Fourteen-year-old Arielle, from Nanaimo, has Type 1 Juvenile diabetes. Arielle loves dolphins and her Dream was to meet Winter, the star of the movie “Dolphin Tale”. Arielle’s Dream of visiting the Clearwater Marine Aquarium came true in Jan 2019.
Arielle says: “Winter has a disability that she conquered and became an amazing role model. Thank you for giving me this opportunity to be a dolphin trainer for Winter”
The impact of Arielle’s Dream trip is best understood from the perspective of her mom Mia:
“Just wanted to thank everyone who assisted in helping make Arielle’s dream come true! She had the most amazing time everywhere she went, but was ecstatic when she met the dolphins at Clearwater and swam with others at Discovery Cove. I know I told you about all the smiles at the presentation before we left, but it was amazing to see her smile and laugh more than she has in a very long time, and it was contagious. It seemed like tons of stress was gone for all of us, although we were exhausted from all the fun, it was a good tired. We knew that our life stresses affected us in many ways, but didn’t realize how much it was a part of our daily lives. This was a very much needed break!
These will be memories we will all keep for the rest of our lives, and revisit in stressful moments. Arielle’s whole attitude and behavior have changed for the positive and I am constantly reminding her of how awesome this Arielle is! It always makes her smile and reminds her of what she is capable of.
Honestly, I was struggling with her. Arielle was having so many issues; diabetes stresses/eating issues, autism behaviours, all along with so many hormonal changes. I believe that this trip has helped us recharge our batteries and start fresh. Thank-you so very much for all you have done for our family.”
