Dr Carson may not be a household name. But he should be--at least in Christian households. He was recently invited to speak at the National Prayer Breakfast. His speech went viral on YouTube soon after.
Here is the speech. Below is a bio, reprinted from The Blaze.
7 Fascinating Facts About Dr. Carson — the Prayer Breakfast Speaker Whose Speech in Front of Obama Went Viral
Feb. 8, 2013 10:24am
Dr. Carson Is a Famous Pediatric Surgeon
Carson, 61, is the director of
pediatric neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital (he obtained this lead
position at the age of 33). His career focus is on traumatic brain
injury and brain and spinal cord tumors, among dire health issues.
According to his biography,
he has written over 100 publications about neurosurgery and he has
penned numerous books. On top of that, the renowned doctor has received
more than 50 honorary doctorate degrees and President George W. Bush gave him the Presidential Medal of Honor (see other honors over at Bio.com). Read more about Carson’s professional background here.
He’s a Pioneer in the Separation of Conjoined Twins
Among his many talents, Carson has
made bold attempts to separate conjoined twins. His first surgery in
1987 ended up being a success, as he was able to separate two
7-month-old twins from Germany. While Patrick and Benjamin Binder walked
away with some brain damage from the procedure, it was an encouraging
move in the right direction for an extremely-dangerous procedure.
Carson’s surgery paved the way for other attempts to help ease the pain
and horror craniopagus (joined at the head) twins experience.
Bio.com has more about other similar surgeries that the doctor conducted over the years:
In 1994, Carson and his team went to South Africa to separate the Makwaeba twins. The operation was unsuccessful, as both girls died from complications of the surgery. Carson was devastated, but vowed to press on, as he knew such procedures could be successful. In 1997, Carson and team went to Zambia in South Central Africa to separate infant boys Luka and Joseph Banda. This operation was especially difficult because the boys were joined at the tops of their heads, making this the first time a surgery of this type had been performed. After a 28-hour operation, both boys survived and neither suffered brain damage.
It was these operations that brought a
plethora of media attention to Carson, paving the way for popularity
and a public profile that continues to expand in scope.
–
Carson’s Early Life Wasn’t Easy
Judging from his career, one would
never assume that the doctor’s early years were difficult. However, his
story truly is a rags to riches tale, as his mother was instrumental in
teaching him the values needed to succeed. He shared many of these
struggles during Thursday’s address. He was raised by a single mom
(named Sonya) who devoted herself to hard work in an effort to support
her two children. Despite only having a third-grade education, she
instilled educational values that forever resonated with her son.
Bio.com provides some snapshots into his early life:
There were occasions when [Sonya's] boys wouldn’t see her for days at a time, because she would go to work at 5:00 AM and come home around 11:00 PM, going from one job to the next. She was frugal with the family’s finances, cleaning and patching clothes from the Goodwill in order to dress the boys. The family would also go to local farmers and offer to pick corn or other vegetables in exchange for a portion of the yield. She would then can the produce for the kids’ meals. Her actions, and the way she managed the family, proved to be a tremendous influence on Ben and [his brother]. [...]Determined to turn her sons’ [bad grades] around, Sonya limited their TV time to just a few select programs and refused to let them go outside to play until they’d finished their homework. She was criticized for this by her friends, who said her boys would grow up to hate her. But she was determined that her sons would have greater opportunities than she did. She required them to read two library books a week and give her written reports, even though with her poor education she could barely read them. She would take the papers and review them, scanning over the words and turning pages. Then she would place a checkmark at the top of the page showing her approval.
Considering his background, his push
for hard work and responsibility was notable during yesterday’s prayer
breakfast speech. While many utter such sentiments without experience to
accompany them, Carson’s life shows that devotion to education really
can pave the way to prosperity.
–
There Was a Movie Made About His Life
Carson’s life and work are so coveted, in fact, that a feature film was made about the doctor. “Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story” was a made-for-television film that came out in 2009. A synopsis provides more information about the movie, which has relatively high ratings on IMDB:
From Amazon.com: Oscar winner Cuba Gooding Jr. (Actor in a Supporting Role, Jerry Maguire, 1996) stars in this true story about a renowned brain surgeon who overcame obstacles to change the course of medicine forever. Young Ben Carson didn’t have much of a chance. Growing up in a broken home amongst poverty and prejudice, his grades suffered and his temper flared. And yet, his mother never lost her faith in him. Insisting he follow the opportunities she never had, she helped to grow his imagination, intelligence and, most importantly, his belief in himself. That faith would be his gift – the thing that would drive him to follow his dream of becoming one of the world’s leading neurosurgeons.
He Runs a Non-Profit Aimed at Helping Young Scholars
Education is clearly important to
Carson. And considering his own path to success, his focus upon the need
for a more knowledgeable and prepared populace is understandable. With
his wife, Candy, he founded the Carson Scholars Fund in 1994, an
organization devoted to helping solve America’s education crisis.
Recognizing that the public education
system is in crisis, the Carsons decided to help motivate young people
to take interest in learning at an early age. Here’s a description of what the Carson Scholars Fund does:
Carson Scholarships are awarded to students in grades 4-11 who exemplify academic excellence and humanitarian qualities. Winners receive a $1,000 scholarship to be invested toward their college education, along with a recognition package, and an invitation to attend an awards banquet. Carson Scholars become role models and leaders at their schools.
You can find out more about the organization on its official web site.
Carson Is a Cancer Survivor
Carson helps children who are battling
brain cancer, but he is also a prostate cancer survivor. In 2002, while
in the midst of his bustling medical career, the doctor found out that
he had an aggressive form of the disease. He found out this shocking
news while in the middle of performing a surgery on a child.
In an interview with “Good Morning
America,” Carson later described putting the news out of his mind so
that he could successfully finish the procedure. However, rather than
focusing exclusively on himself in that terrible moment, he selflessly
thought about the many patients he would be unable to help if the
disease took his life.
“I have the ability to put things out of my mind, so I just put it out of my mind and finished the operation,” he said.
“But certainly, you know, that evening it did weigh heavily upon me as I
began to realize that wow, I have cancer. The thing that bothered me
was the fact that I would be leaving so many people behind.”
Inevitably, he overcame the disease and is now healthy.
–
He’s Also a Devout Christian
In case you didn’t know, Carson is a
Christian. Jesus Christ was a fixture in his National Prayer Breakfast
speech (as was the Bible). He’s a Seventh-Day Adventist who believes
that the United States has been uniquely blessed by God. In addition to
caring deeply about his patients’ physical health, he has expressed a
deep devotion to addressing the nation’s spiritual and political issues —
something he did head-on during yesterday’s speech.
The Christian Broadcasting Network once profiled Carson, noting that his views about America are rooted in its history and founding:
Dr. Carson believes as a nation, America has been favored by God because we have acknowledged Him. The forefathers of our nation were clearly guided by Sovereign leadership when they knelt and prayed for wisdom at the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia in 1787. Together they stood up and assembled a seventeen page document known as the Constitution of the United States of America. Our nation was founded on principles revealed to us in the Bible by a righteous and just God. These teachings began in the home and continued at school. In early public schools reading from the Bible was not only common, it was expected.
In order for America to continue
leading the world, Carson believes that it’s important to apply God’s
standards to individuals’ lives. Rather than embracing partisan
solutions, CBN notes that he wants the nation to “stop being political and start being logical” in addressing key issues.
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