'I suffered near fatal stroke at birth but Metallica saves me'

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An 11-year-old girl who suffered a stroke almost immediately after birth, leaving her with severe disabilities, has said the heavy metal band Metallica "saves her".

Sofia-Rose Dobson suffered a severe stroke moments after she was born in 2014, which nearly claimed her life.

Though the cause of the stroke is unknown, Sofia's mother Sarah, 48, said it has resulted in blindness, cerebral palsy, autism and Infantile Epileptic Spasms Syndrome (IESS), which leads to regular seizures - some of which have been life-threatening.

Sarah said Sofia is "constantly fighting" and regularly receives hospital treatment, but despite the challenges she faces, she is always trying to help other children.

When she was three years old, Sofia heard Metallica for the first time, beginning a lifelong love of the heavy metal band.

Sarah is currently fundraising for tickets for their tour next year to make Sofia's "dream come true".

"It makes me feel safe and it stops me being scared. It saves me," Sofia told PA Real Life.

Sarah added: "It's cute and funny seeing such a small girl headbanging to Metallica.

"But it really does help her. She finds it incredibly difficult going in and out of hospital all the time.

"I'm proud of her. She fights all the time. She could have just given up."

Sofia was born in February 2014.

Her mother Sarah said "nothing untoward" happened during her pregnancy and labour, but moments after Sofia was born, she suffered a severe stroke and was put on life support for two days.

Sofia, from Warrington in Cheshire, was hastily baptised in the hospital, as it was presumed she would not survive.

"Doctors said that if she had been an adult, she wouldn't be here today, but Sofia had other ideas," Sarah said.

When she was six months old, Sarah said Sofia began having seizures and it was discovered she had IESS, a rare form of epilepsy which affects roughly one in 3,000 children, according to the charity Epilepsy Action.

When she was around 12 months old, she was diagnosed as certified blind with a condition called Homonymous Hemianopsia, which is "visual field loss on the same side of the visual field in both eyes", according to the NHS.

"She only sees half the world," Sarah says.

"She can't go anywhere on her own, and she bumps into things all the time.

"She'd love to learn to ride a bike but she can't. It really affects her independence."

As Sofia grew up, it became clear her right arm and leg were not functioning and she was diagnosed with cerebral palsy and dystonia, a movement disorder which causes the muscles to contract, along with autism later on.

It is understood all these conditions were caused by the stroke.

Sofia is currently at the Royal School for the Blind in Liverpool, which she loves, and Sarah says she cannot wait to go to school in the mornings.

"The staff are amazing and she feels like she really fits in," Sarah said.

Since she was very young, Sarah said Sofia "realised she was different" and has always tried to help other children.

Sofia began to raise awareness and funds for the Stroke Association, cutting the banner for a game at Warrington Rugby Stadium and helping people understand that children can suffer from strokes too.

In 2019, she was awarded the Warrington Guardian's Child of the Year award from her local newspaper, and Sarah said Sofia continues to do everything she can to help others.

"It's just in her nature. She's very caring. She says if she can go through, it others can too," Sarah said.

In 2021, Sofia was given a pet bichon frise dog named Matilda and they have formed an extraordinary connection.

Matilda can predict when Sofia is about to have a seizure, circling her moments before it happens and giving Sarah a crucial warning.

In July 2023, she wrote a letter to the King and then-prime minister Rishi Sunak, asking for help to improve access to leisure facilities like parks and swimming pools.

However, Sofia continues to be affected by her conditions and spends long periods in Alder Hey Children's Hospital in Liverpool.

Sarah said her cerebral palsy and dystonia have caused her leg to twist in on itself, and this required a significant operation in 2024, from which she is still recovering.

She also continues to experience severe epileptic seizures which make her "drop like a rag doll", according to Sarah.

As well as her resilience, care and achievements, perhaps the most remarkable thing about Sofia is her obsession with the heavy metal band Metallica.

Sofia first overheard her father playing the band's music when she was just three.

She was instantly hooked and since then has been a dedicated fan, listening to their music every single day on her 86-mile round journey to school.

"Then she listens to it on repeat when we get home too and she has all the merch -- including special Metallica shoes and we've just ordered a Metallica cover for her wheelchair," Sarah said.

Her favourite song is the eight-minute 1986 track Master Of Puppets from the album of the same name, which the music magazine Pitchfork describes as "inarguably one of the greatest metal albums of all time".

"You'll often see us driving round listening to Metallica, the windows down, and Sofia headbanging," Sarah says.

"I know it's cute as she's such a small girl, but it really does help her, especially when she's in hospital.

"The other day, a band came in to play nursery rhymes to the children and Sofia had them all playing Metallica.

"And when the Duchess of Edinburgh visited her school, Sofia told her all about them and when the Duchess went home, she listened to some."

Now, Sarah is currently fundraising to buy Sofia tickets to the band's 2026 UK tour.

"Her dream is to meet the band so that she can say thank you for saving her," Sarah said.

"Hopefully we can raise enough money as that would be life changing.

"I'm so proud of her for everything she's done.

"She could have given up, but she fights all the time."

To find out more or donate, visit the GoFundMe page at: gofundme.com/f/born-broken-but-metallica-saved-her-help-sofia-say-thank.

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