Bubba the Grouper, First Fish to get Chemotherapy.

Bubba the Grouper, the first fish ever to receive chemotherapy, died yesterday at the Shedd Aquarium, Chicago.

The 69.3-kilogram "super grouper" was abandoned at the Chicago aquarium in 1987, left at the reception desk in a bucket.

Shedd officials nursed the fish - then a she - to health and put her in a tank. Bubba changed gender in the mid-1990s, which is not uncommon for certain kinds of fish.

Bubba was diagnosed with cancer in 2001, and two years later, Shedd officials took the unprecedented step of administering chemotherapy.

Cancer survivors, particularly children, were inspired by Bubba’s story of resilience, and he was a Shedd favourite, officials said.

"Bubba overcame some incredible odds over the years, and that’s what made him so special to us," said George Parsons, director of the Shedd’s Fish department.

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