WRITING SOPHIE'S STORY

Ten days before Christmas 2003, children taking their afternoon nap at the Roundhouse Daycare Centre, were unaware of the out-of-control car about to crash through the doors and into the midst of them all. Incredibly, no child was killed, but Sophie Delezio has the story of that day written over her little body.

Sophie suffered third-degree burns to most of her body. She lost both feet, some fingers and her right ear. Her survival was a miracle. Two years later, the unthinkable happened - Sophie was hit by a car on a pedestrian crossing and thrown 18 metres, once again left with near-fatal injuries.

UTS graduate Sally Collings (B. Arts in Communication, '84) has put pen to paper to tell Sophie's story. "I was invited to write Sophie's Journey. Sophie's parents, Ron and Carolyn, approached HarperCollins Publishers with the idea for a book and HarperCollins teamed them up with me," says Sally.

"Ron and Carolyn had decided to tell Sophie's story as a way of acknowledging the many people who were involved in saving her life, helping her recovery and caring for her day-to-day."

Sally says, "Writing the book was very emotionally challenging. I was talking to people who were describing what it was like to smell charred flesh; people at the accident who were shadowed by guilt that they didn't do more to help; nurses who were present when Sophie's feet were amputated. It was very confronting, (but) also uplifting, because Sophie and her family have a remarkably positive approach to life. Like the rest of Australia, I was deeply touched by Sophie's story."

Sally didn't always have her heart set on being an author. Originally, she was determined to be a hard-hitting journalist. Then, fresh from university, Sally landed a job as an assistant editor in a book publishing company, a role that shaped her career trajectory. "I went to London and worked there for eight years, becoming editorial director of a small book publishing house."

Homesick watching the 2000 Olympics on British television, Sally decided to return to Sydney. "I became associate publisher (non-fiction) at HarperCollins Publishers, then went freelance as a writer, editor and publishing consultant after the birth of my first daughter. I never thought of writing a book until mid-2006, when Sophie's Journey came along. I couldn't have wished for a better project for my first book."

After the immediate success of Sophie's Journey - hitting book shelves at number two on the Dymocks 'Best Seller' list, Sally is now negotiating the contract for her second book.

"I love having responsibility for my day and flexibility, but I kind of miss the regular pay cheque that comes with a 'proper job'," she says, "but, I'd like to think Sophie's Journey will contribute to helping people see the person rather than the injury or disability, not just for Sophie, but for anyone in a wheelchair, or with scarring or amputations. I believe there is a richer, deeper life that runs behind and beyond the one we see and feel."