Page 16 - South Mississippi Living - June, 2020

COAST NOTE
story by Kelsey Sunderman-Foster photos courtesy of Cali Rob
story by Kelsey Sunderman-Foster
photos courtesy of IMMS and Theheartsforhadley
Support Hadley:
Facebook @myheartsforhadley www.myheartsforhadley.com
16 | June 2020 www.smliving.net | SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living
A Dream Come True
IMMS Grants Wish of Young Girl with DIPG
While the Institute for Marine Mammal Studies (IMMS) temporarily closed its doors to the public during COVID-19, the institute’s sta were happy to make special arrangements for one little girl.
Six-year-old Hadley is a self-proclaimed Wonder Woman enthusiast from Kansas who loves going to school, spending time with her friends, and playing with her cat, Goose. She’s like any other rst grader, except Hadley has DIPG.
Di use Intrinsic Pontine Glioma is a rare type of pediatric brain cancer, and one that hits home for Gulf Coast natives. Ocean Springs’ own Sophia Myers lost her battle to DIPG in 2017, but was surrounded with love from her community while she fought.
When IMMS
heard about
Hadley and her
dream of meeting a
dolphin, they jumped at
the opportunity to make that
dream a reality. She and her family were able to make the trip to the Gulf Coast, enjoy the beach, and have an up-close encounter with one of IMMS’s resident dolphins.
“Thank you, Hadley, for brightening our day!” said President and Executive Director Moby Solangi. “We would also like to thank our trainers, animal care team, and other IMMS sta that have continued to work diligently throughout this pandemic to make days like today still possible.”
Cali Rob is at it again, this time taking over the windows of the Gulfport and D’Iberville Chick- l-a locations. And let’s just say it was legen-dairy. Sorry, I had to.
mixed into the lighthearted cow puns were messages of thanks to healthcare workers and words
of encouragement for the class of 2020.
They say laughter is the best medicine, and Rob and the folks at Chick- l-a de nitely gave customers a healthy dose. Rob’s commissioned pieces kept it light and punny in
an e ort to cheer people up with some much-needed humor. It wasn’t
“Though it was painstakingly hot, not even a heat stroke
was going to stop me from completing the task I set out to do, and that is spreading light and love in my life and through my art,” said Rob. “After all, Gulf Coast, ‘I love you a wa e lot!’”
just fun and games though –