Celebrating Milestones

This past December, 11-year-old CC4C Child Sophia celebrated a milestone most kids never have to dream of –their first three-year stretch without a return to the hospital for a procedure or test. Having battled a very rare combination of diagnoses since Sophia was an infant, Kristy said, “At that point I realized all those years of struggling through recovery, doctor appointments, and questioning deserve to be celebrated.” She reveled in a sense of normalcy after over a decade of fighting for Sophia’s healing.

Finding hope and joy during the hard times is essential to our families’ emotional healing. CC4C creates unforgettable memory-making experiences to help uplift our children, who are everyday heroes that deserve to be celebrated!

We matched Sophia with Westlake High School Cheer as an honorary member of the team and Kristy describes this experience as an absolute dream for Sophia. “Everyone involved with Westlake Cheer has gone above and beyond to make sure Sophia stays uplifted. They celebrated her birthday and bought her new school supplies. They know what her favorite things are and tailor her experiences to that.”

This past fall, our medically fragile CC4C children were on strict quarantine due to COVID-19, so we safely celebrated each of our Champion Children from a distance with a personalized car parade at our Parade 2 Uplift. Sophia served as grand marshal and guest of honor of her parade, waving princess-style from a convertible in her cheer uniform while Westlake Cheer and Band serenaded her.

Kristy and Sophia also attended our annual adaptive ski trip at the National Ability Center in Park City, UT. Kristy says, “The ski trip was an incredible bonding experience for everyone. It was so much fun to share the experience with Sophia, but also bonding with all of the other CC4C families. I wouldn’t trade experience that for anything.”

But the biggest celebration of all has been Sophia’s growth through her many procedures and 9 diagnoses. She continues to stay healthy and out of the hospital – and even recently made honor roll, even through a school year fraught with learning challenges due to COVID-19.

Kristy says, “I never thought I’d be so grateful for something as simple as Sophia being nervous over a STAAR test.” This coming school year, Sophia will help “her” team welcome another CC4C honorary child to Westlake Cheer – coming full circle to serve as a source of inspiration and cheerleader for another child walking the rare journey alongside her.