Dear Family and Friends, 

Please help raise funds to give me the gift of my lifetime - a beautiful glass photographic portrait of myself by world-renowned portrait and fashion photographer Robbie Merritt - and support the work of an incredible local charity - Cancer Support WA.

Please show your support by sponsoring my portrait.

Thank you,

Sophia Jacka (10yrs)

Sophia’s Story

(Written by Megan & Glenn Jacka)

It all started in January 2004; our beautiful 14 month old baby girl was increasingly becoming irritable and not sleeping well. This wasn’t normal, something wasn’t right and as new parents we were getting very worried. Finally after a trip to Ngala, then to our local GP we were sent off for X-Rays and hopefully a possible solution to what was hurting our little girl. What came next was something we could never have imagined, or even thought possible…Our baby girl had Cancer!

We were told it could be a number of possible childhood cancers and we needed tests to confirm the diagnosis and then we would be given an appropriate treatment protocol.  We remember the day like yesterday… when we were called into the Doctors room for Sophia’s diagnosis. You know things are bad when the first words spoken are “I’m Sorry…”

Sophia was diagnosed with Stage IV Neuroblastoma, a disease described by the oncologist during our first referral meeting in the emergency department at PMH as “the one cancer you didn’t want to have”. Sophia’s oncologist gave her a survivability rate of between 18-20%.

Sophia now had to start a terrifying journey of high-dose chemotherapy with stem cell support; abdominal operations; radiation treatment and countless other procedures and medication. This took almost 12 months with massive ups and downs until finally the cancer was in remission; we were all shattered but alive! Sophia was now more familiar with Ward 3B than our own home but she was still with us! 

The quarterly check-ups over the next 18 months were emotionally draining, as what makes this horrible disease so scary is a relapse means the game is over, there are rarely ever second chances with Stage IV Neuroblastoma. We managed day by day, month by month, then finally year by year…

There are now only a few signs left from the past… some scars from surgery and hearing aids from chemotherapy. We look at Sophia now and wonder whether it really ever happened, yet in the back of both our minds we are still petrified of the past.

Sophia is now in Grade 5, enjoys art classes, loves her friends and is the kindest person we know. She is soft in nature but strong in will, an attribute that we both know kept her with us through those dark days in hospital. Sophia loves dressing up and matching new outfits with her large collection of shoes, we think she will make an amazing fashion designer when she gets older. 

Sophia really wanted to be involved in this fundraising activity and to have her story told publically for the first time. She remembers little of the treatment but wants to learn more of her past as she will have ongoing monitoring of the after affects from her treatment for years to come…

Thank you,

Megan & Glenn Jacka (Sophia's Mum & Dad)