When we took our son to swim with the dolphins, he hugged them and laughed, and my husband and I were touched by this picture until a center employee came up to us and quietly said: “You must immediately take your son to the doctor.”

My son begged me to take him to a dolphinarium for months. It was his lifelong dream. He watched videos, read about dolphins, fell asleep hugging a stuffed dolphin, and always asked, “When are we going?”

We decided to surprise him for his birthday. We didn’t say anything in advance, we just put him in the car that morning and drove off. When he realized where we were going, he practically jumped up and down in the backseat.

— I love you so much. I’m finally going to see dolphins. Thank you, Dad. Thank you, Mom.

In a second:

— Can I tell everyone later? Will you take a photo for me? How many will there be? Can I pet them? Can I hug them?

These questions continued throughout the entire journey. We just smiled and exchanged glances.

When we arrived, he changed faster than all the other kids in the locker room and ran to the pool first. We stood aside and watched. My son cautiously extended his hand, and the dolphin swam up, poked its snout out of the water, and allowed him to pet it. They seemed to instantly connect. The dolphin circled around him, jumped up, swam closer again, touched the water with its tail, and didn’t move away for a second.

It was so touching that I could hardly hold back my tears. My husband filmed everything on his phone. Our son laughed like he hadn’t laughed in a long time.

And suddenly one of the trainers approached us. A young woman, about thirty years old, serious, without a smile.

— I have something to talk to you about. It concerns your son.

My insides sank.

— What happened? Did he hurt the dolphin? Did he do something wrong? I’m sorry, he’s a child.

“No. This is something else. You need to take your son to the doctor immediately.”

I felt a chill run down my spine.

— Why? Is the dolphin sick? Could he have infected him?

“Our dolphins are trained to work with children. They are very sensitive to changes in the human body. Usually, they behave calmly. But today, the dolphin reacted unusually. It jumped up and down, circled nearby, and didn’t move away. This behavior usually occurs when an animal senses a health problem.”

I looked at her and couldn’t believe it.

— Are you sure?

“We’ve encountered this before. Please, just check the child. Just in case.”

We didn’t wait. We made an appointment with the doctor that same day. We took tests and underwent examinations. I hoped until the very end that it was just a coincidence.

A few days later, we were told the diagnosis. My son had cancer. Stage 1. The earliest. The one that can still be cured.

I was sitting in the office then, remembering how the dolphin never left my son’s side. As if he was trying to warn us.

We’re currently undergoing treatment. We have a long road ahead, but the doctors say the prognosis is good.

And every time I think about that day, I get scared. If it weren’t for that dolphin. If it weren’t for his strange behavior. If we had just gone home and decided it was an ordinary, happy day.

I’m afraid to imagine how it all could have ended.