Rising senior Sophia Lane, a member of the 2015-16 Lake Forest College women's golf team, passed away on Tuesday, August 7, from Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia at the Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago.
Sophia, a native of Naperville, Illinois, was well-known on campus for her spirited personality, creativity, strong work ethic, and academic and co-curricular endeavors. She held a double major in business and studio art and was a member of the Delta Delta Delta sorority and Creative Arts Pathway Leadership Team.
In addition, Sophia was also very involved in athletics. As a golfer she played in nine of the team's 11 events during the 2015-16 academic year. She was also an active member of Forester Fanatics, an on-campus organization that promotes and enhances athletic school spirit.
In memory of Sophia, Lake Forest College Athletics will sponsor a Be The Match® event on Friday, August 31, in conjunction with Forester Friday Kick-off on the Middle Campus Quad from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Later that day, the men's soccer team will have a moment of silence at their home opener and will also wear commemorative t-shirts in Sophia's honor. The men's soccer team will open up their season at 4:00 p.m. on Farwell Field.
Be The Match® is operated by the National Marrow Donor Program® (NMDP) and is the largest and most diverse marrow registry in the world. Since doctors request donors between 18 and 44 years of age more than 95 percent of the time, the organization focuses its recruiting efforts on that age group. We encourage the campus community to extend the reach of the campaign to those inside their own personal networks.
This was a cause that was extremely important to Sophia and one that she fought for every day, not just because she personally needed a bone marrow transplant, but to find a match for others who required the same procedure. Her family would like nothing more than to keep her hope alive by encouraging members of the Lake Forest College community to show their support for Sophia and all those waiting for a match by signing up to become a donor. One hundred and forty people signed up to save her life, and others and we hope that this number continues to increase.
Registration can occur in one of three ways: Online (once you register, you will be mailed a swab with instructions and a return envelope), by texting CURE148 to 61474, or by attending the on campus event.
We thank you in advance for your support of this important cause! If you have any questions, please contact Marketing and Special Events Director Ashley Wanland at wanland@lakeforest.edu or Community Engagement Representative from Be The Match Registry at terri@icla.org.