TORONTO -- A donation for a child hospitalized with cancer was stolen off a Pickering porch Monday morning, according to Nicolle Georgiev and her daughter Sophia.
The mother and daughter are the driving force behind the Super Sophia Project, a campaign aimed at helping children in hospital battling cancer.
Sophia was diagnosed with leukemia a month before she turned two. In the years that followed, the eight-year-old and her mother created the Love Box Project, to help lift the spirits of children in the midst of their own battles with cancer.
“We had put together a Love Box for a girl who had relapsed with cancer, a nurse volunteered to pick it up and deliver it to her at Sick Kids Hospital,” Georgiev told CTV News Toronto on Monday. “When I opened the door to make sure the bag was [picked up], the love box was stolen.”
According to Georgiev, missing from the box was a $25 Tim Hortons gift card and $100 in cash.
“I started to cry, I was heartbroken today is my husband’s 49th Birthday, he passed away in September so this box was to honor him and all the other kids that we gift, so when someone stole it, it broke me.”
For Sophia some of the items like coloring books, stuffed animals, puzzles and games mean the world to kids in hospital.
“They make me feel happy because they make other kids happy,” she said.
Now members of the community have stepped forward to help replace the Love Box and top up some of the items that were stolen. For this, Georgiev says she is very grateful.
“Even though we’ve been confined to our homes, it hasn’t stopped us or the community from helping, helping those in need, and caring. I am so grateful for the Super Sophia Project angels because they bless us, they support us, they love us, and we are truly fortunate to have the community behind us.”
Last year, 5,000 boxes were gifted to kids in hospitals across Durham and the GTA. This year they are hoping to hit 10,000 by Christmas.
