Horse fall victim Natasha Holt gets her own party at Marineland

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – Marineland Florida gave Natasha Holt, 11, and her family their very own party, complete with a swim with the dolphins on Sunday.

Natasha is the daughter of Councilman Ray Holt who fell off a horse two months ago.

The joy in her eyes and the smile on her face said it all.

Thanks to her friends at Marineland, Holt was right where she is meant to be: with her beloved dolphins.

"It was really, really fun," Holt said.

"We just played with the dolphins and swam with the dolphins. We gave them commands for tricks and they did really cool tricks."

It was a special party hosted by Marineland for the vivacious little girl.
Her family, friends, and even the doctors who helped save her life were there.
Looking at her,  it's hard to believe that just two months ago, Natasha was fighting for her life after a fall from a horse.

"I just thought we've come such a long way. When she was lying there on the ground and we could see how injured she was...she had lost her pulse and she was basically gone from us," said Nanette Holt, Natasha's mother.

Natasha was rushed to the ER, and later transferred to Wolfson Children's hospital, where doctors monitored the pressure on her brain. Her family says her recovery was nothing short of a miracle. After more than 25 days in the hospital, she was finally able to go home.

Meredith Horn was Natasha's instructor at sea camp and was among the first to hear about her recovery. She began Facetiming with Natasha's mom and it wasn't long before she knew Natasha had to get back to Marineland.


"It gives you chills almost when you see here just light up with these animals and just around the ocean. WE just hope she never loses that passion. Here at Marineland, that's something we always strive for with our guests, " Horn said.

Marineland also presented Natasha with a free week of Sea Camp and a chance to see the beluga whale at the Georgia Aquarium. Natasha says if one thing is certain, she's a very lucky girl.

"God has done a lot of stuff for me. I'm very excited to be here today and excited that I can do all that stuff that Marineland gave me," Holt said.


About the Authors:

Ashley Harding joined the Channel 4 news team in March 2013. She reports for and anchors The Morning Show.