His nickname was "Dummy" and he believed that it was true. He was in 5th grade and thought that he was stupid. Although he grew up in a very poor neighborhood in Detroit his mother believed that he and his older brother could only succeed through education. She worked 2 sometimes 3 menial jobs to take care of them.
His mother restricted TV watching and required that her sons attend the library regularly. She required that they provide her 2 book reports each week. She would return the book reports with a checkmark on them as a satisfactory grade. He would not learn until much later that his mother could not read.
One day during class his teacher held a rock up in her hand and asked the class if anyone knew what it was. He answered correctly and everyone in the classroom was surprised. He wasn’t stupid. That moment helped him to realize it and by the end of the 5th grade year he was at the top of his class. He was motivated and he read voraciously.
A life can change in a minute with one wrong decision. One day in a rage of anger he stabbed another boy. He struck at the other boy so hard that the knife broke on the boy’s belt buckle that was underneath his shirt. He did not hurt him. That moment made him realize that he had a choice. After that incident he no longer gave into anger but went on to high school as avid reader.
There Is No Job More Important Than Parenting
When I entered high school I was an A-student, but not for long. I wanted the fancy clothes. I wanted to hang out with the guys. I went from being an A-student to a B-student to a C-student, but I didn't care. I was getting the high fives and the low fives and the pats on the back. I was cool.
One night my mother came home from working her multiple jobs and I complained about not having enough Italian knit shirts. She said, "Okay, I'll give you all the money I make this week scrubbing floors and cleaning bathrooms, and you can buy the family food and pay the bills. With everything left over, you can have all the Italian knit shirts you want."
I was very pleased with that arrangement but once I got through allocating money, there was nothing left. I realized my mother was a financial genius to be able to keep a roof over our heads and any kind of food on the table, much less buy clothes.I also realized that immediate gratification wasn't going to get me anywhere. Success required intellectual preparation.
I went back to my studies and became an A-student again, and eventually I fulfilled my dream and I became a doctor.
Who is he? Gifted Hands. Dr. Ben Carson.
He went to Yale University and obtained his medical degree from the University of Michigan School of Medicine. He performed his neurosurgery residency at John Hopkins Hospital and went on to become the youngest chief of pediatric neurosurgery ever at Johns Hopkins Children's Center in Baltimore, Maryland. He has created surgical innovations that are copied in neurosurgery today.
In 1987, Dr. Carson made medical history with an operation to separate a pair of Siamese twins. The Binder twins were joined at the back of the head. Previous operations of this type had failed, killing both twins or only saving one. After 22 hours of surgery with a staff of seventy on hand, Carson's operation was successful.
In 1997, he went to South Africa where he operated with a 50-member team in the successful separation of 11-month-old Zambian twin boys, Joseph and Luka Banda, joined at the head. The twins did not share any organs but did share intricate blood vessels which flowed into each child's brain. According to Carson, he had performed surgical rehearsals with a computerized, 3-D virtual workbench that allowed him to visualize artificial reconstructions of the twins' brains. The operation lasted 28 hours before successfully concluding.
In 2003, Carson was a member of the surgical team which worked to separate conjoined siblings Ladan and Laleh Bijani. When they asked why he had performed such a risky surgery, he said that he had heard them say that they would rather die than stay conjoined.
wiki/Ben Carson
Dr. Carson has been married 33 years to his Yale college sweetheart Candy who was pursuing a triple degree when he met her. They have 3 sons. Dr. Carson has been honored with numerous awards including the 2008 Presidential Medal of Freedom. He is a humble man who gives credit to his faith.
Carson has received numerous honors and awards including more than 40 honorary doctorate degrees.
He is a member of the American Academy of Achievement, the Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans, the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society, and many other prestigious organizations.
He sits on many boards including the Board of Directors of Kellogg Company, Costco Wholesale Corporation, Yale Corporation (the governing body of Yale University), and America's Promise.
He is also the president and co-founder of the Carson Scholars Fund, which recognizes young people of all backgrounds for exceptional academic and humanitarian accomplishments.
wiki/Ben Carson
Join me in wishing Dr. Carson a Happy 57th Birthday which was September 18th.
In his words...
You do have the possibility of controlling your own destiny if you are willing to put in the appropriate amount of time and effort." Or, as he tells young people everywhere, "Think Big."
All that I am or ever hope to be, I owe to my mother."
Cuba Gooding Jr. will star in TNT Original movie 'GIFTED HANDS: THE BEN CARSON STORY', watch for it this fall.
If you are a parent and your child needs the best neurosurgeon you are referred to Dr. Carson. You do not ask what color he is instead you ask can he save your child. He is the best surgeon for the job. I mean to draw a parallel here about Dr. Carson and Barack Obama. The dire consequences of our country require the best candidate for the job and the obstacle of his color should not exist. It is that simple.
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