As the summer holidays come to an end, many children are preparing for the new academic year, but for families like these, who have received a cancer diagnosis, there is a lot more to consider. 

September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, and Sophia’s mum, Lisa Richardson, is shining a light on her daughter’s condition, and helping to raise awareness of Momentum Children’s Charity, who have supported the family during some of their most difficult times. 

Talking about Sophia’s diagnosis, Lisa said:

“Our world fell apart in that moment we received Sophia’s diagnosis. My partner and I remember every detail of walking into the hospital – the doctors name, what he was wearing, the room we were put in, where we were sitting. Sophia’s treatment started immediately. As a parent, you’re not only trying to comprehend why is it happening to your child, you’re thrust into a scary world of unknowns. The NHS team at St. Peter’s Hospital have been great – they’ve made sure we have understood what and why everything has happened and the impact for Sophia.”

Lisa continued: “Now, exactly two years on, I am pleased to say Sophia has responded amazingly to treatment – she has hit the necessary milestones and her body has managed it all without complication.”

Talking about Momentum Children’s Charity, Lisa said: “As a family we have all benefited from Momentum’s support. Our Family Support Worker from the charity always checks in with us and seeing a familiar friendly face, who understands, what you are going through is unbelievably welcome when you’re living in a very isolating situation.”

Talking about Sophia starting school, Lisa Richardson said: “Starting school is a huge milestone for any child. For us, we’re seeing it as an exciting new chapter for Sophia, but we are extremely anxious. The school have not had a child with leukaemia before, so it’s a complete unknown and a huge education for them to understand what they are dealing with. For Sophia, she’s very excited. She already has her school shoes and loves wearing them already!”

Bianca Effemey, Founder and CEO at Momentum Children’s Charity said: “We’d like to wish Sophia the best of luck as she embarks on her new journey starting school. 
Every year, more than 1800 families in the UK receive the devasting news that their child has cancer. This Childhood Cancer Awareness Month we want to remind people that we are partnered with four hospitals across Surrey to offer support to any family who has a child with cancer or another life-challenging condition. Our services include offering emotional support, helping with grant applications, and arranging respite breaks.”

The four hospitals Momentum works with Surrey are St. Peter’s Hospital, Royal Surrey County Hospital, Epsom Hospital and Easy Surrey Hospital.