Gift of Life has been running this campaign to help little Sophia in partnership with Banya No.1 – a proper Russian Bath Club in London. To give the girl a better chance to beat cancer and mark The International Day for Protection of Children, Banya will donate £2 from each booking on the 1st of June and encourage its customers to make personal donations at this page. For bookings and further queries: http://www.gobanya.co.uk/   About Sophia 

Sophia was just two years old when she fell ill. Tests instantly made it clear that the sarcoma had affected an area containing vital organs. The tumour is located in her sternum, and is touching her lungs. This is why initially, Sophia underwent chemotherapy to reduce the size of the tumour. After several courses, the decision was made to send her to the Dmitry Rogachev Centre for Paediatric Haematology and Oncology, since this would open up opportunities for consultation and assistance from foreign specialists.Dr Melcher has found the opportunity to fly to Russia to operate on Sophia. Sophia needs to undergo a very complex operation: removing the tumour together with bone from her sternum and cartilage from several ribs. The resulting gaps in the sternum and ribcage will be filled with synthetic material. This kind of surgery requires a surgeon of great mastery, and there are only a few doctors in the world capable of successfully performing it. Ingo Melcher of Charité Campus Virchow in Berlin (https://cmsc.charite.de/klinik/team/leitende_aerzte) is one of them.

However, the operation will cost £4,500. This is not an amount Sophia’s family can pay on their own. Sophia’s father is receiving disability benefit, which has been sustaining the family, and her mother spends all her time with her in hospital. That is why we are appealing to you, the Gift of Life Foundation’s benefactors, for aid. Please help this little girl receive the treatment she needs!