Dolphin Therapy

Bill Gandy sat in the bleachers of Gulf World's Dolphin Stadium, smiling as his wife, Pallas, descended the stairs into the dolphin tank.

Pallas had been asked to attend Friday's visit to the Panama City Beach amusement park by her former caretakers at the Bridge at Bay St. Joe.

Two joined her in the 15-foot deep pool - facility administrator Ron Reid and rehabilitation services manager Emily Gortemoller.

Pallas had looked forward to the trip for weeks, and so had Bill, knowing the joy it would bring his wife of 39 years.

"This is right in her world," said Bill, camera at ready. "I think it's wonderful they gave her the opportunity to do this."

 A wet-suit clad trainer motioned Pallas forward for some face time with a friendly dolphin.

Pallas rubbed the dolphin's belly and held on tightly to its dorsal fin as it carried her in a circular lap around the pool.

Any hesitation Reid and Gortemoller once had fell away as Pallas rejoined her pool mates with a smooth backstroke.

"She's never had any fear," Bill said admiringly.

To see Pallas in her element, splashing in the pool with a friendly dolphin, buoyed Bill's spirits.

Just two months ago, he'd witnessed his wife undergo a startling transformation.

Beginning March 11, Pallas began acting strangely. She told Bill she could not make good decisions, and worried that something was happening to her.

She could no longer watch television. The sights and sounds overwhelmed her, leaving her anxious and confused.

She lost her speech and mobility and underwent eight days of tests at Bay Medical Center in Panama City.

Doctors suggested several possibilities - Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's, dementia, Multiple Sclerosis.

Pallas' future seemed to narrow with each diagnosis.

The Miami native had lived an active, outdoorsy existence since childhood.

She snared nuisance alligators as an auxiliary wildlife officer, founded Gulf County's turtle patrol in the early 1980s and worked as an environmental educator at the Apalachicola National Estuarine Research Reserve for two decades.

The possibility that Pallas might not recover was too much for her family to bear.

With great reluctance, Bill admitted Pallas in Bay St. Joe's therapy department.

"When we put Pallas in there, I hounded them because I've heard so many nightmare stories about nursing homes," said Bill, who was pleasantly surprised by the staff's professionalism and regard for their patients.

Therapists worked with Pallas to restore her speech and mobility, and she slowly began to come back.

Bay St. Joe's staff made arrangements for Pallas and resident Bobbie Cox, 69, to visit Gulf World for some rest and relaxation. 

When Pallas checked out of the facility, the offer still stood.

"She looked so forward to it. I would've never taken that away from her," said activities director Nancy Dimitrijevich.

After undergoing a battery of new tests at Shands Hospital in Gainesville, Pallas is closer to a diagnosis.

Bill expects to receive a plan for his wife's treatment during their May 20 visit to Gainesville.

Whatever her future holds, Pallas can expect a call from her former activities director.

"You think you can get her to jump out of an airplane?" Dimitrijevich asked Bill last Friday.

"Probably," he replied.

With a knowing nod, Dimitrijevich began hatching a plan.

"We'll work on that next."