That Time Sofia Vergara Helped Save A Sick Colombian Boy

Sofia Vergara in Modern Family

Sofia Vergara is a life-saver, literally. During last night's "An Unforgettable Evening" gala, hosted by the Women's Cancer Research Foundation, the Modern Family actress revealed that she came to the aid of a sick young boy in need in Colombia who needed cancer treatment that was unavailable at his local hospital. Thanks to her efforts, the boy is alive, which is why Vergara received the Courage Award at the prestigious ceremony. Vergara explained:

One of my greatest joys is working with the wonderful team at St. Jude's Children's Hospital. Just this month, actually, I was contacted by a family in Colombia with a son who needed an urgent bone marrow transplant, and the doctors in Colombia had the technology to do it but they couldn't provide the aftercare following the procedure. The people from St. Jude's transported the child and his family immediately. After a week, they were here and they were able to start the treatment.

Sofia Vergara was honored alongside Jennifer Hudson during this event, as reported by THR. As someone who has dealt with cancer herself 18 years ago, Vergara knows the struggle that comes with the debilitating disease. That's why she works with organizations like St. Jude to improve our world. She talked about her history with thyroid cancer on the red carpet with her husband, Joe Manganiello, and she explained what she hoped to achieve, saying:

I think everybody has a panic attack when that phone call happens. But I think the important thing is that when you get lucky like me, that it was something that didn't have to kill me, then to do stuff like this to try to support causes like this to fund the research. We need money. Money is what is needed to fund research, and that's why we're all here tonight.

Sofia Vergara was introduced by Rita Wilson, who celebrated Vergara's accomplishments by recognizing the "remarkable" triumphs of women today. Wilson said:

We're all living in remarkable times, and in remarkable times, it's probably a good idea to take a step back and listen to the voices of women who helped make these times of reckoning possible. And here in 2018 when it appears that time is finally up I am reminded of the words of the legendary suffragette Elizabeth Cady Stanton who once said these wise and timeless words, 'The best protection any woman can have is courage.'... Courage, that is a word that too many of us even in this room grew up associated with men rather than women and now we've seen in recent days in our business and in the students of Parkland, Florida, courage comes in every shape and size and gender and all ages too. Those of us who have fought the good fight against cancer know that there is no weapon quite like courage, the courage to take care of not just of ourselves but of others.

When Sofia Vergara isn't saving lives and making the world a better place with her triumphant efforts, she'll be appearing in a few upcoming projects. She'll next be seen in the crime thriller Bent, set to be released on March 9, and she'll star in the comedy The Brits Are Coming and the drama Stano (which also stars Joe Manganiello) later this year. Vergara can also, of course, be seen on Modern Family, which is currently airing its ninth season on ABC.

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Will Ashton

Will is an entertainment writer based in Pittsburgh, PA. His writing can also be found in The Playlist, Cut Print Film, We Got This Covered, The Young Folks, Slate and other outlets. He also co-hosts the weekly film/TV podcast Cinemaholics with Jon Negroni and he likes to think he's a professional Garfield enthusiast.