Kelly Foss

Seven-year-old Jayden Druggett has something in common with his favourite animal, the moon snail. Both need a little extra coaxing to come out of their shells.

And even though his mother, Jenny Purcell, says he is completely obsessed with snails, one thing she never, ever thought he would be able to do was hold one.

“Jayden was born with heart problems that lead to developmental issues due to a lack of oxygen,” she explains. “For the past two years he’s been working with an occupational therapist to help him get past his major sensory issues with anything sticky and she’s tried everything to help him get over it, but nothing worked.”

Ms. Purcell recalls a road trip with Jayden ending in a major meltdown when he got residue from a fruit roll-up on his hands.

“We were on the highway and I actually had to pull over on the side of the road because he was losing it,” she says. “I took a paper towel and wiped it across the wet windshield just so I could wash his hands.”

So when the family visited the Botanical Gardens in May they expected Jayden to be interested in the visiting touch tank from the Ocean Science Centre (OSC) but have little to do with it.

“There was a young male summer student with the tank and he spent an hour with Jayden, showing him all the different animals,” said Ms. Purcell. “The student showed him the moon snail and asked if Jayden would like to hold it and he said, ‘No, no, no, no’ and backed away about five feet.”

But the student, Tyler Engert, gently persisted and convinced Jayden to first put one finger on the snail. Then he put one finger on the sea cucumber.

“He immediately washed his hands,” said Jayden’s mother. “But then the next thing you know Jayden is saying 'Look mom, I'm holding it! I’m holding it!' and I turn around to see he was actually holding the moon snail.

“I tell you, I had tears in my eyes I was so ecstatic. I asked him if he needed to wash his hands and he said 'No mommy, I'm okay.'  And I just couldn't believe it.”

Since his visit with the touch tank Ms. Purcell says Jayden has gone from a child who would almost always keep his hands in his sleeves so he wouldn't come into contact with anything, to a child that now touches everything.

“I don't know what it was, but he had a real connection with Tyler. Whatever it was, he really trusted him.”

Danielle Nichols, research marketing manager with the Department of Ocean Sciences, says the second year student was just as taken with the touch tank when he was first exposed to it.

“Tyler fell in love with the touch tank when he saw it at the Science undergraduate student welcome event last fall,” she said. “From that day forward he was very persistent in working with and learning about Ocean Sciences. In fact, it’s very likely he will be one of the first students in the new Ocean Sciences minor program we are currently working on.”

The Botanical Gardens visit had such an impact on the family that Jayden insisted his seventh birthday party on August 31^st should have a snail theme and it was not complete without a surprise visit from the OSC touch tank, including Jayden’s new friend, Tyler, and the moon snail.

His mom says the wonderful memories will help with the family’s upcoming trip to Halifax in September, where Jayden will undergo his fourth and fifth heart surgery.