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KIDS WHO CARE
Sophia Malone
Sarah Rein
WHEN SOPHIA MALONE’S
PARENTS, ROMAN & TONYA,
WELCOMED THEIR FIRST
CHILD AFTER FIVE YEARS
OF MARRIAGE, THEY WERE
THRILLED TO ENJOY THEIR
NEW ARRIVAL. The months of
pregnancy and anticipation were filled with
excitement, nerves, and expectations. Then, a
few days after birth, Sophia was diagnosed with
a hemangioma - a benign blood-filled tumor not
uncommon among infants. Often referred to as
a “strawberry” birthmark, they are typically minor
and shrink or even disappear after a child’s first
year. However, Sophia’s hemangioma was
compound, meaning it affected both the skin’s
surface and extended underneath, affecting her
cartilage and bone structure. Unlike the usual
pattern of these tumors, hers grew dramatically
after her first year and began affecting her vision
and nasal structure. Sophia had to have her most
extensive operation at the age of eighteen months
when the size of the growth began to threaten
her eyesight. Over the years, she has had more
than twenty surgeries to remove her tumor as
well as correct some of the damage done to her
underlying facial structures.
While it would be easy to be bitter or
frustrated at what she has endured, on the
contrary, Sophia has embraced her journey.
“I remember growing up very comfortable with
myself,” Sophia shares. “I’ve always been confident
and had an easy time making friends. Starting
school did feel a little scary, but I’ve never been
insecure about my hemangioma. I’ve always
welcomed people talking to me about it.”
Tonya admits that she initially was challenged
by Sophia’s diagnosis. She felt worried
about all the things she might not get to do or
how her life might be harder. What she did not
expect was what a gift Sophia’s journey would be
to those around her.
After an excellent elementary experience at
First Presbyterian Day School, Sophia transitioned
to Jackson Prep where she has excelled
personally and socially. Sophia danced for years
before transitioning to Prep’s award-winning
Réveillon Show Choir. “They have really become
like a family,” Sophia relates. “I’ve learned and
grown so much in that program.” She has also
served as a student ambassador and in Prep’s
Service Club.
One of her most colorful memories during
high school was getting to be part of the Prep
sailing team that won the Mississippi Sailing
Championship her tenth-grade year.
Since the age of thirteen, she has worked in
her father’s family’s roofing business and, later,
her aunt’s clothing boutique. Sophia explains that
there has always been an expectation in her family
that the kids would work. “Yes, we learned
something about the business, but it was mainly
to teach us responsibility and discipline. We have
been encouraged to be people who give back.”
Church membership has always been
important in her family, and Sophia has also
become involved in the Young Life organization
where she has made close friends and been
involved in weekly Bible studies. Last summer,
she had the opportunity to work as a Young Life
Capernaum Buddy, where the camps are created
with teens and young adults with disabilities in
mind. “I think, because I don’t look like the average
person who has it all together, people find me
more approachable. So, I’m able to use my birth
defect as a blessing.” When asked how she feels
she has grown from her struggles, Sophia
expresses that, while her hemangioma has been a
big part of her story, God has taught her that it
doesn’t define her. Tonya agrees, “God has
opened doors through this that wouldn’t have
happened otherwise. I mean, even kids who have
no disabilities feel insecure about themselves,
and because Sophia accepts herself just like she
is, she shines a light when she goes places.”
Sophia recently found out that her next
opportunity to do that will be at Samford, where
she has been accepted into their nursing
program. She is following in her mother’s
footsteps (Tonya is a long-time surgical nurse)
as well as honoring all the nurses who have made
an impact on her during her health journey.
As Sophia considers the blessings that have
come from her trials, she thinks about the people
who have been the biggest influence on her.
She is quick to mention her mother, who is her
biggest cheerleader. Her mentor, Amanda Slack
from Prep, also comes to mind. She poured into
Sophia through Bible study and their relationship
for years. She particularly recalls a nurse
anesthetist she had in Arkansas who brought
Sophia stuffed animals from her travels. The
woman would line them up around Sophia as
she woke from her surgeries, so she felt immediately
surrounded and loved. Reflecting on her
future plans, Sophia wonders aloud if she may
also want to pursue pediatric nursing and,
perhaps, work with children with disabilities.
After all the challenges Sophia has faced, she
believes in God’s ability to use them for His glory
and her good. As Romans 5:3-4 reminds the
Christian - “We rejoice in our sufferings,
knowing that suffering produces endurance,
and endurance produces character, and
character produces hope, and hope does not put
us to shame, because God’s love has been poured
into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has
been given to us.” Sophia has faced her suffering
with joy and hope and is confident in the God
who holds her future and looks forward to
continuing to be a light to others.
Hometown RANKIN • 49