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’m calling about 2 brothers.’ They were dumped off with a trash bag. We weren’t prepared for more than one.’: Couple foster siblings, ‘We don’t want them to be statistics’

“We became parents immediately. I realized I should have listened a little harder during the ‘Parenting Through Trauma’ section.”

Sophia San Filippo - Nov 17, 2020

Dear Daughters—Don’t Let The High School Lunchroom Label Follow You

“Because nice girl, mean girl, sleep-around girl? You just don’t have time for it. You are going to shake the world, and bring it to its knees.”

Sophia San Filippo - Nov 17, 2020

I’m The Woman Living With AIDS, And It’s Time We End The Stigma

“I was born in 1986 with HIV, and I was seven when I received an AIDS diagnosis.”

Sophia San Filippo - Nov 17, 2020

My Dad Cried The Day I Went To Rehab, And The Day He Walked His Sober Daughter Down The Aisle

“I called my dad crying and told him the truth. I was living a secret life, raising a 4-year-old. Not once did he scold me or judge me. He came to my rescue.”

Sophia San Filippo - Nov 17, 2020

‘My mug shot was on the news. ‘I’ve been using drugs and I’m in trouble. I don’t want to live.’ The nurse said, ‘You’re in the right place.’: Woman overcomes addiction, ‘I help people like me’

“I contemplated if I was in love with the pills and white powder he seemed to always have or if I loved him. Any loyalty I had eventually shifted to the drugs.”

Sophia San Filippo - Nov 16, 2020

‘We’ll need swings for two babies.’ I told my daughter, ‘Not this time.’ Then my doctor whispered, ‘You won’t believe this.’: Woman gives birth to preemie rainbow twins

“My doctor scanned back and forth. ’There’s two.’ I looked at my daughter, who had her arms folded. She said, very matter-of-factly, ‘I told you.’”

Sophia San Filippo - Nov 16, 2020

‘My mom is sick and can’t look after me.’ When someone asks, ‘What does adoption mean?’ he says, ‘It means I stay with my mama and dad forever.’: Couple foster 15 kids, adopt, ‘No child should go without love’

“The judge said, ‘When I stamp this, he is legally your son.’ I’ve never seen my husband cry like he did then. No child should ever go without love and safety. No child should ever have to worry about anything other than just being a kid.”

Sophia San Filippo - Nov 16, 2020

‘How can you hurt yourself when you’re pregnant?’ I wasn’t the mother I dreamed of being. I was scared, not excited.’: Woman recovers from self-harm addiction for son, ‘We’re not alone’

“My addiction was the only thing bringing me peace. Keeping it a secret made me feel stronger. I felt like I was going to let my son down before I even had him.”

Sophia San Filippo - Nov 13, 2020

‘I’ve been a mom for 27 years. I still have no idea what I’m doing, but God does.’: Mom says ‘a family that prays together, stays together’

“I’ve watched him carry all the slack and fill in every gap as I’ve fumbled my way through the heart rush and heartache of raising three kids. When we pray, time seems to stand still. All the noise in the world fades, and we are able to experience the fullness of God’s abundant love.”

Sophia San Filippo - Nov 13, 2020

‘She’s been exposed to drugs.’ The last thing we needed was MORE kids. I accepted the challenge’: Mom of 4 opens home to foster kids, ‘It’s who we are now’

“The truth is, I needed another kid like I needed a hole in the head. Every place I looked, I would see something about foster care. God was trying to tell me something.”

Sophia San Filippo - Nov 13, 2020