Sophie White, 23, was out for a meal at a local pub when she began slurring her words and suffering a seizure – she was rushed to hospital and given a devastating diagnosisNews
Stephen Topping Senior reporter, Lyra Auld and Shaurya Shaurya
17:47, 24 Apr 2025
Sophie with her son Remi(Image: Helen Schofield)
A young mum faced a devastating diagnosis after becoming unwell while having a meal at a pub.
Sophie White, aged 23, began slurring her words unexpectedly, experiencing a seizure ‘out of the blue’ which prompted immediate medical attention. The ‘outstanding’ mother to three-year-old Remi was swiftly taken to hospital for a series of urgent scans. Tragically, doctors diagnosed her with advanced stage four glioblastoma. Following several unsuccessful treatments, Sophie was informed she had only 12 to 18 months left to live.
In a heartfelt account to Yorkshire Live, Sophie’s mum, Helen Schofield, recalled: “We went out for a meal at a local pub. She started slurring her words. I thought she was messing around at first but then I realised she couldn’t get her words out.”
The family are trying to stay positive(Image: Helen Schofield)
On the afternoon of Thursday, June 8, 2023, Sophie, from Rotherham, South Yorkshire, was brought to Rotherham Hospital as her seizure subsided. Helen recounted the harrowing experience: “They did a few tests and scans and they said they found something on her brain. So many doctors were saying different things, which was all quite confusing and really scary.”
An MRI scan eventually revealed that Sophie suffered had a grade 4 glioblastoma. Despite undergoing surgeries on June 23, 2023, and July 2, 2024, which removed 93% of the tumour, the cancer persisted. Stay informed on the latest health news by signing up to our newsletter here
After enduring multiple courses of chemotherapy and radiotherapy, it became clear these efforts had been unsuccessful. On a February 3 this year, Sophie received the shattering news that the treatment, hoped to extend her life, had failed.
“She was given between 12 and 18 months to live,” shared Helen, 45. “It’s so horrible to talk about. How can you?”
“Her tumour has not only grown but has now spread across to the other side of her brain, which now rules out any further surgery,” she said.
However, for Helen, surrendering is ‘simply not an option’. “As a mother I will do everything I can to try and save her life,” she said.
Sophie White is said to be a ‘brilliant mum’ to three-year-old Remi(Image: Helen Schofield)
The mum added: “Sophie also has a three-year-old son named Remi. Her beautiful boy needs his mum.” In a desperate bid to extend Sophie’s life, Helen started researching treatment options.
She revealed: “After hours and hours of research, we have found a clinic in Germany who provide immunotherapy treatment which is a targeted treatment for her specific tumour.”
The I0ZK Clinic in Cologne is packed with specialists in the field of immunotherapy. The I0ZK-immunotherapy consists of combined treatments.
Helen explained: “They combine an oncolytic virus and Sophie’s tumour material with dendritic cells to produce the personalised vaccine. The vaccine would then activate Sophie’s immune system to help fight the tumour and get the cells back to good health and kill the cancerous ones.”
Throughout the treatments, Helen has lauded Sophie’s incredible attitude.
“She is an absolute warrior, she gets up everyday and fights so hard against this illness to make the best life for Remi. She has such a positive attitude for life and she’s a fantastic mum.”
Helen, with daughter Sophie and grandson Remi(Image: Helen Schofield)
The family have managed to raise over £90,000 to send Sophie to Germany twice, once for a consultation and again for the first round of treatment.
Now, they are anxiously waiting to see if Sophie responds to the treatment. Helen revealed: “She’ll be having a scan in Sheffield around the first week of July. We might not see any improvement with the first scan, but we have been told that we should see improvement on the second.
“The treatment has a 65% chance of working which I think is quite high, so that’s why we did it. You want to do absolutely whatever you can.”
Helen and Sophie, who hail from Kimberworth Park, along with their community, are nearing their new fundraising target of £120,000.
Helen is hopeful that the latest round of fundraising will bring them closer to this goal. She shared: “We’ve had a couple of massive big fundraising galas for Sophie. We’re also working on the next one, which is going to be on May 11.
“This Saturday, over 100 people are going on a sponsored walk and then we’re going back to our local pub. The whole community has just been incredible. Everyone in the community has shown up for Sophie. We have all banded together for her.” Sophie’s Go Fund Me page is still active and accepting donations.