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Ben Carson

by Inessa from Roseville

(http://afam.nts.jhu.edu/bin/l/u/carson.jpg)
(http://afam.nts.jhu.edu/bin/l/u/carson.jpg)

What is a hero? Is it the superman that saves the world from evil villains? Or a prince that saves a princess? Some people might think that heroes are only in books, movies, or fairly tales, but in reality there are lots heroes all around us. One of the many heroes is Ben Carson. A hero is someone who is caring, unselfish, and inspires you to become a better person. All those qualities fit Ben Carson and those are some of the reasons why I have chosen him for my hero.

Ben Carson was born in Detroit, Michigan (he is currently living there as well) on September 18, 1951. Ben and his older brother Curtis were raised by his mother, Sonya, after their father left them. Sonya cared very much about her sons and always told them to follow their dreams. She was also very strict about their education. When she found out that both her sons when failing school, she knew that she had to help somehow. So Sonya decided that her sons had to read two books every week and give her book reports on them. Although Ben and his brother thought that was unfair they listened to her and shortly after that, their grades went up.

As Ben was growing up, he wanted to be a physician. After he graduated high school with honors, he went to Yale University where he earned a degree in psychology. But after that, his fascination changed to neurosurgery. After medical school, Ben became a neurosurgery resident at Johns Hopkins Hospital which was located in Baltimore. When Ben 32 years old, he became the hospital's Director of Pediatric Neurosurgery.

Ben Carson has performed many surgeries throughout his life. One of the most famous ones was when Ben separated the Binder twins who were born as Siamese twins. But he was not only famous for his surgeries; he was also famous for his powerful, inspirational speeches and books. Some of his books include Gifted Hands, Think Big, and The Big Picture. Then in 2008, George Bush awarded him with Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Ben Carson got married to Candy Rustin in 1975 and had three sons. Then in June of 2002 Ben found out he had cancer but it was stopped in time. Now Ben tries to spend most of his time with his family since he realized one day he might not be there for them. Ben Carson had many challenges throughout his life but he goes around those obstacles.

Ben Carson is important to me because he came from a poor family and had bad grades but he decided to change that and became a very important person who has saved many lives. He teaches many life lessons and gives me belief that I can grow up to be a strong person that can do something that can influence the world to be a better place.

Ben Carson is a caring, unselfish, and inspiring person and I am proud to call him my hero. He changes many lives throughout his surgeries and he also changes lives throughout his speeches and books as well. When I grow up I want to be inspirational to so many people just like Ben is to me and everyone else that feels inspired by him.

Page created on 11/17/2010 12:00:00 AM

Last edited 11/17/2010 12:00:00 AM

The beliefs, viewpoints and opinions expressed in this hero submission on the website are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the beliefs, viewpoints and opinions of The MY HERO Project and its staff.