By Kylie Knott

Copyright scmp

Sophie Chan’s bedroom is typical for a nine-year-old.
The shelves are lined with books, games and soft toys, while a diffuser pumps out a lemon scent, her favourite fragrance.
Her hobbies include drawing, playing the trumpet, singing and posting videos on her YouTube channel.
She also loves hanging out with friends at school, where her favourite subjects are English, art and music.
“I’ve also been a thrill-seeker since I was young,” she says, pulling out her phone to show a video that was taken when she was five. It shows Sophie splashing around in the rain in a kids’ playground before hopping in a plastic tub and heading full speed down a slide.

There is no doubt that Sophie is fearless, a trait that has helped her during her cancer battle.
Sophie has B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, a fast-growing blood cancer in which the bone marrow produces too many immature B-lymphocytes instead of mature blood cells. It is the most common type of cancer in children.
Her mother, Jessica Kam, says signs of the disease started a few weeks before Lunar New Year in 2024, as Hong Kong was preparing to usher in the Year of the Dragon.
The normally energetic Sophie started feeling tired and developed a fever. She was also suffering from pain in her legs and back. Her mother initially attributed it to a packed extracurricular schedule, including choir, dancing and drama.
After some tests, the fever subsided, only for symptoms to return a few weeks later.
“We went to the flower market at midnight and then the next day, the first day of Chinese New Year, the pain in her feet and neck returned,” Kam says.

After Sophie was diagnosed, she was put on a strict food plan and started chemotherapy. Her treatment involved steroids, which led her to crave many foods that were off-limits.
But Sophie came up with a creative way to deal with her cravings: she started drawing the foods she yearned for, including a corn dog that she made into a character called Corny Ketchy.
The design went from the pages of Sophie’s many sketchbooks to becoming a plush toy with the help of Make-A-Wish Hong Kong, a charity that grants wishes to children aged three to 17 with critical illnesses.

The charity’s main focus is creating life-changing experiences to bring children hope, strength and joy during challenging times. It is like a star glowing in the dark for these children, says the charity’s executive manager, Madeline Kam.
“Recent research by Make-A-Wish International reveals that a wish has a long-lasting positive impact on these children and their families for up to five years,” she adds, and that it enhances the children’s well-being and provides a respite.
Sophie has donated Corny Ketchy toys to her school to thank teachers and classmates for their support. She hopes her toy will bring happiness and comfort to children.
“When they feel hungry or down, they can hug the plushie to relieve stress and cheer themselves up,” she says.

Sophie’s empathy runs deep, and she is often worried about others even though her own cancer journey has been difficult.
At one stage, she developed a lung infection, which resulted in her spending three days in the intensive care unit (ICU). But she was more concerned about her mother’s well-being.
Through tears, her mother says, “When I went to the ICU, the doctor told me, ‘Your daughter Sophie is so brave. She told me not to tell you that she was sent to the ICU because she thought you would be scared.’”
Sophie endures intense pain and side effects, including vomiting and headaches. And with 58 weeks of treatment remaining, it is vital to prevent her from contracting an infection. This can happen easily as those with the disease do not have the protection of B cells to fight them off.
Jessica Kam says her daughter’s strong character has been a blessing, and family support has been crucial.
“My family and my in-laws have been a huge help, and we are lucky to have the support from Make-A-Wish and [the children’s charity] Ronald McDonald House.”
Sophie hopes to pass on the love she has received by donating Corny Ketchy toys to Make-A-Wish, so it can sell them to help raise funds to fulfil more children’s wishes.
Fundraising is key, says Madeline Kam, as Make-A-Wish does not receive government funding and relies solely on donations.
“In these challenging times, we are calling for donations to provide ongoing support for children like Sophie who are battling critical illnesses,” she says.

On a hot Saturday in September, with another typhoon barrelling towards Hong Kong, Sophie plays happily in her family’s flat in Sha Tin in the New Territories. Her positive energy is palpable.
She proudly shows off her collection of drawings of characters such as Cola Girl and Watermelon Girl. There is also a book about Chinese food and culture that she wants to show the president of the United States.
She may be young, but powerful politicians do not faze her.
When Sophie was five, she read about Japan’s 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster that resulted in radioactive material being dumped into the ocean.
In a video, Sophie asks the country’s then-prime minister to stop contaminating the ocean. “Don’t you like to eat sushi?” she asks in the video. She also sent him a handwritten letter.
Sophie’s personality and quick wit shine through in her YouTube videos. She is not afraid of facing her illness head-on in them, even having the confidence to go hatless after chemotherapy caused her hair to fall out.
She also shows her creativity in each video. In one, she makes a funny face out of a central venous catheter (CVC), a long, flexible tube that is inserted through a vein in the neck, chest or groin to allow access to the bloodstream.

Most people have a negative association with the tubes, which means they usually end up in landfills as medical waste. Not Sophie. Taking something negative and turning it into something positive is her superpower.
Reading is also a big passion that keeps her entertained during hospital stays. She particularly loves inspirational quotes, especially those by William Shakespeare.
“This quote is one of my favourites,” she says, opening a book to a page with a quote from his play, As You Like It. “The fool doth think he is wise, but the wise man knows himself to be a fool,” it reads.
But the words of Sophie, a nine-year-old with wisdom beyond her years, are inspiring.
“I have been given lots of love and support from healthcare professionals, and have received lots of encouragement from my principal, teachers and classmates, to the incredible experience of Make-A-Wish,” she says.
“Now, I want to share this strength with other children fighting their own battles and inspire them to never give up.”
For more details about Make-A-Wish Hong Kong, visit makeawish.org.hk. Order Sophie’s Corny Ketchy here.
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