We have all heard "everything happens for a reason but all to often when tragedy strikes we are left looking for the reason. Well, here is a story that starts off horribly but the finish is Disney Like and sure to inspire.
In December of 2005 a dolphin was rescued off the coast of The Canaveral National Seashore after becoming entangled in a crab trap. She was transported to the Clearwater Marine Aquariumin Clearwater, Florida where she received treatment for her wounds. This is a story of a special Dolphin named Winter. At 18 months old, the only way to save her was to amputate her tail that was badly damaged from being tangled in the crab trap. The concern for Winter was without her tail she would swim from side to side and that would lead to further damage to her spine and possibly death. A group of experts that included the Clearwater Marine, The Florida Aquarium and Sea World began to design a prosthetic tail that would attach to Winter's body. When you understand the love that went into rescuing Winter, You'll know why Liv Fashion is not only about fashion, it's about livin. Liv 2 Give is a charity ( www.seewinter.com) that is dedicated to helping pay for the enormous cost of caring for Winter. You can also register at www.livfashion.com for updates on Winter's rehab and how you can support the Clearwater Marine Aquarium.
Now for the really cool part. This dying baby dolphin cast into a strange new world that was the end of one thing and the miraculous beginning of another. With her prosthetic tail she would become the inspiration of every child that shared the challenge of living life without a limb. She would be claimed by science and claimed by children. She'd become famous, appear on television. People from around the World would travel to Clearwater, Florida just to see Winter and she would help them feel whole. " They'd call her Winter. "
Watch the following video for Mike Wilson's with The St. Petersburg Times story of how a local fisherman Jim Savage found this baby dolphin "gasping for breath" as she was desperately trying to free herself from the crab trap. Warning though, have tissue in hand.
http://www.tampabay.com/specials/2008/reports/winter/
Five years later, Winter's story has become known World Wide and Hollywood is scheduled to release "Dolphin Tale in the fall of 2011.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jdpg9NsgEaI
An impossible dream, a symbol of hope, a world of inspiration, Winter gave us hope. Through this one tragic event, lives have changed, children who were embarrassed of their disability see themselves now through a different light, and a aquarium that was scheduled to close is now on track for a multi- million dollar expansion as they prepare for crowds of up to 4,000 people a day that come to see this little dolphin that refused to die.
Everything does happen for a reason and sometimes we know the reason.
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