𝐒𝐨𝐩𝐡𝐢𝐚 𝐭𝐚𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞, 𝐬𝐨 𝐈'𝐦 𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞
This recent video & post of Sophia that I shared on the sixth month anniversary of her death has made its way around the internet, which means the trolls have appeared. In their eyes, I’m easy prey, the grieving mom of a disabled child with facial deformities. They give it their all to hurt me, but their attacks don’t hold a candle to the pain I’ve already experienced. Instead of holding onto their hate and allowing it to infiltrate me, I ignore, delete, block, and move on.
For every hateful comment, there are a hundred kind ones. Sometimes it's easy to get stuck on the few offensive comments, but I won't do it — not this time. I'm choosing love. Being in the public eye isn't easy, but I try to remind myself why I do the work I do. I do it to normalize profound disabilities and facial differences. I do it to educate others, and to make this world more kind and accepting. I do it to tell Sophia’s remarkable story and to keep her memory alive.
No matter what I do, I will always receive hate and ignorance. It's the very reason I do the work that I do. Children and families like mine still can't do the things typical people do without being met with cruelty, both online and in society.
Initially, I began this mission to change the world for Sophia; then, it was for others like her. When she died, I thought about quitting, but I know Sophia would be mad at me if I did. We built this advocacy, organization, and community together, and I can't just let that go. So, I will continue on and choose to focus on love.
I'm so proud of my girl and the impact she continues to have on this world. Even though she is no longer here, her legacy continues on through the work I do in her memory.
