She’s the little girl who endured two major accidents before her sixth birthday – now she’s being bullied.
Sophie Delezio, the Sydney girl who showed incredible inner strength and determination by overcoming two major accidents before the age of six, says she’s being bullied, but refuses to let it get her down.
In an interview with New Idea magazine, the young survivor explains she receives whispers and stares on the streets and at school.
But at just 14 years old, Delezio has acquired some incredible perspective at such a young age.
“I’m used to it by now, people can be bitchy – sometimes it’s totally Gossip Girl – but I don’t really care about it. That’s more their problem than mine,” she told New Idea.
At just age two, Delezio suffered burns to 85% of her body, lost both her legs, some of her fingers and part of her right ear when she was trapped under a burning car which ploughed into the child care centre where she was enrolled.
Just three years later, she was hit by another car when her nanny was pushing her wheelchair across a pedestrian crossing. As a result of the accident Delezio had a heart attack, broke her jaw and shoulder and also fractured her ribs.
Read more: Sophie Delezio is all grown up. Now, she dreams of becoming a Paralympian.
But with her trademark positive attitude, she’s refusing to let the bullies win, or to stray from dreaming big. She recently declared her desire to row for the Australian Paralympic team.
Her dad Ron says he loves that Sophie sees the sky as the limit.
“Sophie lives life to the fullest, more than most able-bodied people, and that’s one of the things I find amazing,” he told New Idea.
Delezio also says she’d like to try her hand at acting and is taking classes at the National Institute of Dramatic Art.
We look forward to seeing more positive outcomes for Sophie Delezio after such a traumatic start to life.
Top Comments
Wow! Sophie is all grown up!! What a stunning young lady. I wish her well in her endeavours to row in the Paralympics. I love hearing and reading stories about Sophie, she is such a positive role model for kids and parents alike. Congrats to her parents, they must be amazing people to have raised such an amazing girl :)
My dad had Motor Neuron & became wheelchair bound & kids would always point or stare & it was the parents who didn't know how to react. Kids would come up & ask why he was in a wheelchair, or why he was dribbling, or why he looked funny sometimes, to which mum or I would say he needed a wheelchair to get around as his legs didn't work so well anymore. That his face would look funny as he might be in pain and the dribbling was because he couldn't control it anymore. They would invariably say "ok" & move on.
Same as when mum had cancer in her face. She was quite swollen & disfigured for ages & it was the kids who asked while the parents looked away.
People please, smile, ask, engage, don't think you can't. If for some reason that person is a bit curt, be ok with it, because possibly they have just endured someone being rude. It costs nothing to show compassion.
Sophie is a very special person and we must take an example of how brave is she. This will help us in our daily struggles with difficulties, e. g., by following Sophie' and her family's example we will be inspired by them and less prompt to ailments as depression or anxiety. I do applaud Sophie and her family and thank them for showing the rest of us that in life we must be brave and fight the adversities.