This is Brentt Eads of Extra Inning Softball.
One of my favorite things about working in softball is getting to know the wonderful people involved. So many times, I’ve seen the fastpitch community step up and help those who need it and we’re hoping we can call upon you again to help with a very good cause and a very special young player!
Sophia Duong is a pitcher/utility player for Joaquin Villalobos’ California Cruisers 16U Sievers/Villalobos team out of Rowland Heights, California which will play in some high-profile events this fall including D9 in Florida and Bombers’ Fastpitch in Texas.
Sophia, however, won’t be traveling with the team, as she’s been in the hospital for the last 2 ½ months and faces another 3-5 weeks of recovery due to a spinal tumor that caused a stroke and was also inoperable, leaving her with limited feeling and mobility below the waist.
A GoFundMe account has been created to help her family with financial support and to prepare for life care including getting a handicapped accessible car and wheelchair.
Click HERE to access the GoFundMe Account!
We know in these difficult times, including the tough impact put on many because of the COVID-19 pandemic, that it may be hard for some to contribute; however, we ask that if you can, please help donate to Sophia’s GoFundMe account! We would love to help her and her family surpass the $100K goal!
The athlete’s aunt, Michele Ellington, wrote a beautiful tribute and explanation of what happened—it’s posted below.
I spoke with Michele this weekend and she said, “One of the hardest things for the family to endure is not being able to provide emotional support in person to Sophia and Angela (her mother) due to COVID restrictions.”
“We all need that personal touch and interaction from other human beings to help comfort us. Virtual hugs and kisses are all we are allowed to give them at this time.”
Still, despite the tough physical situation Sophia’s in, the California Cruiser is in good spirits saying, “I can’t wait to see all my teammates when I’m back on the field again! I miss them all!”
Sophia’s mom, Angela Duong, adds: “She’s a sassy, brave, beautiful, funny, strong warrior ready to fight and conquer all!”
According to Coach Villalobos, “Sophia’s top torso is functional and she does have a limited range of motion with her right arm. The recent good news is she was able to get feeling in her toes a couple times, indicating the brain is sending signals to her feet.”
The Cruisers’ coach says Sophia was picked up last fall to be a pitcher.
“She’s very strong and we were happy to get her knowing she was going to be a key to our success. Sophia was showing some really good signs as her speed kept increasing and she throws hard enough to beat you; she’s more a screwball pitcher who will attack inside and with her spins can definitely throw you off, changing speeds and eye levels. Many don’t know that she can hit really well too!”
Both her immediate and softball families say they’ve been touched and impressed with how those in the softball community have rallied behind Sophia and hope that it will continue, as over $73,000 has been raised of the $100,000 goal to meet medical costs.
“She’s such a good kid and the Duongs are such a good family,” adds Coach Villalobos, “that we were happy to get not just Sophia but her entire family too. We all just want her to have the opportunity for a healthy recovery and to get back on the dirt!”
And if you’re wavering just a bit in contributing to the GoFundMe account, know this—Sophia just turned 15 last Friday (Sept. 4, 2020), so wouldn’t it be a great birthday present for her and her family to hit the goal to help them with the support they need?
Additionally, please support the athlete, her family and Cruisers’ softball team with well-wishes, prayers and/or good thoughts!
*****
Below is the original text found on the GoFundMe page written by Sophia’s aunt, Michele Ellington, describing her medical ordeal (edited for our site)…
Dear friends and family,
Our dearest Sophia is a healthy 14 (almost 15) year old athlete who loves to play softball.
On July 2, 2020, Sophia was diagnosed with having a muscle spasm in her left shoulder blade. Seems normal for being an athlete, but over the next couple of days more symptoms developed that were not in line with a muscle spasm.
When she awoke on the morning of July 5th, she couldn’t move her right leg. She was taken to the ER where she began to lose feeling and mobility from her feet up to her chest as the evening went on. She was immediately transferred to Loma Linda Hospital and admitted to the Pediatric ICU for further testing.
MRI’s and CT scans were ordered along with other testing. The pain and discomfort that Sophia was experiencing in her neck didn’t allow for an accurate MRI to be done. Doctors needed to sedate her to keep her still during the MRI and intubated her to stabilize her breathing.
Finally they got an accurate test completed.
After multiple doctors and residents reviewed her MRI, it was determined that she has a tumor in her spinal cord column. The tumor caused her spinal cord to suffer a stroke. The stroke caused Sophia to gradually lose feeling and mobility from her torso down to her toes.
Sophia’s life has been changed forever.
The doctors cannot tell how much damage has been done by the tumor or the long-term effects. Surgery is not an option as the tumor is intertwined in her spinal cord column. Proton radiation treatments have started with the intention of breaking up the tumor.
She will remain in the hospital during the course of the next 3-5 weeks for treatment. The cost of ongoing treatments and hospital stay is adding up each day.
The immediate expenses projected to get Sophia home are overwhelming for Sophia and her family. Sophia will have needs that will not be covered by insurance. She will need equipment such as a hospital bed, a mobile lift system to transfer Sophia in and out of bed into a wheelchair and in and out of the car, a power wheelchair, a manual wheelchair and their current van will need to be modified to make it wheelchair accessible.
In addition to these modifications, she will have the cost of daily medicine, in home nursing care, and physical and occupational therapy.
The ongoing medical care that Sophia will need over the next months and possibly years is something that no family could ever be prepared for.
Our goal is to bring Sophia home where she can be supported by her family on a daily basis.
Any and all support is greatly appreciated by Sophia and her family.
