Burns girl Sophie to go home at last: [1 All-round Country Edition]
Stapleton, John. The Australian; Canberra, A.C.T. [Canberra, A.C.T] 21 June 2004: 3.
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Abstract
Yesterday her delighted parents, Ron Delezio and Carolyn Martin, who have been constantly by their daughter’s side, paid tribute to themedical staff who ensured her survival and people who sent gifts, drawings and cards. Sophie’s survival is being attributed to her indomitable spirit and also to groundbreaking technology.
Full Text
THREE-year-old Sophie Delezio, who suffered some of the worst burn injuries doctors had seen, will be going home today.
The toddler and her playmate Molly Wood received horrendous burns in December last year when a runaway car crashed into theRoundhouse Childcare Centre at Fairlight on Sydney’s northern beaches.
Molly went home in March after 18 rounds of surgery for burns to 40per cent of her body.
But Sophie had burns to 85 per cent of her body, lost both her feet and some fingers. For quite some time she did not realise how bad her injuries were.
Few thought she would survive, yet she is due to leave Westmead Children’s Hospital in western Sydney at 11am today.
Yesterday her delighted parents, Ron Delezio and Carolyn Martin, who have been constantly by their daughter’s side, paid tribute to themedical staff who ensured her survival and people who sent gifts, drawings and cards. Sophie’s survival is being attributed to her indomitable spirit and also to groundbreaking technology.
Due to her age and the severity of her injuries, Sophie could not be treated with normal skin grafts. Three medical experts devised a treatment that combined three different techniques to rebuild skin on her body.
Her doctor, Peter Hayward, said the courageous little girl still had a long way to go. “Sophie will continue to visit the hospital several times a week, and will need many more operations in coming years.”
When asked what she was most looking forward to after leaving hospital, Sophie said: “Lying on the grass with mummy and daddy, looking at the stars and the moon and eating lollies.”