BERKLEY SCHOOL DISTRICT
Sophie enjoys the WAM banquet with
Susie and Bill Graham hold a picture of
family friend Dori Leib of Team Alex
their daughter, Alex, who died at age 17.
Alex's father, Bill, rode in his 13th
WAM this year. As Team Alex gathered
for a pizza dinner and friendly conver-
sation the first night in Big Rapids dur-
ing the three-day route, he reflected on
his daughter's unusual wish.
"People often ask if Susie and I were
surprised by Alex's wish. We always
say, 'No, that's who Alex was.' Alex was.
always about inclusion."
The day after WAM 2012, Susie
addressed Team Alex: "What all of you
do is make life a little easier, a little
brighter, for a brief period for families
that are fighting a war.
"You do Alex proud."
Sophie And Alex
The Blumbergs — Loren is a sales
executive and Mindy is a homemaker
— found hope in Alex's uncomplicated
wish.
Said Mindy: "It was such a selfless
wish — that you should flash a simple
smile to children that endure hard-
ship, are fighting for survival or simply
look a little different. Her wish has now
become a part of who we are and how
we live."
"For Sophie," Loren said, "a smile is
truly who she is. Everyone comments
on her everlasting smile and her can-
do attitude. It's almost as if Alex and
Sophie have a unique connection."
Before WAM 2012, Mindy and
Sophie made yellow and black friend-
ship bracelets resembling a smiley face.
Team Alex riders wore them proudly.
Family Friends
Nancy Cutler, a pediatric cardiologist,
participated in her third WAM, this
year with twin sister Ilisa Bernstein of
Bethesda, Md. Cutler said Sophie's ener-
gy the final half-mile proved contagious.
"As Sophie put my medal over my
head," Cutler said, "it wasn't my accom-
plishment of riding more than 300 miles
that she was honoring, but rather her
ability to be there — healthy and beam-
ing with joy:'
Dori Leib, a pharmaceutical represen-
tative, rode her seventh WAM. Sophie
and Leib's son, Jenner, have been friends
since preschool at Temple Israel in West
Bloomfield.
"When I crossed the finish line," Leib
said, "Sophie's beautiful smile greeted
me and she jumped into my arms. At
that instant, WAM became more per-
sonal. It's special to know the impact I
can make on other's lives, which would
not be possible without the support of
my family and friends."
Temple Israel Religious School
instructor Ben Chutz was Sophie's music
teacher. At age 28, he was among the
younger Team Alex riders. He talked
about how Sophie's "tenacity in the face
of her challenges serves as a terrific
inspiration to adults and children alike
— myself included.
"And her smile: Wow! It's such a testa-
ment to her relentlessly positive attitude
despite her tribulations." ❑
Related Around Town: page 23
Harrowing Moments At Sea
S
ophie Blumberg's wish for a
Disney cruise was granted
on her eighth birthday on
March 9. The launch was great, but
she spent the second day in the infir-
mary while the ship was docked in
the Bahamas.
With the ship set to sail again that
evening, her parents didn't want to
risk more trouble at sea. So Sophie
and her father, Loren, left the ship
by tugboat to Freeport and boarded
a Life Flight jet to Miami Children's
Hospital. Regulations kept Mindy and
Sophie's sister, Alena, on the ship till
the next day.
"It was scary and extremely stress-
ful," Mindy said. "Thankfully, Sophie
was doing better by the time she got
to the hospital."
Make-A-Wish coordinated return
flights so the whole family arrived back
in Detroit at the same time. "We were
very lucky," Mindy said. "The outcome
could have been much worse."
Her wish cut short, Sophie was
thrilled when her wish coordinator,
Carrie McCullough, called to say a
new wish would be granted since her
original one wasn't fulfilled.
Sophie is still deciding.
"But," says her mom, "she's enjoying
knowing she has something to look
forward to." E
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