About us:
Council
Parent Council
Our Parent Council is an important point of contact for those seeking help. The Council members are in the same situation and they can empathize with the families. They know their fears, but also the hopes and expectations associated with taking part in a dolphin-assisted therapy.
Their experiences in the therapy centers help other parents come to a decision. We are very happy our Parent Council is so dedicated to the cause. The motto here is: “Parents help parents!”.
Meet some of the parents in our Council. They all are ready to support you with their advice and assistance.
Note: Members are listed in alphabetical order with brief background and contact information.
Anja Baum
Information about:
Curaçao
Contact:
T: +49 (0) 2953 99738
M: +49 (0) 1512 4105482
AnjaBaum68@gmx.de
“We are the Baum family, my name is Anja, we come from near Paderborn and up to the age of 11 our daughter Alena was a perfectly healthy child. An angiom in her head caused her to have severe cerebral hemorrhages and she had to relearn everything a human being can actually do. Alena was able to learn to walk, talk etc. again through normal therapy, but she had severe problems with her memory and concentration.
Ever since we went to dolphin therapy, she has made great progress in exactly these areas and I can only encourage everyone to get involved with this therapy, you can only win. Alena has become incredibly strong in these areas, and she is now able to walk for long periods of time, which she was not able to do before. I’m happy to help other parents decide on dolphin therapy and I’m happy about this task.”
Sandra Boßert
Information about:
Curaçao
Contact:
cdkl5@web.de
“I am Sandra and mother of twins, a healthy boy and a girl with a genetic defect. My daughter was born with a spontaneous mutation, the CDKL5 gene defect.
The genetic defect made itself felt in the sixth week of her life with epileptic seizures. The seizures are currently well controlled with medication. My daughter has a profound developmental disorder due to the genetic defect. She doesn’t speak, she doesn’t walk and has limited crude and fine motor skills.
My daughter is only in the here and now at times. Her perception of the environment is not constant. Despite all possible therapies, it was clear to me that real progress can only be made with basic perception. So, I came across the dolphin therapy on Curacao and read through the evaluation reports and was thrilled.
The twins were born in 2017 and we were on Curacao for the first time in May 2022. For my daughter the dolphins were the key to progress and the therapists on Curacao were the door opener.
I received a completely changed daughter which was a great gift to me. For the first time she has been observing the course of action and communicating with me much more intensively. Instead of a handful of steps, she now walks up to 50 steps by hand. She now uses new vowels.
I believe in miracles and wish you the same magic. Everyone is valuable and deserves a real chance in life.”
Auguste Debole
Information about:
Florida
Address:
Munich
Contact:
Gusti.debole@arcor.de
“Our 2nd child was born as a very small (450g) premature baby. Massimiliano is blind, has developed spastic hemiparesis on the left at the age of 2 and a mental developmental disorder.
We were in Florida for the 1st time in 2005 at IDC. The success was overwhelming. 2006 then the 2nd time and since then every 2 years. Massimiliano has benefited greatly from these therapies and we as a family as well. Through the intensive work, Massimiliano was able to develop a lot of self-confidence. He has learned things which his treating doctors didn`t expect. The IDC was always there for us (even between our visits).
I am happy to help other affected families through our positive experience.”
Agnes Herzog
Information about:
Curaçao
Address:
Düsseldorf
Contact:
T: +49 (0) 173 6899990 (ab 19 Uhr)
agnes@business-health-coach.com
“My daughter Karolina is a special child. I accompany her during her development which has, from our point of view, become more constructive, successful and special with the help of dolphin assisted therapy. I would like to give all families the courage and energy to make this beautiful experience of dolphin assisted therapy.”
Heba Kessler
Information about:
Curaçao
Contact:
T: +49 (0) 151 64804574
Heba.kessler@web.de
“I am Heba and mother of the twins Lina and Malia. Our girls are identical twins and two brave and lovely Leo-girls, who were born in July 2018. After an endless number of doctor’s appointments and hospital stays, we received the result of the human genetic examination in May 2021. Lina and Malia have a genetic defect, the so-called “Xia Gibbs Syndrome”. So far there are only about 350 cases worldwide and so the disease is still widely underresearched and we can “only” help, support and encourage our girls with therapies.
How does the genetic defect manifest itself in Lina and Malia? They are severely delayed in development, both motorically and linguistically. They learned to walk freely at the age of 3 and cannot speak. They have a high level of language comprehension and communicate with signs and by making sounds. In addition, both suffer from muscle weakness and affective spasms.
In May 2022 we were able to experience our first dolphin assisted therapy on Curacao and we are absolutely impressed.
So much warmth!
So much empathy!
So much experience!
Lina and Malia have made incredible progress that I didn’t think was possible. Enormous steps have been taken in terms of development, both in language and motor skills. The package of therapists, assistants, psychologists and of course the dolphins is unique and works miracles.
I am incredibly grateful for that!
And it’s not just about the kids. As parents, we also get so much new input, ideas and support that we can take home with us.
For me it is an absolute matter of the heart to encourage other parents to take this step. Feel free to contact me with any questions, fears or worries.”
Mandy Laroussi
Information about:
Curaçao
Contact:
T: +49 (0) 178 5268827
m.laroussi@t-online.de
“Dear parents, dear team of delfine therapieren menschen,
I`m very excited to be now part of this great non-profit organization. First, I would like to introduce my family to you. We are a small, sometimes chaotic family consisting of my husband Robert (49 technician), our wonderful boys Louis (6) and Henri (3) as well as me Mandy (46, part-time employee and housewife).
Our youngest son was born with trisomy 21, better known as down syndrome. In addition to that he had some other health issues: a double heart defect, kidney transport disorder, severe muscle hypotonia, a perception deficit and he is developmentally delayed.
In June 2022 we had our first animal-assisted dolphin therapy on Curacao, and it was an indescribable experience for all of us. We would like to share our experience with you. It doesnt matter whether its about questions regarding the organization, or about traveling with a disabled child, or what awaits me on site. I`m happy to help where I can.”
