'The dolphin kissed me!' Physicians for Wishes makes man's wish to swim with dolphins come true

Katie Wiseman, Indianapolis Star
Ricky, 74, smiles big with Dr. Gregory Taylor, Logan Long and his care team on his Indianapolis Zoo trip made possible by Physicians for Wishes.
Ricky, 74, smiles big with Dr. Gregory Taylor, Logan Long and his care team on his Indianapolis Zoo trip made possible by Physicians for Wishes.

Ricky's life completely changed at the age of 74. Even though he always has a smile on his face, those around him know it's been hard for him.

This is why he was nominated for his wish come true.

Earlier this week, Physicians for Wishes, granted another wish, this time for Ricky, who has disabilities. He recently became a resident of a nursing home facility after his long-term caregiver, his aunt, died.

Dr. Gregory Taylor, the founder of Physicians for Wishes and emergency medicine doctor in Fishers, took Ricky to the Indianapolis Zoo to make his wish come true.

Ricky got the opportunity to spend the whole day at the zoo where he was able to see the kangaroos and pet a stingray, but the big surprise was that his longtime wish would be granted: swimming with dolphins.

"(The Indianapolis Zoo) accommodated extremely well and put our group in a separate group so we could really focus on Ricky and give him the best experience possible," Taylor said. "I'm not sure how many people are aware of the lengths the zoo will go to to make sure everyone, regardless of disabilities has the best day possible."

Ricky, 74, pets a dolphin at the Indianapolis Zoo with Dr. Gregory Taylor, Logan Long and two dolphin trainers at his side during his zoo trip made possible by Physicians for Wishes.
Ricky, 74, pets a dolphin at the Indianapolis Zoo with Dr. Gregory Taylor, Logan Long and two dolphin trainers at his side during his zoo trip made possible by Physicians for Wishes.

Logan Long, the Area Life Enrichment Director at Trilogy Health Services, nominated Ricky for Physicians for Wishes and got to go with him on his zoo trip.

"He's had a lot of transitions in the last couple months," Long said to Taylor in the video. "He's been actually pretty depressed lately, so it's been really nice to see him enjoying his day and laughing a lot."

Ricky waded into the pool, with his support system and dolphin trainers by his side as he pet the dolphin. He even recieved a kiss from the dolphin, which caused him to smile from ear to ear.

Taylor asked Ricky at the end of the video what the best part of his day was.

"The dolphin kissed me!" Ricky said.

Previously: A stranger's kindness led this Fishers doctor to spread smiles with Physicians for Wishes

Watch Ricky swim with dolphins

You can watch Ricky's trip to the zoo on YouTube and follow along to see more wish vacations get granted.

Donations to Physicians for Wishes can be made online through Paypal. For businesses looking to sponsor a video or to nominate someone, contact Dr. Gregory Taylor at physicians4wishes@gmail.com.

Katie Wiseman is a trending news intern at IndyStar. Contact her at klwiseman@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @itskatiewiseman.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Physicians for Wishes: Ricky, 74, swims with dolphins at the Indianapolis Zoo

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