Lifetime Service Hero
Dr. Ben Carson is the world-renowned hero in neurosurgery and recipient of many distinguished awards. Dr Carson leads a life filled with public service to mankind and America.
Hero in Medicine.
After attending Yale University and the University of Michigan, Dr. Carson became a neurosurgery resident at the renowned Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore in 1977. When he was just 33; he also served as a co-director of the Johns Hopkins Craniofacial Center.
Along with a team of 70 doctors and other medical staff, Dr. Carson led the 22-hour surgery to separate the conjoined twin boys and created history in 1987 by successfully separating twins that went on to lead individual lives. This was the first surgery of its kind in the world where both the babies survived. Numerous attempts had been made previously by other physicians, but often one of the babies or both were unable to survive the surgery. Separating twins joined at the head is a highly risky procedure as the conjoined twins often share important blood vessels that if ruptured may lead to the twins’ death.
Dr. Carson was invited to South Africa in 1994 to separate another pair of conjoined twins, however, the surgery was not successful in spite of all the surgeons’ best efforts. In 1997, he went to Zambia with his team to operate on twins joined at the tops of their heads. The surgery took a grueling 28 hours, but both the boys survived without suffering any brain damage. In 2003, he was faced a huge challenge to separate 29-year-old conjoined twins. Dr. Carson along with a team of 100 others performed the complicated surgery. Unfortunately, both twins died shortly after operation. Dr. Carson bravely accepted these challenges.
In June 2013, after 40 years of medical endeavors, Carson retired and serves as Professor Emeritus of Neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins University.
Awards and Recognitions.
Dr. Carson has received hundreds of awards during his distinguished career. A few of the most prestigious awards to Dr Carson include:
- Jefferson Award for Greatest Public Service Benefiting the Disadvantaged in 2000.
- In 2001, Dr. Carson was named by CNN and TIME Magazine as one of the nation’s 20 foremost physicians and scientists.
- That same year, he was selected by the Library of Congress as a Living Legends.
- He is also the recipient of the 2006 Spingarn Medal which is the highest honor bestowed by the NAACP.
- In February 2008, Dr. Carson was presented with the Ford’s Theatre Lincoln Medal by the President at the White House.
- In June 2008, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by the President, which is the highest civilian honor in the land.
Dr. Carson received over 60 honorary doctorate degrees. He is a member of the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society, the Horatio Alger Society of Distinguished Americans, and many other prestigious organizations.
Books Authored by Dr. Carson:
Gifted Hands – The Ben Carson Story and the Revised Kids Edition provide insight for leading a successful life.
THINK BIG – Unleashing Your Potential for Excellence is the Doctor’s personal formula for success.
The Big Picture – Getting Perspective on What’s Really Important in Life
Take the Risk: Learning to Identify, Choose, and Live with Acceptable Risk
A More Perfect Union: What We the People Can Do to Reclaim our Constitutional Liberties America The Beautiful: Rediscovering What Made This Nation Great was a bestseller.
One Nation: What We Can All Do to Save America’s Future was a bestseller.
One Vote: Make Your Voice Heard
You Have a Brain: A Teen’s Guide to T.H.I.N.K. B.I.G. encourages young people to aim high.
My Life: Based on the Book Gifted Hands
Educating Others.
Today it might seem impossible to imagine that this brilliant neurosurgeon and humanitarian was once a poor student in school but under his Mother’s direction to read and prepare reports on two library books a week, he blossomed into a great high school student with honors. Following his passions to help others discover the world by reading, Dr. Carson and his wife founded the Carson Scholars Fund for both student scholarships and to build reading rooms in schools, Since 1996, over 8,300 scholarships have been awarded throughout America and over 195 reading rooms have been established in schools across the country. Many donors have joined in to fund these projects.
Drafted to Run for President.
In 2015, The National Draft Ben Carson for President Committee helped make the retired neurosurgeon the first candidate successfully drafted for president since 1964, when Senator Barry Goldwater won the GOP nomination. Concerned about the decline in health care for Americans, the security of the country and the country’s declining economy, Dr. Carson accepted the draft and put his distinguished life on hold to run for President of the United States.
Serving Communities in Need.
In March 2017, Dr. Carson assumed leadership of the federal department charged with combating urban decay and assisting America’s renters and homeowners – the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Under his leadership, the list of HUD accomplishments is impressive, such as, programs that spurred reinvestment in communities, advanced economic opportunity, reduced homelessness, funded disaster recovery and protected taxpayers. Reports state that since 2010, HUD programs have reduced homelessness among veterans by almost half and reduced the number of homeless families with children by 29%.
Our Honor.
It is the honor of the We Can Be Heroes Foundation to designate Dr. Ben Carson for the Foundation’s Lifetime Service Hero.