Sophie has lived through the death of multiple close family members to cancer - her mother in 2007, her brother in 2011, her husband in 2012, and her son Sam in 2015. Her experience reflects the deep grief and ongoing emotional toll that cancer can bring to families.
While it would've been easy for Sophie to think 'why me?', she has turned her grief into a vow to do more in raising the awareness of cancer and the importance of early detection.
Sophie's son Sam
Sophie's son Sam was 38 when he died, around five years after he was first diagnosed with melanoma.
Sam's partner was the one who spotted a mole on the back of his head, which prompted Sam to see a dermatologist. The mole turned out to be a stage three melanoma, which had already spread down his neck.
Sam's surgeons managed to remove the nodules, and he went the next five years cancer free, in which time he and his partner married, and they had their son, Cole.
Unfortunately, Sam's cancer came back and spread quickly to his stomach and brain, resulting in his tragic death in 2015.
A passion for making a difference
Following the death of her son, Sophie made a promise to spread the message of awareness and prevention of every type of cancer, with emphasis on melanoma. "Before [Sam] died, I made a promise to him to make people more aware about melanoma and prevention. It's now a passion of mine," Sophie recalls.
Sophie was previously an ambassador for Cancer Council SA for five years, getting involved in Relay for Life in her local community. Since relocating to Batemans Bay, Sophie has started up an Australia's Biggest Morning Tea and her own knitting fundraising initiative called Cosy Cuppa Batemans Bay.
In her 2024 morning tea, Sophie raised over $800 and she raised just over $600 at her 2025 event.
The services that Cancer Council provides, the research they fund, it just gives me hope that, in the future, with the money that's raised, this evil disease called cancer will be no longer, and we can live in a cancer-free world. That would be wonderful.
Melanoma awareness
Australia and New Zealand have the highest rates of melanoma in the world. Each year in Australia, almost 19,000 people are diagnosed with invasive melanoma, and 28,000 are diagnosed with melanoma in situ.
How melanoma looks can vary greatly, and it is important to know your skin and check it every three to six months.
Most melanomas are caused by exposure to the sun's UV radiation. This causes permanent damage to the skin, with the damage building up every time a person spends time unprotected in the sun.
But it's never too late to start protecting your skin! The best way to avoid skin cancer is by regularly protecting your skin from UV exposure. Every day you protect yourself through slip, slop, slap, slide and seek, you reduce your risk.
Sophie's message to you
"If I can pass one thing on to others it is to be aware of your own bodies, be aware of any changes you see no matter how small and get them checked out and never stop until you are satisfied with the answers. Cancer does not discriminate. So, it is so important to be aware and make sure you take every precaution available," Sophie says.
After losing so much, Sophie chose to get up and make a difference. She chose to spread her story to help prevent others going through what she did. And she chose to stand up for all those affected by cancer.
Sophie adds: "This evil disease has to be stopped. It is the bravery and fighting spirit of those affected by it that inspires me to reach out and share my story. If I can help prevent one family from having to endure a 'cancer journey' then it's been worthwhile."
Learn more about skin cancer, including how to best protect yourself from the sun's UV and what to look for when checking your skin.
To learn more about understanding grief, visit our understanding grief page.
