Nicholas Watts Camp Quality Story; From Cancer Diagnosis to Paralympian
Sophie and Amanda’s Story
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Sophie was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia when she was just three years old, and has spent 795 days of her young life going through a relentless barrage of cancer treatment.
For Sophie’s mum, Amanda, the diagnosis hit too close to home. Amanda was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma at the age of 14, and also went through chemotherapy.
That was after she lost her own mother to cancer when she was just nine years old.
Not having her own mum by her side during her toughest times compelled Amanda to be with Sophie for every single part of her treatment.
Cancer took a toll on their whole family, including Sophie’s dad, Michael, and brother, Alex. Amanda says,
“I wasn’t able to do the things I needed to do to keep my business afloat, and Michael was trying to do his full-time job, and run back and forth to the hospital when he could.
“He would also pick up Alex from school and try and give him a bit of one-on-one time too, and trying to home school as well (because of the lockdown). Hard is an understatement.”
Following Sophie’s treatment, Amanda knew that Camp Quality was exactly what her kids needed to get their childhoods back.
Cancer affects whole families and makes every moment about sickness and treatment. Juggling hospital stays, work and years of treatment often means families no longer get the chance to spend quality time together.
It’s common for them to forget what it’s like to have fun. Camp Quality Family Camps make up for some of that precious lost time.
Sophie’s family recently got to attend Family Camp where they rode camels, swam at the beach and met families facing similar challenges. Everything was taken care of so they could focus on making happy new memories as a family.
