Sean Carter

This poster was created for a presentation that we did at Angelo State University

He has asked me to update his Walking Goal to "Walking Unassisted" by MoM’s birthday (Summer, 2011)

www.whenseanspeaks.com

WhenSeanSpeaks, INC……A Press Release

Even though Sean Carter cannot walk or talk, yet; and his MoM, Jenny Carter quit her job more than 5 years ago to take care of him 24/7, they’ve never stopped dreaming of a better life. They dreamed of a life that would engage them in every way and allow them to be productive citizens and share their experiences so that other lives could be saved.
On August 9, 2010, they received word that their dream had finally become reality. WhenSeanSpeaks, Inc has been approved by the IRS as a 501c3, fully Non-Profit Agency.
The goal of the organization is to touch lives with encouragement that you can overcome obstacles with faith and perseverance; to talk to people about living with the consequences of your actions; to share our story of the effects of alcohol and driving; and, to address (and overcome) obstacles to living in a wheelchair when you can’t talk!
WhenSeanSpeaks, Inc, was formed solely for charitable, educational and scientific purposes. The organization was formed to make a difference through inspirational speeches about consequences and choices. Sean and Jenny fully believe that with the guidance of their Board of Directors they will be able to provide funding opportunities to benefit persons with traumatic brain injury. They are especially interested in helping those with movement disorders and speech deficits.
Sean and Jenny are currently on a Road Trip that will take them to Seattle, Washington, August 17-19, where they will be working with the Ford Motor Company Fund’s “Driving Skills for Life” program. After a side visit with Sean’s twin brother, Todd, and his family in Prosser, Washington, they will drive to Red River, New Mexico, to attend Mountain High Camp, a four day camp for adults with Traumatic Brain Injury. Once they leave Red River, they will drive on to Kansas City, Missouri to attend the annual conference of the Governors Highway Safety Association. Sean and Jenny will not return to their home in Dallas, Texas, until the first weeks of October.
Sean and Jenny want to thank everyone who supported them physically, spiritually and monetarily, as they have moved forward through every stage of loss, acceptance and achievement. They both feel they could not be where they are today without everyone who believed in them.

Sean and Jenny Carter
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Sean has been recognized for his speeches in numerous articles and TV segments in Texas. Below is a list of press outlets that have featured stories about Sean.
TV: CBS 11 (Dallas/Fort Worth), FOX 4 (Dallas), NBC 5 (Dallas/Fort Worth), KLTV 7 (East Texas), KTXA 21 (Dallas/Fort Worth), KDAF 33 (Dallas/Fort Worth), KLST 8 (San Angelo), KSAN 3 (San Angelo), KBTEX 3 (Bryan/ College Station), KTEN (North Texas/ Southeasten Oklahoma), KXII (North Texas/ Southeasten Oklahoma),
Print: Dallas Morning News, Star Telegram, The Dallas News, The Austin Statesman, Lufkin Daily News, Kilgore News Herald, Pulse Magazine, Tyler Morning Press, Info Magazine


~ How It Began ~

What do you do when your brain no longer tells your body how to walk or talk? When even the simple act of swallowing your saliva is forgotten and when you concentrate on something the drool runs out of your mouth? When you can no longer control your body and tell it to take a deep breath?

What do you do when you are totally aware of everything you cannot do, and you are trapped in your body. When just four years ago you could do all of these things, but now you can do no more than use the index finger on your left hand to type into a computer?

If you are Sean Carter, you take the opportunity to tell others about the dangers of risky behavior. You tell others that there is Life after Brain Injury. You tell others, never, ever, ever, give up!

Sean's journey into his new life started at the crash site in Wichita Falls, Texas, during the wee hours of Sunday, March 27, 2005. At the time of the single vehicle crash, he was a student at Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls majoring in Business Administration. He was the passenger in a truck, driven by a friend who lost control while driving them home from a Saturday night spent at a couple of bars. As the truck spun and slammed into a tree, Sean's journey began. Sean suffered multiple fractures, internal injuries and worst of all a traumatic brain injury. Sean is now well down the path of this new life. Although he has forgotten how to walk and talk, Sean is living a full and active life.

He suffers very few cognitive deficits, and in January 2007, returned to college for two semesters to continue to work to complete his Bachelor's Degree at The University of Texas at Dallas. His first semester back, he earned an "A" in Entreprenuership, and a "B" in Management Information Systems. These are huge accomplishments for someone diagnosed with a severe diffuse axonal injury.

