Sean Carter

Sean "walking" outside with his Rifton, Pacer Gait Trainer (I actually have to walk and guide behind him, but he is moving forward!

Sean made his "walking goal" this Christmas. He can walk about 50 feet using a walker.

He has asked me to update his Walking Goal to "Walking Unassisted" by MoM’s birthday (Summer, 2009)

www.whenseanspeaks.com

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 is now embarking on additional therapy at UT Southwestern Medical School and, Pate Rehabilitation, Villa Creek, Dallas

His 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 called RollTalk, 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
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
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?

During the past year, Sean and his MoM began giving 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 and will be 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, June 29, 2009 1:30 PM CDT

Sean is moving forward with his Gait Trainer. He actually was able to move on his own with no one pushing him 11 whole steps! A huge accomplishment for him. He and I are both so excited, though, because he improved greatly over the weekend. He actually pushed himself, walking, down the hall of our church, probably about 250 feet.

He is really looking forward to getting back with Dr. McCain, his PT at UTSW on Tuesday. He thinks she is going to be greatly surprised by his progress.

On a heavier note, his RollTalk has died, so he is now silent. The great irony, though? We had just finished evaluating new devices and the paperwork to get a new one was completed and mailed to the STAP program on Friday. It could take 6 to 8 weeks to get a replacement. So we are asking for prayers that the process goes quickly.

We drove up to Tanglewood on Friday, with a side trip to Denison to visit Sean's Dad and Grandparents. Saturday we attended Friends of Hope Day Camp at a Methodist Church in Sherman. It is always fun to visit fellow TBI survivors and family members.

Thank you for caring,
Sean's MoM, Jenny Carter

Hospital Information:

Sean is Home!

Dallas, TX 75218

Links:

E-mail Author: jenny@whenseanspeaks.com

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Note: The foregoing information was authored by the patient, parent or guardian, or other parties who are solely responsible for the content. Such announcements or their content are not necessarily endorsed by CaringBridge, Inc. or any sponsoring agent. This information does not confirm that anyone is or was actually a patient at any facility.