A dive into freedom with Vanni Oddera and Benedetta De Luca

Accessible video transcript

[00:00–00:08]

[Shots of the coastline of Capo Milazzo, in Sicily, on a sunny day. Vanni Oddera and Benedetta travel in a Jeep along scenic roads.]

[00:10]

Vanni: Benedetta, one strength and one weakness?

[00:11]

Benedetta: I’m brave. A weakness—I’m chronically late.

[00:14]

Vanni: Why do you say yours is a mermaid life?

[00:16]

Benedetta: I was born with a rare condition called sacral agenesis, but in more severe cases it’s called sirenomelia, so you can be born with your legs fused, just like a mermaid. And also because, like the Little Mermaid, I wished I could have a pair of normal legs to walk.

[00:31]

Vanni: What’s your relationship with beauty?

[00:32]

Benedetta: For many years people told me, “it’s a shame you’re disabled, otherwise you would have been really beautiful,” so I wanted to break that prejudice. I organized several fashion shows, also with models with disabilities, to show that we are all beautiful.

[00:44]

Vanni: How do you deal with everyday challenges?

[00:46]

Benedetta: I face them with a smile, but above all with the awareness that it’s something normal.

[00:51]

Vanni: What’s your relationship with driving?

[00:52]

Benedetta: If I could, I’d drive for hours and hours. I really love driving—in fact, it relaxes me a lot. And the car is kind of like my legs, so it gives me incredible independence.

[01:02]

Vanni: You brought me here, but now are you ready for your mermaid challenge?

[01:06]

Benedetta: I’m absolutely ready to dive in!

[01:07–01:40]

[Benedetta and Vanni go scuba diving in the sea, wearing wetsuits, masks, and fins, accompanied by two experts. Underwater, they swim near the seabed among fish and an octopus. Then the car is seen setting off again.]