Tiger's_Lily
*Very Proud Aussie!!*
What an incredible will to live this little girl has!!
I hope you all send the very best of vibes her way.
Brave little Sophie defies odds again
Date: 06/05/06
By Alyssa Braithwaite
Wellwishers have left candles, flowers, teddy bears and messages of support for the "bravest of the brave" outside the Sydney hospital where little Sophie Delezio is once again defying the odds.
Her doctor Jonny Taitz said the five-year-old had surprised him by fighting back from the brink after being critically injured in a car accident on Friday - the second to almost claim her life in almost three years.
"She really is a fighter," Dr Taitz said adding she had already proved doctors wrong the first time round.
"I didn't believe she would survive that first day (of the first accident).
"Everything she has done subsequently has proved the medical profession wrong," he said
Sophie suffered a broken jaw and shoulder bone, bruising to her head, numerous rib fractures and bleeding around her left lung when a car ploughed into her pram at a pedestrian crossing on Frenchs Forest Road in Seaforth, in Sydney's north, about 4pm (AEST).
She was in intensive care in a critical but stable condition at the Sydney Childrens Hospital, outside of which many people had left messages of support and burning candles.
A new blood clotting drug that helped save former Wallaby captain Phil Kearns' infant daughter late last year also has played a part in Sophie's survival.
So-called "wonder drug" - NovoSeven - only recently available in Australia helped stabilise her condition in the critical early stages of treatment.
It is the same drug used when Kearns' daughter Andie, only 19 months old at the time, suffered life-threatening abdominal injuries when she was accidentally run over by her father in the driveway of the family home last October.
Dr Taitz told a press conference that Sophie had been given NovoSeven to help stop her bleeding internally.
"Overnight she had some problems with further bleeding and we have managed to stabilise it," he said.
"There are a number of similarities in this case to Andie's, particularly with the damage to the ribs and the lung, and we did use the same drug in Andie's case and it had a really good outcome there."
NovoSeven is based on a naturally occurring protein in the blood involved in coagulation.
At the same press conference, Sophie's father Ron Delezio said the family was shocked and devastated by the accident.
"I just can't believe it's happened again," Mr Delezio said, holding back tears.
Mr Delezio said emergency workers, hospital staff, family and friends had formed vital "links in a chain" that helped her survive the accident.
"I put Sophie's survival firstly to her courage and her strength but I also ... believe in the old chain theory, links in the chain," he said.
"You know, if it wasn't for Careflight she mightn't be here now.
"If it wasn't for the Red Cross she would definitely not be here now.
"If it wasn't for the good staff of the children's hospital here and our friends at Westmead Children's Hospital she wouldn't be here now.
"If it wasn't for the love of her family and her friends and the prayers of the community she may not be here as well.
"You only need one weak link and we probably wouldn't have Sophie now."
It was the second life-threatening accident for the young girl, who was badly burnt in December 2003 when a car burst into flames after slamming into the Roundhouse Childcare Centre at Fairlight, in Sydney's northern beaches.
Sophie, then aged two, was pinned under the car and spent months in hospital, losing both feet, some fingers and her right ear.
Mr Delezio said the family was hoping for another miracle to help his daughter recover a second time.
An 80-year-old Frenchs Forest man, who was driving the sedan that hit Sophie, has been charged with dangerous driving occasioning grievous bodily harm, negligent driving causing grievous bodily harm, and failing to give way at a pedestrian crossing.
He was treated for shock at Manly Hospital and is due to appear at Manly Local Court on June 15.
Mr Delezio said while accidents do happen, something had to be done to make the pedestrian crossing where Sophie was hit safer.
"I've been across that pedestrian crossing myself, and have nearly been hit many many times," Mr Delezio said.
"It is a very dangerous crossing (and) something definitely needs to be done."
A statement issued by the RTA said plans to replace the Frenchs Forest Road crossing with traffic lights were currently in the design phase.
