Sophie Fairall was a bright and beautiful force of nature. The middle child of a family of five from Stubbington in Hampshire. In August 2020, Sophie had just turned 9. Until this point, she was a healthy and happy girl, who had never spent even one single night in hospital. After suffering for a few months with tummy pain, followed by bleeding, and despite her GP dismissing it as IBS or her first period (she was 9 years old!!) Sophie was taken to A&E in excruciating pain. After being examined by doctors, they discovered that Sophie had a large lump in her abdomen. It would turn out to be an extremely aggressive 12 cm tumour and life would be changed forever. Sophie had Rhabdomyosarcoma, an extremely aggressive soft tissue cancer, which is almost exclusively seen in children. After battling and fighting heroically, with a spirit and determination that you would not believe, Sophie tragically passed away on 18th September 2021 aged 10. For those that knew Sophie, they will know that she wanted to help others and ensure that other children have a better chance of a future and to beat cancer. Despite undergoing the most gruelling treatment for her cancer, including hugely damaging rounds of chemotherapy and radiotherapy, Sophie thought of others. She drew-up a list of wishes that she wanted to see granted. Sophie wanted change. This will be Sophie's Legacy. Sophie's Legacy has been set-up to provide a lasting legacy to Sophie and to improve the lives of children and their families with cancer. The primary objectives of Sophie's Legacy are as follows: 1. Support parents/guardians and families whose children have been admitted to hospital. 2. Provide art therapy for children in hospital, as well as in the community. 3. Raise awareness and be an advocate for childhood cancer - incl. signs & symptoms of childhood cancer. 4. Improve the quality of children’s time in hospital through better food standards and the provision of play.
