Learn about the
"Me" in Milo&Me

Hi, my name is Sophia. By 19, I have become a 501(C)(3) non-profit owner, public speaker, fierce advocate, and soon-to-be author. And it's only getting started! Join my journey! We would love to have you.

 

My story starts here. When I was two and a half, I was diagnosed with absence seizures. When I was 7, I had an EEG, and a dog visited me. It was my first time meeting and learning about a therapy dog. From that day onward, my mom and I made sure someone else would feel that excitement and joy with our dog.

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Soo, 2 years later, Milo joined our family! Milo is a registered therapy dog through Pet Partners and, since then, has been changing people's lives. Milo is an 8-year-old Doberman Pinscher who enjoys chasing squirrels, sleeping, working with his kiddos at therapy, stealing our popcorn, ruining my mom's garden & is very interested in his new little brother- Chuck... the BIRD (@thatbirdchuck).

Even with the companionship I shared with Milo & everyone else around me, I still felt, well, alone. I was silently struggling and felt like no one else could understand me. After lots of thinking & reflecting, one night before school I thought of Milo&Me, but I was too scared to pursue it!

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During the COVID-19 pandemic, we were all left with extra 'thinking" time. It hit me. Sitting at home, just passing by, wasn't cutting it for me. I didn't want to be remembered that way. I wanted to leave my mark.

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I originally created Milo&Me to be a safe place for teens with epilepsy. we had a group chat for girls with epilepsy (ages 16-19) to share their experiences through our Instagram support group chat. Because of the pandemic, I had to get a bit creative. Instead of hosting "in-person events" where Milo could shine, I got the idea to make it fully online, but let's be honest, we all know he continues to shine online as well!

 

 I started something for the girls called the "care package" program. The care package program is what I think makes Milo&Me different from others; when the girls in my chat were struggling/celebrating, I sent them a care package with custom Milo&Me merchandise that I had made for them. I had funded the care packages by attending community events where I sold "seize the day" merchandise and other fun accessories that creatively spread epilepsy awareness.

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A few years later, we changed our mission while still keeping our core values. Milo&Me evolved into a virtual support group for teen girls (16-19) living on the East Coast to connect once a month. I decided that for my next step, I wanted to open the care packages up for anyone with epilepsy! not just the people in our support group. So we started the care package program, where you can nominate a friend with epilepsy to be eligible for a care package. As we evolved, I realized I wanted to do more than the support group and care packages. I really wanted to focus on educating our youth about the importance of epilepsy awareness. So we added that as well!

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Epilepsy is difficult to live with, but I can tell you some of the best things I've experienced have been because of my epilepsy. In November 2022, I was the featured speaker for the Epilepsy Foundation of CT. I told my story in front of 300 people. I was also nominated through the National Epilepsy Foundation to participate in their "Teens Speak Up!" program, where 50 other epileptic teens and I were flown out throughout the states to Washington D.C., where I spoke to lawmakers about making CT a seizure-safe state & becoming a non-profit owner at 18 is probably the coolest thing ever!

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Now that we've gotten all the formalities out of the way, here are some things about me...

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• My spirit animal is Lorelai Gilmore's caffeine addiction. You can always catch me with an iced latte in hand, and if not, you better call the authorities!

• I love to travel. Next up on my bucket list is to visit Alaska, Colorado, California & Hawaii.

• If I'm not at my favorite coffee shop, you can catch me working! I work at a local gift shop for kids on the autism spectrum to learn social and work skills- that's exactly what I do. Working there has taught me to fully get comfortable with getting out of my shell.

• I am the baby of my family. I am 9 & 15 years apart from my older siblings.

• I am an aunt of 5 kiddos, all under the age of 8.

• If my AirPods are in, most songs you'll hear are Noah Kahan, Zach Bryan, or The Lumineers.

• I LOVE whales, I am actually an"owner" of an Orca whale named Saturna

• I actually have heterochromia, which means I have two different colored eyes!

 

I look forward to having you come along on my journey!