Editor’s Note:  I saw this article on Sunday in our local paper.  So excited to see the story has been picked up world-wide]
[Source:  Tampa Bay Times]
Cieran Kelso sat quietly beside Winter, gently stroking the dolphin’s back as a trainer slid a liner, then Winter’s famed prosthetic tail, over her stump and secured it with a strap.
The 8-year-old boy could relate.
Cieran, a double amputee whose own custom-made prosthetic swim flippers made headlines in his native England, had performed a similar process countless times himself.
But on this morning, the experience was shared in a way Cieran never expected.
Local tourism officials flew Cieran and his family from England to Florida, surprising him with a visit to the Clearwater Marine Aquarium and a rare one-on-one swim with Winter, the star of the movie Dolphin Tale.
“There are some pretty raw feelings that go into seeing Cieran swim with the dolphin. His first words when he saw the film was ‘Winter’s disabled, just like me,’ ” said his father, Gary. “It’s just been a dolphin on a film for a long time and now it’s real. … It’s just a dream come true.”
Read the Rest of this Article on the Tampa Bay Times