Born to an illiterate mother in a small town, Ben Carson began life with what most of us today do not have. Ben Carson had a disadvantage. Throughout Ben’s schooling he was called a “dummy” by his friends and teachers, battled poverty at home, was raised in inner-city Detroit, and was a delinquent around the city. Ben Carson even believed them saying, “[He] was perhaps the worst student you’ve ever seen,” and “[He] thought [he] was really stupid.” Ben Carson even stated that he went “after people with rocks, and bricks” as he went spiraling downhill towards failure. It appeared his friends and teachers had him where they thought he should be. He was failing almost every subject and when he came home with a failing report card his mother had the reaction that most parents of Jesuit students have; she was appalled and worried. Quickly, Sonya Carson set out on a plan to fix that.
Mrs. Carson laid down the ground rules in order to make her son successful. The family was limited to only three educational TV stations and had to read two books a week from the Detroit Public Library and submit written book reports to her. Humble beginnings along with his family’s motivation pushed Ben Carson to greatness. He tried harder than anyone in school as to provide for his family and became much more than what anyone ever expected. When Carson was still young, he began having fantasies of a career in medicine. At hospitals, Ben, wanting to feel what it was like, would pay extra attention and ask questions. He would wait bedside listening to the “pulse” of the hospital as doctors and nurses rushed by. When the PA system called, “Dr. Jones,” he fantasized over the day when it would call “Dr. Carson,” however, soon it went downhill.
Ben Carson became more violent and radical. His temper was out of control and frequently attacked the others he was threatened by in this inner city Detroit. One day he said he “attacked his mother with a hammer” over his clothing choice. Ben Carson himself believes these were the darkest times of his life, but realized that the only way to become a better person is to accept what happened. However, the true reason he was saved from this radical lifestyle was his mother again. When she heard of this absurd behavior she began to tighten restrictions. Ben hated this regime his mother had laid over him. While friends of his were outside, he was stuck inside reading. Ben describes his city as small, impoverished and not much to do, but when he entered those pages in a book he could be anyone, go anywhere, and do anything he wanted.
Ben found himself benefiting from the regime his mother had made. Ben’s grades steadily rose and he finally found himself out of trouble. He was different from the kids who wanted to spend money on material goods. He began to set his eyes on the fantasy from a child. Ben Carson saw it as a reality. Even through his mother’s attempts persisted, his temper remained. He once “attacked his friend with a knife” and, preventing tragedy, his knife broke off at the belt buckle. Ben was appalled at his own actions. He sprinted home and locked himself in the bathroom with the Bible thinking he could have ended a life. He found comfort in, “Better a patient man than a warrior, a man who controls his temper than one who takes a city.” Soon after Ben began controlling his anger rather than having it control him.
Graduating Yale in 1973, Ben Carson enrolled in the school of medicine at Michigan University choosing to become a neurosurgeon rather than a psychologist. In 1975, he married Lacrena Rustin whom he met at Yale. Carson earned his medical degree, and the two moved to Baltimore, Maryland where he started his residency at Johns Hopkins University in 1977. He accredits his great hand-eye coordination and his three-dimensional thinking to becoming a great neurosurgeon. By 1982, he was the chief resident in neurosurgery. In 1983, Carson got an honorable invite from Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital in Perth, Australia to fill a neurosurgeon position. He was reluctant to leave his home and travel so far away but ultimately accepted the position.
He gained multiple years of experience and was a one of the top neurosurgeons in the world. Carson returned to John Hopkins and became the head of pediatric neurosurgery. He received a call from a family in Germany about two twins conjoined at the head and after inspection he believed he could do the operation. On September 4, 1987, Ben Carson began the operation with 70 doctors, nurses, and other support for a 22-hour operation. “The boys’ bodies were cooled down so the blood flowed slower and bleeding was less severe. This allowed the surgeons to perform the delicate task of untangling, dividing and repairing shared blood vessels. Although the twins did have some brain damage, both survived the separation, making Carson’s surgery the first of its kind.”
Although Ben Carson has had very recent success, he has had some downfalls. Ben Carson has been accused of lying in many cases all of which he has justified. A rumor came out he was not actually offered a scholarship to West Point as had previously thought. Ben Carson commented on this saying he was told he would receive a full ride if he applied. There was much outrage but, similar to any other political problem, it quickly resolved itself.
Ben Carson has become a prime candidate and I believe he would make a great president, but there is still a while in the Presidential Campaign. Ben Carson, being calm, cool and collected, will surpass the rambunctious and ill-informed Donald Trump. Some people may be on the line with the two, however, I always get down to the argument of whom is better trusted with a nuclear arsenal at their hands and can start another world war with a press of a button.
The halls of Jesuit College Preparatory are buzzing with thoughts on the Presidential Campaign with many leaning towards the Republican party. A sophomore student, Dawson Moore, describes Ben Carson as, “a knowledgeable candidate who would make a great president” and many others agreeing wholeheartedly.
Throughout the campaign, Ben Carson has increased in polls with many getting behind Ben Carson as an option for the new Presidential Candidate. Maybe Ben Carson has much to learn however, he is a prime candidate for political directness with a great ideology.
SOURCES:
“Ben Carson.” Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, n.d. Web. 29 Oct. 2015.
