Posts by: Sophia San Filippo

Based in New York City, Sophia San Filippo has worked with Love What Matters as a lead editor and content curator since early 2019 and has acted as Managing Editor since early 2021. She is a Summa Cum Laude graduate of Binghamton University who holds a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature, Creative Writing, and Women, Gender, & Sexuality Studies. She is passionate about personal storytelling and creating a positive space in media to better the lives of others. On a typical day you can find her rocking out at her local concert venue, admiring nature, or baking her latest kitchen experiment.

‘I’ll do it, but just this once.’ Famous last words. My body NEEDED them. I HAD to get high every 6 hours.’: Recovering addict shares sobriety journey, ‘All you have to do is SHOW UP’

“If I didn’t get high within an hour, I’d start throwing up. I’d sit in the bathroom for hours trying to hit. My veins were ruined. My probation officer was calling everyone I knew, threatening to send me to prison. I was at an all-time low.”

Sophia San Filippo - Dec 03, 2020

‘The doctor pulled her aside. ‘If you don’t take her in, she will go to a group home, and she will die.’ Diagnosed with AIDS, my organs were shutting down. I was 2 years past my death date.’: HIV warrior adopted by sister’s boss after life-long abuse

“CPS told my parents, ‘You cannot drop your kid off at a group home and not come back. If you don’t get her, you will be charged with abuse and neglect.’ My parents didn’t budge. At 14, I was given two weeks to find a new place to live. All I wanted was to be wanted. ‘I believe in you, I love you, you are worth it.’ My sister’s boss took me in.”

Sophia San Filippo - Dec 03, 2020

‘I’m not disabled! That doesn’t apply to me.’ I was the only one who couldn’t see how ill I truly was. I don’t know how I’m still standing.’: Chronic illness warrior urges ‘you are SO worthy’

“I felt like I had the flu most days. I could never get warm, and I was getting severe migraines. I saw every specialist imaginable. I ended up housebound and bedridden.”

Sophia San Filippo - Dec 03, 2020

‘Kids, will you follow me up the stairs?’ We walked into his bedroom. I knew something was wrong. ‘Where is Mommy? What happened?’: HIV warrior details journey with grief, trauma

“‘Lexi has AIDS’ was written in graffiti outside my science class. Soon, the whole school knew. I was spit on, constantly told, ‘I hope you die.’ I was tired of fighting. ‘I don’t care if I die anymore.’ Immediately, my stepmother began planning my death party. ‘Enough is enough.’ A family friend took me to the school counselor to repost the abuse at home.”

Sophia San Filippo - Dec 03, 2020

‘Would you take a second baby?’ Two babies? I had ZERO control over the system. We said yes.’: Mom of 6 details infertility, foster care journey, ‘It’s our honor to love these children’

“They had to ask us three times. He was so tiny I could barely see him through the blankets, but I’ll never forget the moment I looked at this precious, helpless human. To learn of all he had experienced so far… it broke me to the core.”

Sophia San Filippo - Dec 02, 2020

‘Why do you drink wine every night?’ I shrugged it off. It was my nightly ritual. This was the beginning of the end.’: Sober warrior shares alcohol-free journey, ‘It’s an amazing freedom’

“It’s 3 a.m. and my face is wet with tears. I’m Googling, ‘Am I an alcoholic?’ I never thought I’d be here. I had a glass or two most weekends during pregnancy. Why does this keep happening?”

Sophia San Filippo - Dec 02, 2020

‘You’ll never amount to ANYTHING.’ After a decade of living with the only family I knew, I was moved. I blew it again.’: Woman shares experience in foster system, ‘Thank you to the foster parents who love on us’

“I watched as we passed the downtown buildings, saw them fade. ‘Where in heck are they taking me?’ I BEGGED to go back home. I didn’t even have my sister with me.”

Sophia San Filippo - Dec 02, 2020

‘Ew, what are those?’ I was ashamed of myself. I constantly tried to hide my scars. What was I doing wrong?’: Woman shares struggles with keloid scars, ‘They’re my beauty marks’

“Right after brushing my teeth, I put on a bunch of toothpaste all over my face, chest, and back. I was a minty mess. I hid in high cut shirts and makeup. Anxiety became my best friend.”

Sophia San Filippo - Dec 01, 2020

‘Turn that light on and off 50 times so no one in your family dies.’ I’d freak out. I was fighting an internal battle every day.’: Mental health advocate details life with OCD, says ‘be kind to yourself’

“I’d have to wash my hands at least six times or I started believing somebody was going to die. I’d sit in my room and cry for hours. I felt watched and trapped in this space. At some point, I felt anxious even leaving my house.”

Sophia San Filippo - Dec 01, 2020

‘I want to be normal.’ People around me were always talking. I felt so lonely in my own world. I struggled to accept my deafness.’: Woman becomes hearing loss advocate, ‘I can do anything’

“I saw an ad about a deaf dog in a shelter and decided I MUST meet him! He captured my heart. I knew he was going home with me. I felt this special bond when I met him. I could feel the way he experienced the world.”

Sophia San Filippo - Nov 30, 2020