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Last Friday I took my children to see the move “Dolphin Tale” (http://www.pluggedin.com/movies/intheaters/dolphintale.aspx), which is loosely based on a book “Winter’s Tail” (http://www.amazon.com/Winters-Tail-Little-Dolphin-Learned/dp/0545348307/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1317559778&sr=1-1), which is based on the true story of a dolphin named Winter who was found on the shores of Mosquito Lagoon (near Cape Canaveral, Florida) in December of 2006. Her tail was wrapped in the rope of a crab trap and eventually Doctors were forced to Amputate her tail plus 2 vertebrae. She developed spinal deformity (sort of like Scoliosis for Dolphins) because she was compensating for loss of her tail by swimming in a side to side motion, instead of an up and down motion. Because of this spinal deformity, they feared for her life, as they thought her organs would be negatively impacted (after all, we know that every function of the body passes through the spine – it’s VERY important!) So, leading animal expert Dr. Mike Walsh joined forces with Hangar Prosthetics and Orthotics to create a prosthetic tail for Winter. Amazing! What caught my attention the most, though, was how crucial it was to come up with the best barrier for Winter to go between her flesh and her brace. They had to invent a silicon gel just for her to make the prosthetic rub her skin as little as possible. Well, I’ve spent the last few years coming up with solutions to help people be more comfortable in their braces, through comfortable and functional barriers between their skin and their brace, so this really struck a chord with me! And, this gel they invented for Winter has helped many people in prostheses as well! Bravo! But, what struck a chord with my kids was Winter’s brave battle against her disability. Most dolphins would have died. Not Winter. She didn’t let a disability stop her, and I’m pretty sure my kids won’t either. What a comfort to them that a cute, funny Dolphin has undergone the same trials of wearing a brace as they have and still enjoys life to the fullest.

If you’d like to read the story of Winter, you can check out the Clearwater Marine Aquarium website (http://seewinter.com/winter/winters-story). You can also plan a trip to see Winter and/or donate toward her new home. I look forward to my children and I visiting Winter in January, when we take a trip to Florida. Don’t worry, I’ll be sure to post photos!

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