CJ's Journey
Corey
Lamar
Carter
Jr.
Affectionately called:
CJ
September
27, 2004, started as a normal morning in the Carter family's household. My
husband and I were watching the morning news, our son was playing in our
bed, my daughter was dragging her feet as she dressed for school. I never
imagined this day would change the rest of our lives.
At approximately 11:00a.m., my beautiful, charismatic, energetic, and happy
boy was the victim of a near drowning accident. He was submerged in water
for approximately 10 minutes before being rescued. Our uncle retrieved him
from the pool and immediately began CPR. Once the paramedics arrived, the
efforts escalated. At the time of rescue, CJ was pulse-less and not
breathing. After one hour and 45 minutes of reviving efforts performed by
Daniel Freemans emergency room staff, CJ's heart began to beat and with the
assistance of a ventilator, CJ was able to breathe. (Our first Miracle).
The doctors informed us that the first 24-hours were the most critical and
that the chances of CJ surviving were limited. Through the grace of God and
all of our prayers, CJ made it. Because he was submerged in water for an
extended length of time, he suffered brain injury. Because of this injury,
he is not the same child that we once knew, and we are not the same parents
he once knew. It took nine months for God to grace us with our son, so we
remain prayerful that in his time, God will heal our child.
On
October 11, 2004, CJ underwent surgery to have a tracheostomy and a feeding
tube placed until his condition changes. When the changes may take place is
unknown to us at this time. However, with prayer, God is very able.
Today
we stand firm in our faith, our marriage, and the love of our son. He is not
the same child we had a month ago. However, he is a blessing that God has
bestowed upon us.
CJ
symbolizes an ultimate sacrifice that has exposed our family to the power of
support and the true meaning of faith. As it stands today, CJ is an
intricate part of our family, we are adjusting. Life is an adjustment. We
put him to sleep at night, and wake up with him in the morning. This battle
will not stop here and we are constantly searching for alternative methods
of therapy, i.e., Hyper Baric Oxygen treatment, ( read about Hyperbarics),
Acupuncture, Cranial Sacral, Massage Therapy, and SPECT Scan,( None of this
information was provided to us, nor paid by our insurance carrier).
Although CJ's progress is slow, he is currently semi-comatose, with
involuntary movement, WE HAVE TIME, and PATIENCE. When the physicians tell
you that is all they can do, never give up, keep reading, and researching.
Children with traumatic brain injuries are just as important as any other
child who may be perceived as "normal." It is unfortunate that some
physicians with working brains can't figure this out.
Because he lives...We can Face tomorrow.
With Love, Prayer, and Affection,
Kendra & Corey Carter
Kendra &
Corey Carter :glovercarter@yahoo.com
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