Dubai: Swimming with dolphins at the Dubai Dolphinarium gave one girl the chance to be free and forget her disability. Anne Awater was never one to let her physical limitations define life.
The German girl died last July 20 at the age of 18. Her parents have requested that the recently born female dolphin baby at the Creek Park facility be named in memory of Anne, as the animals meant a lot to her.
Her brother Tom told Gulf News: "We took her pretty much everywhere, especially to zoos and stuff because she really liked animals."
Two of her favourite places to visit were Oman to ride the camels and the Dubai Dolphinarium to swim with the dolphins. Tom explained that at first they weren't sure if Anne would be able to swim with the dolphins because the Dolphinarium didn't have a therapist to assist her.
He said: "We decided to try it and she really enjoyed it the first time. So, about half a year later we did it again."
The swimming sessions soon became a joy for the whole family. Tom said: "The best thing about it was that she laughed a lot. It was really nice to see her laughing and it was almost like she was a normal person — sitting there without a disability."
Born December 25, 1992, Anne was the best present for her parents Maik and Simone. When she was three years old, Anne fell and hit her head and doctors discovered a brain tumour. Her condition worsened till she suffered her first stroke at the age of 12 and lost the ability to walk.
Her mum Simone explained that her daughter's time with the dolphins was very special. She said: "I think that most children with sickness forget sometimes that they are sick. And when she was with the animals [she thought they] were so funny. It helped her forget, helped her recover."
To honour Anne's memory, the Dolphinarium has decided to give the calf two names.
The first name will be the one picked from reader suggestions and the second will be Anne. To date, over 1,500 names have been sent to Gulf News through e-mail and on the website.
The five most common suggestions are Dolly, Anika, which means pretty, Kalina, meaning beautiful face, Shaya, a fusion of the parent's names and Flipper.
The opportunity to give their daughter's name to the calf is a truly special gift for the Awater family. Tom said: "It's like a Christmas present for us because that's what we wished for and we think Anne would have really liked it as well."
Send in names for the baby dolphin to readers@gulfnews.com or log on to www.gulfnews.com
