"Joe" is Joe Hoagland, who was three years old when the story began. And "Fonzie" is a 3-metre-long, 275 kg dolphin (海豚). When Joe was born, he bad a problem with his heart and doctors had to operate (动手术) on him. When be was three, he had another operation. This operation didn't go well and he became paralyzed - be couldn't move the left side of his body. The doctors at the hospital didn't think he could get better. Deena, Joe's mother, took him to different places for therapy (治疗)，but it-wasn't very successful. Then the family moved to Florida. Joe liked being in the water and Deena thought swimming could help him. First, they went to swimming pools in hotels, but some hotel guests didn't like them being there. Then one day she went with Joe to a place in Key Largo called Dolphin Plus, where people swam with dolphins. Joe met Fonzie there and the story really began.
Soon, Joe wanted to see Fonzie every day. He loved playing with him and feeding him. Every time that Joe arrived, Fonzie came to see him. Joe's mother told him always to feed Fonzie using his left hand, so Joe used his left side more and more. Slowly, he got better and better. He's now over 30 years old and very well. Deena saw that Joe's friendship with Fonzie helped him a lot, and she knew it was a good idea for other people, too. So, she and her family worked to open a place called Island Dolphin Care. It's next to Dolphin Plus and many people with health problems come to spend time with the dolphins. Sadly, Fonzie died in 2004 when Joe was 17. He wrote: "Fonzie was a great friend to me; he and I shared a lot of good times. He always put a smile on my face."