Sean has been a patient at numerous facilities including:
United Regional Hospital, Wichita Falls
Parkland Hospital, Dallas,
Baylor Institute of Rehabilitation (BIR) – Coma Program, Dallas, twice
Baylor Specialty Hospital - Dallas
Pate Rehabilitation – Brinlee Creek location, (The Ranch) Anna
BIR – Day Neuro Program – Dallas
BIR – Outpatient - Dallas
Hippotherapy (therapy on horseback) at Stajduhar Stables in Colleyville, twice
Crossroads Institute for Learning, Austin (bioneuro feedback)
St. David’s Rehabilitation Hospital, Day Program, Austin (Neuro Muscular Retraining)
He attended Day Therapy this summer for six weeks at Pate Rehabilitation, Villa Creek, Dallas
Sean is now working with Dr. Karen McCain, Associate Professor of Physical Therapy at UT Southwestern. Dr. McCain is a specialist in Gait Training

Sean's good humor and courage are infectious. We are so thankful that he is able to communicate with us via his "life line", an electronic communication device that speaks the sentences that he types, as well as his BlackBerry.

He is now taking advantage of his ability to communicate and tell his story by speaking to groups about the experience that placed him in his wheelchair. He has spoken at the following Texas venues:
L.D. Bell High School in Hurst
S&S High School and Middle School in Sadler
Dallas Christian Academy
Texas High School in Texarkana
The Senior Class of Hillcrest H.S. in Dallas
The Student Athletes of Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls.
Students at North Texas State Hospital in Vernon
Fowler Middle School, Frisco, TX
Unity Missionary Baptist Church, Denison
Central High School, Keller, TX
Princeton High School, Princeton, TX
Young Men's Service League, Allen
Ranchview High School, Irving
Frisco High School Student Opportunity Center, Frisco
PT Students, UT Medical Branch, Galveston
Young Men's Service League of Plano
Midway High School, Waco
Augmentatives Speech Therapy Students at Texas Women's University, Dallas
West High School, West
Central High School, Senior Class, Keller
Monsignor Kelly Catholic High School, Beaumont
Mineola High School, Mineola
Alba-Golden High School, Alba
Yantis High School, Yantis
Quitman High School, Quitman
Winnsboro High School, Winnsboro
Hawkins High School, Hawkins
Sabine High School, Gladewater
Bryan High School, Bryan
Navasota, High School, Navasota
Burton High School and Middle School, Burton
Caldwell High School, Caldwell
Young Men's Service Leagues at Prestonwood Christian Academy
Roach Middle School, Frisco
Save a Life Summit, San Antonio
Victim's Impact Panels for M.A.D.D.
"Think First", an organization sponsored by BIR, that reaches out to young people in an effort to prevent Spinal Cord and Brain Injuries.
Texas EMS, Trauma, and Acute Care Services Advisory Foundation (TETAF)
Governor's EMS, Trauma and Acute Care Advisory Council (GETAC), Injury Prevention Council
The Parkland Trauma Conference, 2008
Houston's Circle of Survivors Trauma Conference 2009
Senate and House Committees, Austin

He is now on the Texas Traumatic Brain Injury Advisory Council and is on the Mentorship/Advisory Committee for TETAF and represents Trauma Survivors

Sean had returned to work as an Account Liaison for Mobility Medical Equipment, Inc. His job was to do inservices (presentations) at hospitals and Rehab Centers informing staff about the products they sell/rent: wheelchairs, walkers, etc., He and his MoM had also begun work as consultants for Comation, the company that distributes RollTalk in the United States. How's that for someone unable to walk or talk?

They have now devoted themselves to speaking fulltime and have named their business "WhenSeanSpeaks". Sean and his MoM now give presentations to groups about living with the Consequences of your Choices. From February 2008 to January 2009, they drove to Austin weekly for therapy at Crossroads Institute of Learning in an effort to “re-wire” or “re-map” his brain. In May of 2008, Sean began Neuromuscular Retraining as well as traditional therapies at St. David’s Rehab in Austin.

Sean has been featured in print and video by the Dallas Morning News, and appeared in a segment on Dallas' TV Channel 4. He has also been on the local Arklatex TV station, as well as KFDX Channel 3 in Wichita Falls. Most recently he appeared on a Waco TV station and on The33, a Dallas/Ft. Worth Station.

He has been featured in print in "Pulse" magazine, in BIR's 2007 Annual Report, in the July 2008 issue of Info Magazine of Grayson County was featured in a Parkland Hospital Publication.

Sean took a 23 day road trip with MoM in June of 2008, and drove up to Pasco, Washington
, for a visit with his identical twin brother, Todd. They returned via Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks.

Always present throughout this journey, have been our faithful “Army of Angels”. A group of individuals brought together by the pages of Sean's story, to follow his journey and to lift him up with thoughts and prayers. We believe they have played and continue to play a huge part in the victories that Sean continues to achieve.

Thank you for joining us, and Please sign into the guestbook and let us know that you checked in!
Journal

Journal

Monday, July 4, 2011 8:16 AM CDT

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Sean is Home!

Dallas, TX 75218

Links:

E-mail Author: jenny@whenseanspeaks.com

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