Veolia Walks for Sophie's Fight

Paul Laidler, who is an employee at Veolia Billingham Depot, and a team of colleagues will be completing a charity walk to raise funds for The Great North Children’s Hospital at Newcastle after his daughter, Sophie, was diagnosed in 2016.

Sophie was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia early hours in the morning of Monday 3rd October 2016 after complaining of pains in her legs and a rash appearing on her torso.

At the young age of 7, Sophie was about to begin the fight for her life. She began her treatment at the Great North Children’s Hospital in Newcastle. Sophie began treatment instantaneously, after having surgery to fit a portacath into her chest for easy delivery of medications and chemotherapy treatment. She had a Lumbar Puncture and continues to have these regularly to have intrathecal chemotherapy.

For the first two weeks Sophie was inundated with various chemotherapy drugs and her hair began to fall out. She very quickly became neutropenic and required antibiotics as well as blood transfusions and platelets. Sophie then became unwell and went on to spend 11 weeks in hospital which resulted in her chemotherapy coming to a stop. She began to require oxygen and could barely stand up unaided.

On Tuesday the 21st of December 2016, Sophie became severely unwell where she was hallucinating, her temperature was peaking at around 41.7, she began to retain fluid and was also suffering for jaundice. Her organs were beginning to fail, and she was requiring more oxygen that the oncology ward could provide. It was at this point the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit intervened. They sat Sophie's Mam, Nicola, and Dad, Paul down and explained that Sophie had pneumonia and neutropenic sepsis. They went on to elaborate that there was nothing more they could do for Sophie, other than place her in an induced coma and give her body time to heal however, they did not believe she would wake up, it was more of a ‘Hail Mary’.

Paul and Nicola gave Sophie a kiss and told her to enjoy her ‘magic’ sleep and have nice dreams. At this point we honestly believed that it would be the last time they spoke to their daughter. Sophie slept through Christmas 2016.

It was on Boxing Day, after almost a week in PICU, that Sophie began to fight the sedation and woke up. Her blood factory had begun to work, and her body had started to fight the pneumonia and sepsis. To this day, Sophies consultant and doctors have no idea how Sophie managed to pull round, they quite often say she is a miracle as given her prognosis none of them believed she would leave intensive care alive.

After waking up, Sophie began intensive physiotherapy as she had to learn to walk again as all her muscles had weakened from being bed bound for so long. Sophie resumed chemotherapy and has been steadily battling her leukaemia ever since.

Sophie is due to finish chemotherapy and ring the ‘End of Treatment’ bell at Newcastle on Tuesday 29th of January 2019 and following that is having a massive ‘End of Treatment’ party on Saturday 2nd February. Sophie is truly a strong inspirational little girl and we are really blessed to have her.

After everything the consultants, doctors, nurses and staff have done for Sophie at The Great North Children’s Hospital (RVI), Sophie’s Father Paul, an employee at Veolia Billingham, would like to give something back.

Paul and his work colleagues are going to complete the Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge, which consists of walking 24.5 miles through Pen-y-Ghent, Whernside and Ingleborough, in under a 12 hour period. This will take place on Saturday 17th of August 2019 with the support of Veolia. This will be a charity walk with all funds being donated to Ward 4/Ward 14 Paediatric Oncology Unit at The Great North Children’s Hospital in Newcastle.

Please support us and donate to this worthy cause!

Sophie hopes to greet her father and his colleagues at the end of their challenge to give them a huge well done!!

Thank you!