This is Sophia's mom. I wrote this a few days ago about my hero. I did not include everyone whom Sophia wanted to thank because that would literally take all day. Sophia passed yesterday @ 5:20 pm. She fought a tough battle and we are very proud of her.
Joseph Campbell's theory of the hero's journey is based on the idea that all cultures from all areas of the world, follow the same pattern, or story, despite variations in "characters." He specifically talks about the journey of the hero, who at some point in her life, will venture far from home and encounter many obstacles and challenges, only to return home a new person, reborn into a new role or identity. Her gift to her community is a new knowledge that she possesses, which now endows her with the power to positively impact her community and make it a better place. I feel so proud to have been part of Sophia's Epic Journey.
The first stage of a hero story is the ordinary world. Sophia's ordinary world was American Heritage and the family she had there, and South Hamilton, Massachusetts where she spent her winter and summer breaks with her maternal family Auntie Ginny, Uncle Bobby and Auntie Donna, Auntie Cathy, Auntie Chrissy and Uncle Richard, as well as her cousins and their families. It was a world filled with loving lifelong friends like Jolie, Olivia, Leanna, her godmother, Natalie Cashman, and the person she called her God sister, Megan Cashman, and so many more as she ran around the campus. Then comes the hero's call to action. The hero is supposed to refuse the call at first, and then become drawn into the fray. Sophia NEVER refused a call for adventure, learning, and fun. Whether it was her opening the lower school play with a quick dance, dressing up in Nicaraguan folk clothing, or carrying the Nicaraguan flag at international day, she was always there.
She continued this way, a friend and peer to all, into her high school years. Then, in her sophomore year, she took the part of the journey called Crossing the Threshold. With a little supernatural advice from one of her mentors, Mrs.Bolanos, our hero was soon rushed to Joe DiMaggio Hospital in January of 2019 and thus began her trials. She met a formidable opponent, a stage four Neuroendocrine pancreatic tumor with metastases in the liver.
During this fight, she met the most amazing people! From her kidney doctor, Dr.Boyston who always had something funny regarding her beloved dogs, to the always cheery and tenacious oncologist Dr.Schaefer, to the very serious yet compassionate Dr. Chan at Dana Farber, and the elegant and determined Dr. Haider at the Moffitt Center in Tampa, she was blessed with the wisdom and compassion of hundreds of doctors, nurses, and hospital aides… and she never forgot one of their names!
But as she drew near the abyss and toughest part of those early battles, some mentors and helpers stood out. There was Dr. Lynn Meister, her palliative care doctor with whom Sophia ended every call with “I love you.” Then there was Camille Moses whose advocacy for pancreatic cancer research inspired Sophia in finding her voice to tell young women to listen to their bodies...not everything can be attributed to being a "girl problem.” And there were her mentors at AHS, most notably Denise Roldan, her broadcast mom, and Calesta Soto, her beloved cheer coach. But there were many, many more.
It was during this stage that Sophia had some very special sidekicks to help her through, like Tyra Wilkerson, Leena Stubbs, Kayla Myers, Juanita Sierra, Claire Tyler, and Kolby Flemming. These ladies passed in and out of her battles and adventures and reminded Sophia of what she was before the battle.
There was a midpoint, the time after her nuclear treatment and before Sophia's toughest battles when Sophia had a bit of a reprieve. This past summer, all clinical information seemed to point to an improvement, but the imaging told a different story. Sophia and I, her mommy and trusty sidekick, chose to focus on the positive and looking back, it was a great choice. We would drive out into the Everglades just to see another beautiful sunset. We would drive alone, or with our trusty knight, Papa, down to Lauderdale by the Sea and drive A1A down to Hollywood or Hallandale Beach. During those drives, we would spill tea, discuss life, and contemplate the mysteries of the universe. During these talks, we learned more about life, love, and faith from Sophia than she did from us.
And then, in mid-September, some strange events pointed our way to the final battle. Images showed the metastasizes and tumor growing. Unimaginable pain started to cripple our hero...and yet, she continued to make plans for the future; she educated and entertained us with her blogs and makeup videos and Chica Chats!
The details of her final battles are just too hard to recreate for you, but rest assured, our hero fought like you would expect the fiercest Nicaraguan/Celtic warrior to fight.
So, in the hero's journey there is a seizing of a prize and a healing elixir that heals or helps the community. Sophia's elixir was the love she chose to share, the examples she set, and the memories she made with so many. And now, it is time for our hero's return, her home-going, her rest.
Like all great heroes, Sophia’s homegoing will include many tears, but it will be her amazing spirit and love of life that sustains us. Our broken hearts will slowly heal when we think of our wonderful Sophia and the lessons she taught us.
Anne Sophia Hurtado, the hero of a thousand stories.