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A Tail Of Survival

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By CARLOS MONCADA, The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 27, 2007

CLEARWATER - A Sarasota boy with a prosthetic leg. An Indiana girl with a missing limb. A wounded Iraq war veteran from Chicago.

All strangers, they gathered at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium on Friday, drawn by Winter, the tailless dolphin.

'I was really, really happy that I met somebody with the same thing,' said Katrina Simpkins, 8, of Columbia City, Ind., left with an artificial right leg from a birth defect. 'I felt really, really good that an animal was just like me.'

The aquarium hosted the visiting amputees to announce a new program: people with artificial limbs and severe disabilities can visit Winter, the dolphin who made worldwide news, said David Yates, CEO of the nonprofit marine animal rescue center.

Amputee support groups, including one at the James A. Haley VA Medical Center, have contacted the aquarium with stories of how Winter's tale of survival is an inspiration to those without limbs.

'It really caught us by surprise,' Yates said. 'We're very encouraged to see Winter's story inspire so many people.'

Winter lost her tail after being caught in a crab trap near Cape Canaveral in 2005. Just 3 months old then, she was not expected to live. The aquarium since has nursed the 2-year-old Atlantic bottlenose back to health and, with a team of experts, developed a prosthetic rear fin that was fitted on the dolphin for the first time in August.

Winter didn't take to the new device right away, just as amputees, particularly children, initially struggle to accept prostheses as part of their bodies.

'You always associate amputees with people all the time,' said Melissa Stockwell, 27, a retired Army first lieutenant from Chicago who lost her left leg in Baghdad in 2004. 'And with Winter and her story, it's the same type of struggle.'

The amputees on Friday got to see Winter fitted with her artificial tail, petted the dolphin in her tank and fed her fish.

'Winter relates to me because, like, she has to get used to her new fin and I had to get used to my new sockets and both my prosthetics,' said Anthony Burruto, 12, from New York and Orlando, who had two limbs amputated.

Alex Miller, 9, of Sarasota, was wearing an artificial right leg made with some of the same material used on Winter's fin.

'I think it's pretty cool,' he said.

The boy's prosthetic, which he received last week, was designed for running by Kevin Carroll of Hanger Orthopedic Group Inc., part of the team that developed Winter's artificial tail.

'Now he's going to be able to play with his friends again. He's like any other third-grader,' said Kathy Miller, Alex's mother.

'It seems like his whole attitude has changed,' she said. 'He's gone from being very intimidated with a prosthetic leg to being very self-confident with it.'

Reporter Carlos Moncada can be reached at (727) 451-2333 or cmoncada@tampatrib.com.

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