Five -year-old Zofeya Dorgu was diagnosed with medulloblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer, in July 2013.
Her mother, Noemi Dorgu is a professional photographer and decided to chart her daughter’s treatment through a blog, which served as a coping mechanism during a very difficult time.
The blog documents Zofeya’s journey through treatment
Speaking to the Daily Mail, Noemi said: ‘It started as a way to keep everyone updated at the beginning. Everyone texts, and of course they mean well, but you don’t know how to reply, so we started a site to keep people up-to-date.
‘But then it became a way of helping me work things out, to make sense of the situation.
‘You find yourself catapulted into this whole new world where even the terminology is alien. You have no control, you feel powerless.
‘Being in the hospital all day with Zofeya, writing the blog was the only time I could sit alone and reflect on the day and what was happening in our lives.’
Noemi took her daughter to the doctor after she noticed the little girl was tripping over and bumping into things.
Zofeya was booked in for eyesight tests and a scan soon followed, revealing a walnut-sized tumour in her brain.
A scan revealed a walnut-sized tumour on Zofeya’s brain
She underwent surgery 10 days later to remove the tumour, and has been undergoing chemotherapy and radiotherapy since, receiving treatment at a child oncology unit in Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge.
Her treatment is set to continue until September and Noemi says that as time goes on, Zofeya has become more interested in her mothers photography.
‘I became a professional photographer just weeks before Zofeya was diagnosed, but I’ve always loved photography and have taken loads of pictures, so she was very used to it.
‘At first I was careful not to show her any pictures from when she was really sick, but now she shows an interest in them.
‘They seem to help her make sense of what has happened to her. She sits and looks at one and will say “remember when that or this happened to me”.
‘I hope one day these pictures will help her understand the decisions we had to make as her parents about her treatment.’
The close-knit family of four (Zofeya, Noemi, her husband Matthew Dorgu and their son Malacai, 8) have high praise for the support they have received from CLIC Sargent Social Worker Rachel Hall who has given them advice and information on treatment.
Zofeya and her brother Malacai
Noemi said: ‘Rachel came to us really early on and she was just there whenever we needed her, when we needed answers. She gave us advice about the medical processes and practical help and financial advice as well.
‘Everything’s a bit overwhelming, and we were feeling overloaded with information which we didn’t fully understand; she was great at explaining things to us and letting us know how the whole process worked and what to expect.’
For more information, please visit Noemi’s blog here.
Images via Noemi Dorgu
