand-daughter/friend brings to our lives. All of the non-stop stories of Milo and Izzy, our 2 beloved family dogs. Despite the challenging journey of many more numbers still ahead for her, we know she will continue to make us laugh out loud in the fullest of ways every day, and we are so very thankful.
I hope this inspires you to also make the most of today, and to find something to laugh out loud about, in Sophie's 15th birthday honor. ❤️
(For those interested, this is a video about Sophie's early journey).