Mermaid Melissa (Yes, that’s her legal name) has chosen the aquatic route in life and rocks a fin pretty much everyday.

She works as a performer, swimming with fish and sting rays in aquariums and swimming pools.

Sometimes things get a little scary, such as when a bowmouth guitarfish (a member of the sting ray family) actually tried to eat her hand. She says it probably thought she was fish food from the way she was waving to the crowd, and it definitely didn’t slow her down.

On days when she’s not confined to a performing tank, she loves to take her fin to the open waters and swim with the real sea creatures. She says she’s not afraid of sharks because she doesn’t think the predators are “looking for a giant mermaid that is their size.”

Strangeness aside, you gotta hand it to her for completely owning it, am I right?

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Kerri was shocked when she realized the teen was paralyzed, but she knew it would just make these photos even more powerful.

Mackenzie Clare was only 10 years-old when a reckless driver slammed into her family’s car, injuring her spinal cord and leaving the sweet redheaded child paralyzed. She wanted to grow up to be a model, but she had to put that dream on hold because of her wheelchair.
Recently, she was on a date with her boyfriend in Leesburg, Virginia, when she caught someone’s eye. Photographer Kerri Lane spotted Mackenzie from across the room and thought she’d be perfect for a photo shoot. She didn’t even notice that the girl was paralyzed at first. When she did, she realized Mackenzie was perfect.

Mackenzie was asked to star in a mermaid photo shoot.

The photographer’s son Shawn spent hours designing Mackenzie’s mermaid tail. It included floating boards inside that would help hold her up.

Being asked to be in a shoot was an emotional moment for Mackenzie, especially since she thought her dreams of modeling were over.

She felt beautiful and complete.

Kerri wanted to give something back to the young girl, who had so much taken away from her.

She got to emulate Ariel from the Little Mermaid…

And also Belle from Beauty and the Beast.

Now, Mackenzie is realizing her dreams aren’t dead after all.

This magical experience gave her wisdom and bravery.

She is thinking about pursuing a modeling career from her wheelchair. She never realized it was possible before.

Defeating her fear was a huge step towards achieving her dreams. Life isn’t fair and Mackenzie was dealt a hand that very few people would have been able to handle. But now? She knows that she can still achieve her dreams. We could all learn a lesson from her experience. There is always a way to find joy in life, no matter what is happening.

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She wants to be where the people are!

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