MY AMAZING NEW LIFE IN LONDON!
Fearless Sophie Delezio is proving to herself – and the world – that her disabilities do not define her as she forges a new life in the UK
Looking right at home on the other side of the world, a beaming Sophie Delezio strolls along a cobbled street in an ancient city that has utterly stolen her heart.
“I feel like a Londoner already,” she smiles. The brave 18-year-old has left Australia behind – “possibly forever!” – for new adventures in London, and she’s determined to let nothing prevent her from living life to the full.
INDEPENDENT WOMAN
“I love it here so much,” an excited Sophie tells Woman’s Day as she marks the two-month anniversary of her new life as an independent woman.
“I always planned to study overseas and forge a different path for myself, but I had no idea where until my first visit to London a few years ago. That’s when I felt an immediate connection to this city and fell completely in love.
“There’s so much on offer, it just ticked every box for me, plus I’m lucky enough to have British citizenship thanks to my mum being born here. When people ask what visa I’m on, I proudly say, ‘Nope, don’t need one.’
“It feels like my move to London was absolutely meant to be!”
‘My move to London was meant to be’
Landing in the bustling metropolis of eight million people just 18 days before her deadline of choosing a school and what to study, there was much to do. Sophie’s first frantic weeks passed in a blur as she researched universities. She decided on a four-year degree in social anthropology at SOAS University of London, which won her over with its central location and small campus.
She will move to student housing there when her course starts in September, and is looking forward to studying
hard again once her burst of freedom is over. Until then, her rented apartment, just steps from a tube station and bus stop, is proving the perfect base from which to explore her new world.
PARK LIFE
Although “not a touristy person,” Sophie did do a quick runaround of Buckingham Palace, London Bridge and the Tower of London with a visiting friend, before dialling down her energy level to focus on the capital’s many parks. Discovering a different green space each week has become her new favourite thing to do.
“There are so many hidden ones, and it’s so peaceful sitting on a shaded bench by yourself for hours reading a book – something I’d never have thought of doing back in Sydney!” she laughs.
The former drama student has also fulfilled a long-held dream by lining up to see every
West End production on her wishlist – a dizzying total of 11 plays and musicals.
Through daily Skype and Facetime calls to parents Ron and Carolyn and big brother Mitch, Sophie has also shared every exciting happening with her family.
“I miss them of course, but they will all travel to see me at various times in the next six months. Mum and Dad give me lots of helpful advice, but they were very relaxed about me coming over here – there were no provisos. They know me pretty well, that if they told me, ‘Sophie you shouldn’t do that’, I probably still will,” she grins.
“They’re so great. Even though they suspect I’ll do some stupid things and make a few mistakes, they are still letting me do this all on my own.”
Even London’s notoriously fickle weather feels perfect for Sophie, especially those drizzly, grey days when the sun refuses to shine.
“For me, those are magic,” she laughs. “After everything I‘ve gone through, I am unable to sweat, apart from on my face, so my body can’t release heat efficiently. I bottle it all up inside, which can get quite uncomfortable. That’s why I appreciate that it’s been mostly cold since I got here, and I celebrate if the temperature stays below b 20 degrees! Loving winter as I do and hating summer with a passion, I don’t miss Australia’s heatwaves. h This is pure relief – and definitely my kind of place.”
Sophie’s condition is a legacy of her harrowing past, which is w well known to Australians who h have followed her story. The 2003 car crash at the then-two-yearold’s childcare centre burnt 85 p per cent of her body and caused t the eventual loss of most of her skin, along with her right ear, the fingers from her right hand and both b lower legs.
Still in and out of intensive care for two years, she was then hit by a car on a pedestrian crossing and left with bleeding on the brain b and other trauma.
Despite it all – the endless surgeries, the constant pain she now regards as “second nature”, and her matter-of-fact revelation that t she is tending no fewer than five open wounds on the ends of her h thighs due to the pressure of her prosthetics – an upbeat Sophie just does what she has to do with a minimum of fuss.
In London, this means establishing a routine of dressing her wounds every day while checking carefully for the signs of infection and setting up a local network of pharmacies and doctors, as well as an emergency surgeon, just in case.
‘JUST LIKE ANYONE ELSE’
“The most likely scenario is that I need a skin graft – but that hasn’t happened lately, so fingers
‘I love London... At this stage, I’m staying for good’
crossed,” says Sophie. “But I suppose I could fall over and break something – anything’s possible, because I’m just like anyone else!”
That philosophy is also the key to Sophie’s new life in the UK.
“Probably because my parents set me up so well in Australia, I’ve never felt defined by my injuries. But I’ve always wanted to build my own life without restrictions, away from my disability. And London has been the best place for that,” says Sophie.
“Moving all the way to the other side of the world might be a drastic way of gaining total independence for myself – but it’s worked!
“I love London and my life here so far. Only time will tell, but at this stage, I’m staying for good!”