Christmas season brings special gifts for “Young and strong” violinist with brain tumor

On December 5, just after the students of Carolyn Bever’s Violin Studio finished playing “The First Noel” for the residents of the Pines Senior Living Community in South Burlington, Vermont, 9-year-old Sophie Fellows quietly left the stage because of a headache. The next day she was diagnosed with a brain tumor, and the following day she was transported by ambulance from the University of Vermont Medical Center to Boston Children’s Hospital.
“Christmas concerts are my most favorite part of [playing the ] violin,” Sophie says. “I felt really bad that I couldn’t finish the concert.”
The day before Sophie’s surgery, something very special happened. Two dozen young violinists traveled to Boston to finish the concert with Sophie.
When they arrived at Boston Children’s, they headed to the Patient Entertainment Center, tuned their instruments and—dressed in black slacks, white shirts and Santa hats—waited onstage for Sophie’s arrival.
Sophie, the youngest of the four children of Chad and Aimee Fellows of Colchester, Vt., walked in with her parents and two sisters. She sported a t-shirt, pajama leggings and Santa hat, and a white bandage covers the IV port on her right arm. After she found her place center stage, the concert started.
The young violinists played “Good King Wenceslas,” “Silent Night,”  “Away in the Manger” and “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.”

Sophie’s grandparents were in the audience, along with several parents of othe...

Source: Thrive, Children's Hospital Boston - January 5, 2015 Category: Pediatrics Authors: Guest Blogger Source Type: news