Before nine-year-old Sofie Roberts died from a rare brain cancer earlier this year, she told her mother she hoped her experience would help other families going through the same thing.
This strength and selflessness are what motivate Brooke Roberts to honour her daughter by supporting families affected by cancer in the region. She has partnered with Peterborough hair salon Hair by Fusion and its owner Sherri Wilfong to host a fundraiser in support of pediatric cancer care at Peterborough Regional Health Centre (PRHC).
Proceeds from all blow dries and select product sales will be donated to the PRHC Foundation, and donors will have the chance to win one of four gift baskets full of quality products at a “birthday party” for Sofie to end the fundraiser on Saturday, December 14.
“I just really want to help in her honour, and it’s a good time because she would be turning 10 on December the 16th,” says Brooke. “It’s a beautiful way to celebrate her and her little spirit, because she was just so courageous and never complained about anything.”
The Roberts family first learned that Sofie had a “massive” tumour in her brain in September 2022 when she was just seven years old. After being immediately transferred to SickKids Hospital in Toronto where she had a craniotomy the following day, Sofie spent six weeks in a children’s rehabilitation hospital with her mother, and away from her father Darren and younger sister Stella.
Though there was no cancer present at the time, a year later the tumour returned and Sofie underwent another craniotomy. With the surgeon unable to take out the entire tumour, Sofie was diagnosed with high-grade glioma — the same type of brain cancer that took The Tragically Hip singer Gord Downie’s life.
Starting at the end of June 2023, Sofie went through 33 rounds of radiation and chemotherapy requiring 33 round trips to Toronto with her mother. During this time, Sofie needed weekly blood tests and was able to get them locally out of the Pediatric Oncology Group of Ontario satellite program, a collaboration with SickKids at PRHC.
“As a family, we spent a lot of time at SickKids, but when we could do things here, it was such a blessing,” Brooke recalls. “I’m five minutes from the hospital where I live, so she could get the blood work in the morning, then go back to school and be a kid.”
Sofie getting to have moments of fun with her friends and her sister Stella — “they were two peas in a pod,” says Brooke — meant all the world to her parents. Throughout the whole cancer journey, registered nurse Shay Cannon and the rest of the team at PRHC supported Sofie and her family with everything they needed.
Brooke hopes that supporting pediatric cancer care at PRHC will help even more young sick kids just be kids again.
“You’re dealing with such sad, awful things that the little comforts become everything,” says Brooke. “It’s already heavy enough to deal with all of these pokes and medicines so, if we could get blood tests at home and she could go to school and be a kid, that’s incredible.”
When, in March 2024, the Roberts learned that Sofie’s aggressive brain cancer had returned and was untreatable, the family cared for her at home. Sofie passed away on May 17, 2024 at the age of nine.
“It was really fast — it’s an awful disease,” says Brooke. “They’re here and then they’re gone in an instant.”
Brooke notes that there’s “always an outpouring” of support that comes from the community during difficult and tragic times like these, and Hair by Fusion’s owner Sherri Wilfong was one such support.
Almost exactly 10 years ago, just before she had Sofie, Brooke was a sales representative for hair products and worked with Sherri on a weekly basis. She got so close with the salon, in fact, that the team got Brooke her first stroller for Sofie, and one of the stylists set up Brooke with her now-husband Darren.
“I used to do (Sofie’s) whole family’s hair — her mom’s hair, her aunt’s hair, her sister’s hair,” says Sherri, noting she was always keeping in touch with the Roberts and one day even happened to run into the family at the hospital when Sofie was transported by air ambulance to Toronto after a seizure.
“It’s just such a hard thing, because what can you do for someone when you’re in that situation?” Sherri asks.
What she did, Brooke says, was be there for her friend.
“Sherri’s been so kind and generous with services to make me feel good and it’s always been such a gift to just go into the salon and spend time in there,” Brooke says. “Stella always has a great time too.”
Until December 14, proceeds from all blow dries and select sales at Hair by Fusion at 1625 Sherbrooke Street in Peterborough will go towards the pediatric cancer care unit through the PRHC Foundation’s Campaign for PRHC. Sherri has also donated several products that will be included in gift baskets along with $1,000 worth of products donated by RedKen, where Brooke was formerly employed.
“That’s just incredible because I have not worked there in ten years, but they’re still being so generous and donating,” says Brooke. “I’m just so grateful.”
Those who make a $20 donation to the fundraiser will have their name entered to win one of the four gift baskets. The draw is happening at the “birthday party” event being held at the salon on Saturday, December 14 at 4 p.m.
At the event, Brooke will share Sofie’s story, and there will be gift bags for everyone in attendance. From the cupcakes to the sparkling drinks and the balloons, there will be no shortage of purple, Sofie’s favourite colour, in honour of the brave little girl.
“It’ll be a really nice way to wrap up the fundraiser,” says Sherri.
While Brooke admits that living without Sofie “gets harder every day,” she notes that her daughter’s fight that motivates her own. Not long after Sofie’s death, the Roberts held the inaugural “5K for Sofie Maye” in support of the Brain Tumour Foundation of Canada, inviting a community donned in purple to join them.
“I have her little spirit and thinking about her eggs me on,” Brooke says. “The fact that Sofie could do all those hard things just makes me think I’m going to press on here, and that I want my time here on earth to mean something. I want to serve other families that have to live the same type of situation and just give back as much as I can.”
To participate in the fundraiser, make an appointment at Hair by Fusion by visiting www.hairbyfusion.com or by calling 705-743-6600. The salon is open Mondays to Fridays from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
To donate directly to the PRHC Foundation, visit prhcfoundation.ca.
