Who: Sophia Nicholas has dealt with a lot in her 19 years, but the challenging experiences have only propelled her to help others in need. A Milford resident, Nicholas is pursuing an associate degree in human resources at Penn Foster but cannot work because of several chronic medical conditions, including chiari malformation and cerebellar sag, idiopathic intracranial hypertension, all related to the brain; Hashimoto’s disease, in which the immune system attacks the thyroid; orthostatic intolerance; and fibromyalgia. She has had seven brain surgeries.
What: Those various conditions have helped Nicholas better understand her fellow patients, though, and she said she come to realize “there weren’t any programs for fellow patients like myself.” And so in September 2018, she started Sophia’s Bundles of Love, a nonprofit that offers care packages and meal deliveries to hospitals, sends bereavement and birthday cards, gets sponsors for patients’ critical medications and works “to further support the needs of the chronically ill,” Nicholas explained. The program benefits children with cancer, chronic illness, special needs, burns and those who have experienced trauma.
SUBMITTED PHOTO
Sophia Nicholas of Milford, founder of Sophia’s Bundles of Love
How: The public can donate through the organization’s PayPal account, Sophia’s Bundles of Love; its GoFundMe page, Sophia’s Bundles of Love Fundraiser; or by mailing a check to P.O. Box 1385, Milford, PA 18337.
In her own words: “We have been told that our programs create hope and help families to feel like they have the support they need so badly.” — Sophia Nicholas
Caitlin Heaney West is the content editor for Access NEPA and oversees the Early Access blog in addition to working as a copy editor and staff writer for The Times-Tribune. An award-winning journalist, she is a summa cum laude graduate of Shippensburg University and also earned a master’s degree from Marywood University. Caitlin joined the Times-Shamrock family in 2009 and lives in Scranton. Contact: cwest@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9100 x5107; or @cheaneywest
