After her divorce, Sofia Vergara studied pre-dentistry at a university in Colombia for three years. Then, many opportunities arose to work in modeling and in show business, and Vergara decided to pursue these in Latin America, leaving her two semesters shy of graduating from dental school. Soon she decided to move to Miami, Florida, to take advantage of opportunities and to move away from unrest in Colombia (her older brother had been murdered in 1998 during an attempt to kidnap him that went awry). She brought her son, mother and sister with her. In 2002, Sofia Vergara was diagnosed and treated for thyroid cancer. Her sister Sandra is a movie and television actress.