Winter the Dolphin

Winter with her new tail

         Winter is a bottlenose dolphin who lost her tail in a crab trap when she was a baby. She was rushed to the Clearwater Marine Hospital in Florida. They realized the only way to save her was to cut off her tail. She could not swim like a normal dolphin should, so she taught herself to swim. She used a side-to-side motion. 

The marine biologists realized that the side- to- side motion was damaging her spine. Like us humans, if the spinal column gets damaged, it could cause death. Dr. McCarthy, prosthetic designer, volunteered to design a prosthetic tail for Winter.  The first tail he put on her she broke by slamming it against the wall several times.  

         They tried another tail, but Winter still refused. They finally figured out it was the sock, because it rubbed like a seatbelt. After tons of tries to find a soft enough sock for Winter, Dr. McCarthy created a solution called Winter's Gel. When they placed the sock over the tail she started to swim correctly.

         We chose Winter for our hero, because she encouraged people to do their best. She gives lame or disabled people hope. We think that what she did was amazing because lots of people are losing hope nowadays. 

Winter without her tail

Job 6:8:"Oh, that I might have my request, that God would grant what I hope for". This applies to Winter's story because she gives people hope.