One of the worse things is cancer, even more so when it’s concerning children.
Jonathan and Shelby thought that their daughter, Sophie, who is two years old, was suffering from allergies. She was finding it hard to breathe and her doctor thought it might be asthma. Unfortunately, it was soon going to be evident that it was much worse!
The little girl, Sophie was set to have an allergy test a few day later, but she didn’t get to take that test.
One night she stopped breathing…
For every parent it’s a worse case scenario, Her parents ran to call an ambulance and within minutes they were on their way to the hospital.
It was just at that moment that doctors finally confirmed that Sophie had a condition that was much worse than just asthma or allergies. She had developed cancer, a T-cell lymphoma.
Sophie has since then spent many months in hospital having chemotherapy, even though fighting it hard the cancer spread.
The treatment affected her ability to talk, walk, use her hands to eat, her tiny body is going through the preparations for a stem cell operation.
Shelby is keeping a constant watch over her daughter and is by her side constantly. So many times Shelby forgets to take care of herself, it’s just the only thought she has, to get Sophie better!
Jonathan and Shelby have created a Facebook page to record Sophie’s fight against the disease, they want friends and family alike to have an easy method to see updates on how Sophie is getting along. The page is called Sophie The Brave.
It’s not just family that follows the page, there are over 12,000 people following Sophie’s fight.
There is one post on the page that has especially been welcomed. Moms with sick children will also relate, very likely, to what Shelby’s said.
Shelby wrote:
“I see you. I sit on this couch all day long and, I see you. You try so hard to be unnoticed by me and my child. I see your face drop a little when she sees you and cries. You try so many ways to ease her fears and win her over. I see you hesitate to stick her or pull bandaids off. You say ‘No owies’ and ‘I’m sorry’ more times in one day than most people say ‘thank you’..”
“I see all of those rubber bracelets on your arms and wrapped around your stethoscope, each one for a child that you’ve cared for and loved. I see you stroke her little bald head and tuck her covers around her tightly. I see you holding the crying mom that got bad news.I see you trying to chart on the computer while holding the baby whose mom can’t-or won’t be at the hospital with her.”
“You put aside what’s happening in your life for 12 hours straight to care for very sick and something’s dying children. You go into each room with a smile no matter what’s happening in there. You see Sophie’s name on the schedule and come to check on us even when she isn’t your patient. You call the doctor, blood bank, and pharmacy as many times as necessary to get my child what she needs in a timely manner. You check on me as often as you check on her. You sit and listen to me ramble for 10 minutes even though your phone is buzzing and your to do list is a mile long.
“I see you. We all see you. No amount of snack baskets or cards can fully express how appreciated you are. You are Jesus to us every single day. Our children wouldn’t get what they need without you. Moms like me wouldn’t feel sane or heard without you. You save our babies and we couldn’t do this without you.”
Shelby got 26,000 likes on her post, its easy to see and understand why, all the amazing people at the hospital, the nurses, all deserve to be thanked and recognized for their great work.
Let’s all hope and pray that Sophie makes a fast recovery, and as it happens the family got some really great news, Sophie’s cancer is almost all gone!
Let’s also share Shelby’s words about the nursery and hospital staff so that more and more people can hear about the amazing work they do.
Stevie Nicks, the iconic member of Fleetwood Mac, has opened up about the transformative guidance she received from Prince
Eight years have passed since the world lost one of its most extraordinary musicians, Prince. He was discovered dead at his Paisley Park residence in Minneapolis in April 2016, at the age of 57.
Throughout his life, Prince was not only a prolific singer-songwriter and musician but also collaborated with numerous iconic artists. One of those artists was Stevie Nicks from Fleetwood Mac, who recently shared insights into their friendship. She recounted how Prince once expressed concern about her struggles with drug use.
Their collaboration began in the early 1980s, blossoming into a profound friendship. Nicks, now 73, reminisced about feeling flattered when she realized Prince had an interest in her. “Prince and I were just friends”, she explained in an interview with Harper’s Bazaar. “I think he would have been happy to have had a relationship.”
While on her honeymoon with ex-husband Kim Anderson, Nicks heard Prince’s hit “Little Red Corvette” and felt inspired to create her own song. “Suddenly, I was singing along: ‘Stand back!’” she told Uncle Joe Benson on the Ultimate Classic Rock Nights radio show. “I asked Kim to pull over because I needed to record this, so we found a store and bought a tape recorder.”
That night, she worked tirelessly on what would become the lead single from her 1983 solo album, The Wild Heart, which eventually reached No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100.
After completing her song “Stand Back”, Nicks arranged a meeting with Prince, and within 20 minutes, they were introduced in a Los Angeles studio. Prince listened to her track and quickly went to the keyboard to contribute his unique touches. Afterward, he hugged her and left. “He spoiled me for every band I’ve ever had because no one could replicate what Prince did all by himself”, Nicks remarked in her book Rock Lives.
Despite her admiration for him, Nicks chose not to pursue a romantic relationship, valuing their musical bond instead. “I wanted a creative partnership, and I had learned early on that relationships could end badly”, she explained. “He wasn’t just looking for that.”
Interestingly, Prince’s song “When Doves Cry” was inspired by Nicks’ “Edge of Seventeen”, Nicks candidly admitted that during their collaboration, she was deeply involved in drug use. “The eighties were a dark time for me”, she told The New Yorker. “Prince was very much against drugs, and it shocked me to learn he ended up on pain medication. He often lectured me about my habits.”
Nicks recalled their conversations, where Prince would warn her: “You gotta be careful, Stevie”, to which she would respond: “I know, I know”, In the wake of his death, she expressed her sorrow, noting: “It’s tragic that he died of an accidental overdose. I can hear him saying: ‘Sweetie, I can’t believe it happened either’”.
Prince’s concern was warranted, as Nicks ultimately entered rehab twice. In 1986, she sought help at the Betty Ford Clinic for cocaine addiction and returned to treatment in 1993 for an over-prescription of Klonopin.
In 1986, during a visit with a plastic surgeon regarding her nose, she learned she had severely damaged it from her drug use. “I asked the doctor what he thought about my nose, and he replied: ‘The next time you do cocaine, you could drop dead’”, Nicks recalled. This prompted her to seek help at the Betty Ford Clinic, a decision that helped turn her life around and potentially saved her career.
It’s a tragedy that Prince couldn’t overcome his own struggles with opioids. Nicks’ experiences underscore his musical genius and the generosity of his talent. He remains an irreplaceable legend, forever missed by countless fans worldwide.
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