On March 21st, we received an email from Sara Schorse, a trip coordinator for the Make-A-Wish foundation branch in Wisconsin. In the # 1 slot for his Wish trip request form, 14-year old Justin Gorton had written down ‘visit the Bimini Sharklab.’
“We have to do this!!!” was the unanimous consent on our end.
Fast forward a few months to earlier this week, July 26th. Justin, his older sister, Ali, and their two parents arrived in Bimini from the non-tropical town of Lodi, WI, which maybe shares only two things in common with the islands: mosquitoes and ‘no-see-ums.' We squeezed a lot into this short trip, which they are currently continuing at the Bimini Sands. Feel free to scroll through these photos to vicariously live their memorable experience and the inspiration of this young man, Justin.
Immediately after arriving, we dropped off bags in the local ‘hotel’, Coconut Cove, leaving no time to waste. Justin (left) and his family sat in the cooler equipment room to hear a spiel on the lab’s history and research before going to the back pens to see the juvenile sharks for the first time.
After day one, Justin had held his own baby nurse shark.
And by day two, he had conquered any fears to enter the fin-full waters and snorkel beside adult caribbean reef sharks.
On a paddleboard with a staff members, we entered one of South Bimini’s mangrove nurseries at Duck Pond, rowing in the paths of green sea turtles, some oversized conch, and a handful spiny lobsters.
Justin has a fearlessness that sets a high standard for kids his age, an affirmative attitude that takes nothing for granted, and a full-faced smile that leaks out pure authentic joy.
On his last night, it was no surprise to us that Justin would sign up to check our longlines right away at 11 PM, where he saw four different species of sharks found in Bimini--nurse, blacktip, lemon, and tiger--and watched us ‘work them up’ (take measurements) with the expression of a kid in a candy shop.
These courageous acts are awe-worthy in and of themselves. But Justin lives every minute of his life with a degenerative condition known as Dechenne Muscular Dystrophy, which limits his physical mobility. A genetic lack of dystrophin prevents his muscle cells from binding to cytoskeletal support structures, making exertion of muscle incredibly difficult for him.
We don’t feel this struggle, though, given Justin’s enviable optimism. One of the reasons he loves the ocean so much (aside from it containing sharks!) is because his buoyancy reduces the brunt load of gravitational stress on his body. In the water, Justin can move in peace.
So when we asked him if he was OK during a snorkel, there was nothing that could detract from his grinning face and big ‘thumbs ups’ that became all too familiar.
We would like to thank Justin Gorton and his family, Ali, John, and Julia, for taking a chance with us and testing the Bimini waters for their Wish trip. Justin, you are a true inspiration, and we hope this trip helps push you closer towards your passions in the water, where you naturally thrive. You radiate joy into those around you, please cling to that.
We'd also like to thank the Make-A-Wish Foundation for funding this expedition, providing the means for this eye-opening experience, impacting everyone involved. Much to be grateful for!
The Sharklab Team
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