The sponsor child for the 2011 Miracle Ride is ten-year-old Sophie Collier.

Shortly after Sophie was born her doctors realized she had a congenital heart defect and they knew immediately that she should be sent to Riley Hospital for Children. Sophie’s Riley doctors discovered she had only one artery leaving her heart and they felt the best way to save her life was to insert a bovine artery, or “cow part” as the Collier family sometimes refers. When Sophie was only a few weeks old she had her first open-heart surgery. At that time, only three other children in the nation had undergone this dangerous procedure. In addition to the heart defect, Sophie also has an immune deficiency known as DiGeorge Syndrome. This syndrome left Sophie even more at risk for infections and she has spent most of her life inside the Collier family’s home. Until recently in 2008, when Sophie underwent her second open-heart surgery. According to Sophie’s dad Brian Collier, “her last surgery really changed everything around for Sophia and the rest of [their] family. Her immune system is really improved allowing [them] to get her into school for the first time and out and about like little girls her age.” As Sophie grows, she will have to have more open-heart surgeries at Riley. Please join Sophie, her brothers Drew & Bryson, and their parents Brian &Katie for the 2011 Miracle Ride. The funds raised for Riley Hospital allow children like Sophie to continue receiving the care they need not just to live, but also to experience an ordinary childhood.