SAN DIEGO (KGTV) - Children battling cancer enjoyed a special day swimming with dolphins at SeaWorld San Diego, giving them a chance to forget about their diagnoses and just be kids again.
"It makes me feel really cool, just it's awesome," said Karsen Beron, who was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer when he was 4 years old. "It feels like I'm just every superhero that could live all into one,"
His mother, Kristen Beron, called his recovery a miracle.
"We didn't expect to see him at his fifth birthday, so to see him at 10 years old doing interactive things in the water with dolphins, every day is just a blessing," she said.
Eight children from the hospital participated in the special event. They fed dolphins, swam with them, and gave them commands for interactions.
Among them was Haisley Spotser, who was diagnosed with stage 4 tissue cancer just 4 months ago and is currently undergoing treatment.
"I would say (it feels) kind of normal. I can't go out in crowds, cause my immune system is kind of week," Haisley said when asked about the experience. "This feels special."
Her mother, Alma Spotser, shared how the family has adapted since the diagnosis.
"We always do a lot of fun things, and we've kind of had to get creative with our fun since she's been diagnosed with cancer. And this feels a little normal again. It's hard to not tear up when I talk about it because it's been a crazy couple of months," Spotser said.
The program was started in 2008 by trainer Joy Clausen Soto, herself a childhood cancer survivor, who wanted to show kids that their health issues don't define them.
"I know what they're going through, I know what it's like to be in a hospital room. I'd be hospitalized for five days at a time and get a lot of chemotherapy. I was very weak, I had to get blood transfusions. So I know what they're going through and I know how much this means to them. So it's incredibly special," Clausen Soto said.
ABC 10News has partnered with Rady Children's Hospital and SeaWorld for the Rady Children's Health Walkabout on September 27 at the park. The money raised will pay for services the hospital provides for children that insurance doesn't cover.
To register or donate, click here.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
