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Celebrating Sofia
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Posted by LisaW Thu Dec 6, 2007 09:42:23 PST
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0 responses 0 comments Over the past year, MÁS magazine has brought you the story of Sofia Rose Muñoz, a toddler battling Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) with her family at her side. As a reporter staying in touch with the family throughout their fight, I was deeply saddened, as was our staff, to learn that Sofia succumbed to complications from her illness on the evening of Nov. 25, just three days after her 2nd birthday.

“It’s hard, we’re all just trying to cope,” said Sofia’s aunt, Jennifer Martinez, in a recent telephone interview.

A celebration of Sofia’s life was held Nov. 30 at St. Francis Church, followed by a burial at Greenlawn Cemetery.

“She (Sofia) is the blessed one because she doesn’t have to learn about love the hard way like we do. She was created perfect, she knew love, she accepted love and she gave love. She left this world innocent,” said the Rev. Craig Harrison during the ceremony.

Sofia’s mom, Susanna Muñoz, read from journals that she kept throughout her daughter’s diagnosis and treatments.

“She has inspired so many people that I feel blessed just being in her presence. Reading my journals is a testament to God’s faithfulness,” she said. “In the two short years she was with us, she did more than most people do in a lifetime. Sofia made people forget their troubles and focus on what is really important in life.”

Sofia was a bright and happy little girl with a smile that could make even the most serious person laugh. Her joyful spirit was infectious. She loved to laugh and sing.

Sofia had a way of comforting those around her, according to Susanna.

“Sofia always did little things that made us think she was comforting us instead of us comforting her. Jaime and I would always talk about those little things she did,” she said. “We would ask her if she was OK and she would nod. She would pat us, too, like she was saying it was OK. She even would be patting us when she was throwing up.”

Her story touched many readers. After each story appeared in MÁS, we received several calls and e-mails from people wanting to help or just pass along their encouragement to the family.

It was amazing to see the circle of love and support that friends and family provided for the Muñoz family. From bringing food and doing the laundry, to hosting a benefit dinner and blood drive, it was clear that this little girl and her family were well loved.

“I know that she touched a lot of lives,” said Martinez. “The Muñoz family appreciates everything that the community did. We just want to give our thanks to everyone who helped in some way and to the doctors who attended to her.”

The family’s whole life had to be reorganized around the disease. During her two separate rounds of chemotherapy, each time she faced the disease, Sofia was basically quarantined.

When she was allowed to come home, visitors needed to wash their hands — a sign with this request hung on the Muñoz home’s front door with a message from Sofia (actually, from her mom) herself — and no one with even a hint of a cold was allowed around her. With such precautions, it is hard to believe that pneumonia, and not the leukemia, would be Sofia’s last battle.

“She was just tired,” said Sofia’s nina, Tiffany Vejar. “She fought a long fight and she’s in a better place now. She’s safe and nobody or nothing can hurt her.”

The extended family also became more aware of leukemia and other diseases needing a cure. Many of their family members got on the bone marrow registry in honor of Sofia, and her father, Jaime, grew his hair out for Locks of Love, the nonprofit organization that provides hairpieces for disadvantaged children suffering from medical hair loss.

Sofia’s parents were clearly devoted. Susanna quit her job at Valley Achievement Center to become Sofia’s full-time caretaker, which meant essentially living at the hospital for months at a time. During Sofia’s hospital stays, Jaime had the grueling routine of commuting to Kaiser Permanente Hospital in Los Angeles on weekends and holidays to be with his family, while still maintaining his full-time job at Dreyer’s Grand Ice Cream, Inc.

“Sofia had the best parents she could possibly have,” said Harrison. “When she was diagnosed, they dropped everything — all their hopes, dreams, plans for buying a house and all this stuff they thought would make them happy — and said nothing else matters except loving our little girl.”

In addition to her parents, Sofia is survived by siblings Anthony and Stella; grandparents Ramon and Maria Rosalez and Reynaldo and Amada Muñoz; godparents Tiffany Vejar and Jorge Escobar; and numerous aunts, uncles, cousins and friends

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