Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story

Cierra June

English 1

August 14, 2012

Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story

Dr. Ben Carson is one of the most gifted doctors that give kids a second chance at life. He was a very gifted and profound surgeon, his hands were used to sustain and maintain life.

I chose the book Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story for two reasons. One reason is for me being diagnose in 2007 with a brain tumor. The second reason is Dr. Tuite a Pediatric Neurosurgeon who saved my life. This book relates to my life when other doctors were treating me for stomach issues that did not have anything to do with what was going on in my head. My mother kept doing what she does by praying and seeking for the right answers that made sense.

Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story narrative what Ben Carson went through from a child in Elementary School to college, and becoming a World-Class Pediatric Neurosurgeon? Ben, his brother Curtis and his mother Sonya lived in Detroit. He was raised in a two parent home until Ben was nine years old his father left them.

Ben's mother Sonya was a strong woman with an third grade education, but stayed on Ben and Curtis to push hard and learn all that they could. Sonya knew that education was superior for Ben and Curtis to have a successful life. In the early part of Ben's education he was failing, but it was not because he did not know or did not want to learn. His vision was poor and he needed glasses, his grades were better, and his classmates came to him for help. Ben's grades were so good he received a full scholarship to attend college. After High School Ben decided to attend Yale University. During his freshmen year of College Ben struggled in math but his girlfriend (Candy) and going to church made him realize that he needed to do better.

In 1973 Ben graduated from Yale University and worked toward his destiny of becoming a doctor. After graduating from the University of Michigan medical school in 1977. Ben interviewed and got accepted to work at John Hopkins Hospital after facing many hard times and conflict from doctors and students at John Hopkins, but he kept his eyes on the prize of being a doctor. Dr. Ben Carson risked his career as a doctor by performing an operation on a patient without supervision and still being a resident. It was not in protocol for a resident to perform surgery on anyone, but he saved a man's life.

In 1987, Ben Carson performed the first successful separation of joined twins. This was a very difficult task that took several months to prepare for. Ben Carson has operated on a total of five sets of craniopaagus twins. Dr. Carson continues as head of the Pediatric Neurosurgery at John Hopkins.