Sofia Vergara faced many hardships during her modeling days in Colombia and even after becoming one of the most popular personalities in television at the age of 17. Vergara was discovered by a modeling scout while she was taking a stroll on the beach. She was studying pre-dentistry at the time, but dropped out of school to pursue her dream career in the entertainment industry.
A year later when she was 18, Sophia got married to her highschool sweetheart Joe Gonzales and became a proud mother to a boy who she named Manoah, but the marriage didn’t last long. Vergara and Gonzales got divorced after two years of marriage. That was how she took on the responsibilities of being a single working mother.
Sophia relocated to Miami to pursue and take advantage of more opportunities that lay ahead in the entertainment industry. But life was not easy for Sofia. Things took a tragic turn when Sofia’s brother Rafael was killed in a failed kidnapping attempt.
“We come from a successful family and he knew he was a target for kidnapping. He always had bodyguards, then one day he went out alone and was shot dead. I was devastated,” she said.
Sophia was rising slowly to popularity as the host of the Spanish language game show by Univision called “I dare you.” Time and faith tested Sofia again when a routine doctor’s checkup found something unexpected. Sofia was only 28 when she was diagnosed with thyroid cancer.
“It was very traumatic! I was young I had a young son but I tried not to panic. I decided to take charge in him for myself,” she said.
Sofia learned that she would have to undergo surgery to remove her thyroid gland, the organ that makes a hormone that helps control many of the body’s function including temperature, heart rate, how calories and vitamins are used and more.
After that, Vergara spent several days in the hospital, in isolation, while she received treatment with radioactive iodine that would wipe out any remaining cancer cells. Not even the nurses could come close, they practically threw in her food through a hole in the door. That kind of cancer is very quiet and usually, you only realize you have it after it has already spread and it’s much harder to treat.
Sofia’s life changed and her acting career took off brilliantly after the cancer episode. She landed good roles in movies like ‘Big Trouble’ and ‘Chasing Papi.’ These movies made her a recognizable face in acting. She landed more significant roles in movies that followed.
Related: How Maria Carey overcame discrimination and failure to become a music legend.
Sofia became a household name in the success of ‘Modern Family’ as she paved her way into the audience’s hearts with her loud, warm-hearted and funny character.
Prestigious award nominations like Emmy, Golden Globe and SAG soon followed after the meteoric rise of the popularity of her character. Today, Sofia Vergara remains one of the top earning actresses in US television.
Sophia’s inspiring story is a clear example to the fact that hard work and perseverance are the two major things which make up the elixir for success. It’s her undying dedication and sheer positivity in the face of crisis that made Sophia the person she is today.
