Dolphins Help Children With Limb Loss Learn There Are No Limits

CLEARWATER, FL — A couple of dolphins at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium that have thrived despite injuries are teaching children how to live with their own disabilities.

For the 10th year, the Clearwater Marine Aquarium hosted Camp No Limits, a camp for children with limb losses and limb differences.

On Friday, campers and their families visited the aquarium for lunch, a tour of the animal exhibits and a nose to bottlenose meeting with the aquarium's most famous residents -- Winter and Hope from the "Dolphin Tale" movies.

Founded by the nonprofit No Limits Foundation in 2004, Camp No Limits is the first camp in the country to provide a camping experience for families of those impacted by limb loss and limb differences.

See related story: Winter The Dolphin Reunited With Rescuer 14 Years Later

Camp No Limits provides 10 camps across the country for more than 350 families, 88 percent of which attend camp for free thanks to donors and sponsors.

The purpose of the camp is to empower children with limb losses and limb differences, giving them the confidence and self-acceptance they need to be confident and successful.

Winter, in particular, serves as an inspiration for the children, showing them that the loss of a limb doesn't need to be a handicap.

Winter was just 2 months old when she was found entangled in a crab trap line in Mosquito Lagoon near Cape Canaveral on Florida's east coast on Dec. 10, 2005. The injuries she sustained caused her tail to deteriorate so Dr. Mike Walsh, a leading marine mammal veterinarian who nursed Winter through the crisis, reached out to the Hanger Clinic in Sarasota for help.

Using a laser scanner and proprietary computer-aided design software, the Hanger Clinic created an artificial tail that fit Winter's body perfectly and duplicated the tail she had lost.

Winter's pool mate, Hope, was also about 2 months old when she was discovered in the shallows of Indian River Lagoon on Dec. 11, 2010. Hope's mother had died after being beached and Hope never learned the survival skills necessary for her to survive in the wild.

Eight-year-old Abigail Coster of Virginia and 10-year-old Leslie Pendleton of Indiana were thrilled to meet the stars of "Dolphin Tail" and "Dolphin Tail 2."

Coster is a first-time Florida camper with a below-the-elbow limb difference. Pendleton, who has a hand difference, has attended four Camp No Limits.