DUNEDIN, Fla. — Instead of a big “Sweet 16” bash, Sofia Rzymski is celebrating her birthday by raising money for pediatric cancer research. Sofia said she’s doing it in memory of a friend who’s no longer here to celebrate.
“The other day, I saw a video of her last birthday and us singing ‘Happy Birthday,’ and I thought that was super sweet,” Sofia said.
The friend she’s talking about is Ali Spears. The two met through Girl Scouts and became fast friends.
“Honestly, her personality was so much fun. You would never be bored with her. She would make you laugh so hard. She was so funny and even a little sassy too which made it even more funny. I really feel like we bonded, especially since we were so close in age,” Sofia said.
Their birthdays were just weeks apart, Ali’s on January 21 and Sofia’s on February 17. Ali died in 2019 following a battle with acute myeloid leukemia. As a way of celebrating both their birthdays, Sofia plans to bicycle 16 miles from Tarpon Springs to Clearwater to raise money for the Ali Spears Foundation. The nonprofit raises awareness about pediatric cancer, supports families and funds research.
According to the Pediatric Cancer Research Foundation, cancer is the number one disease-related cause of death for children, but less than 4% of funds raised for cancer research each year go toward learning more about cancers that impact young people.
“I feel like there should be more recognition,” said Sofia. “So many children around the world go through this. I think through my bikeathon, I’m able to sort of tell people about it and tell them our story.”