Sophie is expected to remain in intensive care and on a ventilator for at least three weeks.
I hope you all send the very best of vibes her way.
Brave little Sophie defies odds again
Date: 06/05/06
By Alyssa Braithwaite
Wellwishers have left candles, flowers, teddy bears and messages of support for the "bravest of the brave" outside the Sydney hospital where little Sophie Delezio is once again defying the odds.
Her doctor Jonny Taitz said the five-year-old had surprised him by fighting back from the brink after being critically injured in a car accident on Friday - the second to almost claim her life in almost three years.
"She really is a fighter," Dr Taitz said adding she had already proved doctors wrong the first time round.
"I didn't believe she would survive that first day (of the first accident).
"Everything she has done subsequently has proved the medical profession wrong," he said
Sophie suffered a broken jaw and shoulder bone, bruising to her head, numerous rib fractures and bleeding around her left lung when a car ploughed into her pram at a pedestrian crossing on Frenchs Forest Road in Seaforth, in Sydney's north, about 4pm (AEST).
She was in intensive care in a critical but stable condition at the Sydney Childrens Hospital, outside of which many people had left messages of support and burning candles.
A new blood clotting drug that helped save former Wallaby captain Phil Kearns' infant daughter late last year also has played a part in Sophie's survival.
So-called "wonder drug" - NovoSeven - only recently available in Australia helped stabilise her condition in the critical early stages of treatment.
It is the same drug used when Kearns' daughter Andie, only 19 months old at the time, suffered life-threatening abdominal injuries when she was accidentally run over by her father in the driveway of the family home last October.
Dr Taitz told a press conference that Sophie had been given NovoSeven to help stop her bleeding internally.
"Overnight she had some problems with further bleeding and we have managed to stabilise it," he said.
"There are a number of similarities in this case to Andie's, particularly with the damage to the ribs and the lung, and we did use the same drug in Andie's case and it had a really good outcome there."
NovoSeven is based on a naturally occurring protein in the blood involved in coagulation.
At the same press conference, Sophie's father Ron Delezio said the family was shocked and devastated by the accident.
"I just can't believe it's happened again," Mr Delezio said, holding back tears.
Mr Delezio said emergency workers, hospital staff, family and friends had formed vital "links in a chain" that helped her survive the accident.
"I put Sophie's survival firstly to her courage and her strength but I also ... believe in the old chain theory, links in the chain," he said.
"You know, if it wasn't for Careflight she mightn't be here now.
"If it wasn't for the Red Cross she would definitely not be here now.
"If it wasn't for the good staff of the children's hospital here and our friends at Westmead Children's Hospital she wouldn't be here now.
"If it wasn't for the love of her family and her friends and the prayers of the community she may not be here as well.
"You only need one weak link and we probably wouldn't have Sophie now."
It was the second life-threatening accident for the young girl, who was badly burnt in December 2003 when a car burst into flames after slamming into the Roundhouse Childcare Centre at Fairlight, in Sydney's northern beaches.
Sophie, then aged two, was pinned under the car and spent months in hospital, losing both feet, some fingers and her right ear.
Mr Delezio said the family was hoping for another miracle to help his daughter recover a second time.
An 80-year-old Frenchs Forest man, who was driving the sedan that hit Sophie, has been charged with dangerous driving occasioning grievous bodily harm, negligent driving causing grievous bodily harm, and failing to give way at a pedestrian crossing.
He was treated for shock at Manly Hospital and is due to appear at Manly Local Court on June 15.
Mr Delezio said while accidents do happen, something had to be done to make the pedestrian crossing where Sophie was hit safer.
"I've been across that pedestrian crossing myself, and have nearly been hit many many times," Mr Delezio said.
"It is a very dangerous crossing (and) something definitely needs to be done."
A statement issued by the RTA said plans to replace the Frenchs Forest Road crossing with traffic lights were currently in the design phase.
Sophie is expected to remain in intensive care and on a ventilator for at least three weeks.
