Sophia, of Concord NC, is a very active 10 year old girl living with Cerebral Palsy and Epilepsy. Sophia was adopted from China by her parents, Doc and Wendy, when she was three years old. Her mom and dad describe her as resilient, strong-willed, and silly.

Sophia is full of life and shares lots of love and laughter with her family and those around her. She loves the color yellow. Her favorite foods are anything with noodles, dumplings, and the "spicy chicken" from Bojangles. She loves to help her mom and dad cook at home and says she wants to be a chef when she grows up.

Sophia plays wheelchair basketball for the Charlotte Rollin' Hornets Prep team and loves to swim at the West Cabarrus YMCA.
Doc and Wendy are huge supporters of Wings of Eagles Ranch. Sophia started riding at the ranch in 2012, when she was 4 years old. As a result of attending the therapeutic classes and summer camps, her parents have been Sophia make huge improvements in her overall health, both physically and socially.

When Sophia's parents adopted her, she didn't have much coordination and her lower extremities were very weak. Her first main goal was to improve her balance, coordination, and trunk support so that she could use her walker. Over the years, the therapeutic horseback riding sessions have helped strengthen her core and given her the confidence to use her crutches to walk!
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From her first time seeing a horse to catching a fish at summer camp at The Ranch, Sophia has had a safe place to explore a world that would otherwise be challenging at best, and many times nearly impossible. The confidence she has gained from climbing the rock wall, riding the zip line, and being launched in the flying squirrel has helped her blossom into a friendlier, more outgoing version of herself.

"None of this would happen without the hard work and dedication of a host of volunteers and the generous contributions of corporate and individual donors. The selflessness displayed by everyone involved is inspiring, even in the abstract, but when it is opening the world for your child and causing her to grow in her physical abilities and emotional capacity - there are no words to express a parent's deep and joyful gratitude."
                                                                                                                                                                                                       Doc and Wendy Brunk