Keep Up with Your Health Care Provider Visits

While Sophie Gil was being treated for a brain tumor, she and her family became close with the nurses and doctors who took care of her. 

At age 15, Gil was diagnosed with pineoblastoma, a rare cancer in the pineal gland, a tiny pinecone-shaped gland in the brain. Pineoblastoma is a fast-growing tumor that doesn’t have good survival rates. Sophie’s care team did not give her a hopeful prognosis. 

She underwent surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation in Houston at Texas Children's Hospital. 

When Gil graduated from high school, she knew exactly what she wanted to do. “I decided that I wanted to be what my care team was to me,” says Gil, who is now a hospice nurse. Hospice is a type of care that provides comfort and support to people with terminal illnesses and their families. Gil wanted to become a nurse and take care of others. 

Learning to advocate for herself

Now 27 years old, she also knows she needs to take care of herself. Like many childhood cancer survivors, Gil’s treatments have long-term side effects. She manages several chronic health problems, including hypothyroidism, fatty liver disease, and low cortisol. She has also experienced mental health struggles including anxiety, depression, and PTSD from the trauma of having cancer. She sees different specialists and a therapist who has helped her cope with the emotional aspects of her diagnosis.

Along the way, Gil learned to speak up for herself and advocate for her health needs. Gil’s parents were a big reason why: “They raised us from a young age to do things on our own. They made us make our own appointments. They weren't going to do it for us because we had our own schedules, and we knew what they were.”  

Her parents considered her and her siblings’ opinions and input before making decisions. “They wanted us to participate in our care—to participate in everything, really, in life,” she says. 

Tips for long-term survivors

As a long-term survivor and nurse, Sophie knows the importance of going to doctor appointments and keeping up with her health. Each year, Gil returns to her long-term survivor clinic for a complete checkup. “Going to that appointment once a year is one of the most important visits in the year because my doctor goes through every system in the body. He asks questions, and his team guides us to where we need to go to fix whatever the problem is. That is very important, to follow up.”

She goes to appointments with a list of questions. “Go in wanting answers and wanting to fix your problems. Don’t ignore the symptoms.” 

When talking to a care team, Gil wants survivors to know that there are no stupid questions. “The more questions you ask, the more information you get.” 

Following her calling

Gil decided to go to nursing school at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette because her twin sister was attending school there. 

It was not easy for Gil to finish her nursing degree because she was still sick. She was tired all the time and experiencing a lot of symptoms. She took long naps during the day. But it was worth it. “When I tell you I was made to be a nurse, I am in the right place. I love my job. I love my patients. I love building rapport with them and taking care of them, even if it's in their last days.”

The impact of her cancer stays with her. “It has affected me every day since—most days good, some days bad. But we're blessed that I'm still here because I wasn't supposed to be here. I'm a walking miracle.” 

Going through this experience is what led Sophie to her calling. That’s why being a hospice nurse is so important to her. “If I wouldn’t have gone through this, I don’t know if I’d be a nurse right now.”