When I was three and a half I was diagnosed with an optic glioma, which is a type of brain tumour that forms on the nerve that connects the eye to the brain. I was sent to Great Ormond Street Hospital where I had a ‘debulking’ operation, (to make the tumour smaller), followed by a course of chemotherapy.
When I was seven the tumour started growing again so I had to have radiotherapy at University College London Hospital. Then I had to have an operation to remove some cysts that had developed. I also started having growth hormone injections and a couple of year ago I developed epilepsy, so I am now taking medication to control that.
Injections have been one of my biggest challenges. I’ve always hated them and even now, at the age of 21, every time I have a blood test, I get nervous. In fact, when my tumour grew back, I remember I wasn’t worried about anything except whether the new treatment would involve injections. When I found out there were no needles involved, I was so relieved.
School life was a big struggle for me. Because I have a visual impairment, I needed lots of special attention; enlarged documents, a designated computer to see the smart board, having to sit at the front, in the middle. It all made me feel different and I struggled to fit in with my peers. In my last year at school I had problems with seizures and the school said that they couldn’t look after me, so I had to leave in the spring. I’m proud that, despite all this, I left school with 2 A levels.
When I left school I got an apprenticeship as a business administrator which prepared me for the world of work and taught me some important life skills, including ways to cope with feeling overwhelmed. I now have a job doing pensions administration.
I’m still learning about what would be the best career path for me. I am interested in teaching, (maybe maths? I love maths!) But my real dream is to have a cross stitch shop selling cross stitch crafts and products – “Sophie’s Stitches” would be the name of my shop. Cross stitch is my absolute passion and I have found it really helped me through some past challenges.
Success Charity has enabled me to meet people my own age, who have been through similar experiences and shared similar challenges. Not just in a medical sense, as in the treatments we’ve had and doctors we’ve seen, but also in other aspects of life, like getting through school and finding a job.
Its been so great to meet people who have experienced the same frustrations and concerns and who understand exactly what its like. Success has really helped me to appreciate that I am not the only one who has gone through all this. To see the extraordinary things that other people have achieved gives me confidence that I can do great things too.
