This is an incredible, local "people behaving great" story to brighten up your week.

Sophia Fratto, is a local 11-year-old girl who has been battling kidney disease her entire life.

Sophia was born with spina bifida and only one working kidney. Then at 2-and-a-half years old, she was diagnosed with leukemia, which led to chemotherapy for more than two years and wiped out her functioning kidney.

She's been on dialysis for over a year and it takes up so much of her life. Three days a week, for three hours a day. The dialysis machine keeps her alive and performs functions that her failing kidney can't. Sophia has had 19 surgeries…she is 11 years old and 19 surgeries!

Toni Martinez, is a medical assistant who has worked at St. Luke’s Children's Hospital for almost a decade. She has taken care of Sophia a few times over the years.

Toni saw how hard it was on Sophia, and having an 11 year old herself, she couldn’t imagine her child going through that. She prayed about it, went through the months of testing, and found out she was a match. A perfect match is so rare!

Both Toni and Sophia will head to Salt Lake City for surgery, and need to spend several weeks recovering there.

They are looking to do the transplant mid-March. Insurance covers the surgery, but not all travel and medication will be covered for both Sophia's family and Toni.

If you would like to donate to Sophia, click HERE.

If you would like to donate to Toni, click HERE.

 

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