An eight-year-old double amputee from England shared a moment with Winter, the star of the movie "Dolphin Tale," that has a prosthetic tail.
It was a moment that will last forever for a young 8-year-old Cieran Kelso from England. While kids have unique interests, this boy was fascinated by Winter the dolphin in the movie "Dolphin Tale." Kelso could relates to Winter as they share a similar disability.
Kelso is a double amputee, who lost both his legs after suffering from meningitis when he was a little more than a year. The boy says he is the biggest fan of Winter. Kelso uses custom-built prosthetic flippers to swim as he loves the sport. Similarly, Winter also has a prosthetic tail to whip through the water.
The boy's wish to meet Winter finally came true when local tourism officials flew Kelso and his family from England to Florida. Kelso got the chance to visit the Clearwater Marine Aquarium, where the famous dolphin is kept and also share a one-on-one swim.
"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,'" his father, Gary said, according to Tampa Bay. "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."
Kelso's disability at such a young age did not keep him away from his interests like soccer, gymnasium and swimming.
Kelso was accompanied by aquarium trainer Cammie Zodrow during his swim with Winter. Zodrow also taught the young fan how to signal Winter to raise her tail. Kelso then swam holding Winter's fin as Zodrow swam along. This was a very emotional moment for the kid's parents who held their tears back.
Later, Winter's sister, Hope and Kelso's 5-year-old sister, Layla-Eve, joined the pool. Before bidding adieu, Kelso kissed Winter and Hope.
Kelso couldn't have expressed his experience in a million words but said that it was "greater than great," adding that he could have swum with Winter "for a million hours" if allowed.
