Sophie Has A Happy Birthday In Hospital
Sun Herald
Sunday April 4, 2004
ONE of two girls critically injured when a car crashed through a preschool nearly four months ago, celebrated her third birthday in hospital yesterday.
Sophie Joy Delezio underwent life-saving surgery three times, but lost both her feet, after a car driven by 68-year-old Donald McNeall ploughed through the Roundhouse Childcare Centre at Fairlight and burst into flames on December 15.
Sophie's two-year-old playmate Molly Wood was also trapped beneath the burning car, which was dragged off them by locals. Yesterday, Sophie's family and friends, including Molly, crowded into the burns unit of the Children's Hospital at Westmead to celebrate with their little miracle.
``Not too many people would have given her much chance to make this birthday the burns that she suffered were catastrophic," Sophie's godfather, former Olympic swimming gold medallist Mark Tonelli, said.
``It's just so refreshing and heart-warming to see her acting and reacting like a little three-year-old, like she was today."
Mr Tonelli said Sophie played children's party favourite pass-the-parcel and enjoyed a dinosaur-themed birthday cake with her guests.
Sophie, who suffered third-degree burns to 80 per cent of her body, is still covered in bandages and will undergo another three operations to graft the remaining 10 per cent of her damaged skin.
Mr Tonelli said infection was still the greatest threat to Sophie's progress, but if the next few weeks went well she could be stable within a month.
Molly, discharged from hospital a month ago, will celebrate her third birthday this week with her family in Manly.
© 2004 Sun Herald
