Momandpop

Mr. and Mrs. T. L. Carter Jr. 1994

On September 9th, 1956 my Father and Mother got some bad news about the child they were soon going to have. I was born with cerebral palsey (C.P.). This is

an underdevelopment of the brain due to the lack of oxygen. Fortunately for me, my parents took this in stride and even though I’ve had to live my life in a wheelchair (four or five different kinds over the years!) I’ve been through some difficulties because of it. But my parents still tried to give me as normal of a life as possible. Like many other families with disabled children, my Father built quite a few items which made it a little easier for me to get through life. He built my first walker and my first standing table. He also built me an eight foot tall ramp, so they could load me on and off the school bus. He also made me a wooden robot with just a piece of plywood on wheels that I could push around that I had a lot of fun with! He would also try to help me fabricate anything I could come up with in my own head. I think part of that rubbed off on me. My parents used to help me do a lot of things, that’s why I always refer to them as my first pair of hands! My Dad was at work a lot, but He filled in wherever He could to give Mom a break sometimes. That’s why I’m writing this story. Another short story about my Dad is that one day while at work He was helping some of the boys move some equipment and without realizing it her tripped over a guestbook stand at the funeral home. When the insurance man came to fill out the papers He was going through them and He asked the third question on paragraph six. Okay how many days did Mr. Carter miss work? When my Dad’s boss Mr. Hewell said “none”. The insurance mans eyes bugged out and His jaw hit the floor. Because He said most people like this try to take off a month or two and rip off the insurance companies. All my Dad did was crack a few ribs. So instead of doing heavy lifting, He spent the next month or two in the office just doing paperwork. He let the other folks worry about the heavy stuff. When it came to looking after the family, unless He was really really sick, my father would get up, and throw up, and get dressed to go to work. He really had to be pretty bad off to stay home. The picture above is probably the last picture of my Dad before He passed away.

While my Dad was at work and away from home besides staying at the house and raising a family. My Mother would help me with my projects and other hobbies and activities. When I got into T.V. production and video transfers, my Mother could hook up two video machines practically in her sleep. Mother also helped me on a shoot with about four other people at one of the Jacksonville Jazz festivals.

We did not get out of there until five o’clock in the morning one time. I found her

curled up asleep in the driver’s seat of the van waiting for me to get finished. I have been very lucky in my life even with a disability. I know some other people that haven’t been so lucky. There are those people that adopt special needs kids just to use the funds awarded them by the state, not to help feed and clothe the special needs children, but more or less to improve their own lives. Whenever I get down and depressed and I think why me Lord? A few people have told me a few good ideas to remember. One is There is always somebody worse off than you. The other is remembering God doesn’t give you more than you can handle. A third thing to remember might be, there are only two people you can depend on in life when it comes down to it. Yourself and God. So what I’m trying to say toward the end of this story is, while you’re trying to improve your life also be grateful for the things you have had and the things you have now! Because as I said, there is always someone worse off than you. I’m happy to report also, that my Mother just turned 91 recently. She is still with me. Instead of her looking after me, now the shoe is on the other foot. But she still worries about me and I guess she always will. That’s a Mother for you. Mary Smith a friend of mine just lost her own son with C.P. She has many of the same characteristics as my Mom. I hope this story has opened your eyes, and if you would like to know more please read my book. This can also be found in the same area as this story. Thank you Toppy Carter.