Instant bond: Georgia girl with spina bifida meets adopted turtle with similar condition

A Georgia 12-year-old living with spina bifida got to meet a sea turtle whose medical condition is similar to her own this month.

Kendall Barfield lives in Columbus and was diagnosed with spina bifida before she was born during her 20-week appointment, said her mother, Danielle Barfield. 

The condition occurs when the spine and spinal cord don't form properly, leading to walking and mobility issues.

When her parents visited the Georgia Sea Turtle Center on Jekyll Island for a conference in November 2022, they learned about Bandit, a sea turtle who had been injured in a boat accident. The accident injured her spine and left her partially paralyzed. Now, she can’t move her rear flippers.

It was close to Christmas, so Kendall’s parents virtually adopted the turtle for their daughter. Her mom, Danielle, eventually posted about the girl adopting the turtle.

This past December, someone from Jekyll Island reached out to write about Kendall for 31•81, the organization’s magazine, said Kathryn Hearn, Jekyll Island’s marketing communications manager.

Once they found out she had never met Bandit the turtle, they had to make it happen for her. She got to meet Bandit on Jan. 5 and had quite a time at the center.

“I thought it was really cool that those people did that for me,” Kendall told USA TODAY. “I got to see her being examined and that was pretty cool. They were cleaning her shell.”

‘People just look at the outside’: Kendall says she's much more than her condition

Kendall isn’t currently in any therapies for her condition, said her mother.

“We have had speech therapy when she was younger, physical therapy, occupational therapy … She's gone through all of those,” Danielle said. “If she were to fall and get hurt, she might have to go to physical therapy again, just like anybody that broke their leg or something.”

She’s doing well, her mother said.

Kendall said it can be hard living with spina bifida because people don’t always see her for the person she is.

“People just look at the outside and not the inside,” the 12-year-old told USA TODAY. “They don't realize who I am on the inside.”

She loves painting and abstract art and loves singing. She sings at school and likes listening to country music with her dad.

When she grows up, she’ll probably work with animals, she said, possibly working at a pet store or a shelter. 

When asked, it took her no time to name her favorite animal: dogs, for sure.

She loves the four-legged, furry canines, as well as birds.

How the center is helping Bandit the turtle thrive

Bandit is a juvenile green sea turtle who was first brought to the center in April of 2021, said Hearn, Jekyll Island’s marketing communications manager.

She was found on Little St. Simons, an island on the coast of Georgia. A boat hit her, inuring her backbone and leaving her partially paralyzed.

Not only is she unable to use her rear flippers but the injury also caused rear-end buoyancy.

“She wears a weighted fanny pack to help her level out in the water,” Hearn said. “When you see pictures of Bandit, you'll see this black pack on her back … Her fanny pack is what we call it and it keeps her level in the water.”

Although she can’t be released back into the wild, the center is searching for a captive facility to place her in. 

“She is thriving,” Hearn said, adding that they keep her stimulated and she gets regular checkups. Sometimes they put seafood into ice blocks, which keeps her active. They also have PVC pipes that mirror things she’d normally find in the ocean, allowing her to dive for them.

“She loves to hide her head and kind of just feel like she's invisible, even though she's not,” Hearn laughed. “We can still see her.”

Bandit weighs 68 pounds but could grow to be up to 400 pounds once she reaches adulthood, Hearn said.

She’s one of the center’s “most charismatic and splashy patients” and her injuries don’t stop her from living her best life. She’s quite the resilient sea turtle, Hearn said.

She said Kendall and Bandit both have a sense of resilience that inspires, so it was only fitting that they meet in person.

Once Kendall virtually adopted Bandit, she received a certificate and updates on the turtle. Paying for virtual adoptions helps the center continue its work, Hearn said.

“You can adopt a green sea turtle, you can adopt a loggerhead sea turtle or you can adopt our hatchling,” Hearn said. “You can learn more about them. You can learn more about the work of the Georgia Sea Turtle Center and then that helps these animals continue to receive care and rehabilitation.”

Danielle, Kendall’s mother, thinks the center is doing great work. She also runs an online group where people who suffer from spina bifida or care for them can chat. To connect, visit www.facebook.com/danielle.barfield.54.