About Carrie

Carrie was a beautiful, healthy baby, but for reasons known only to God, Carrie began having seizures when she was 10 months old. Her seizures were so severe and frequent that she lapsed into what appeared to be a vegetative state. A neurologist recommended that she be institutionalized, but her mom refused and found another neurologist who saw hope for her. Carrie's seizures gradually became more controllable, but side effects of the medications often kept her in a mental fog.

When Carrie was 5, emotionally she could have been 2. At 16, she could have been 11. Seizures seemed to strike at the most inopportune moments. Yet, her intelligence was obvious.

When seizures robbed her of opportunities and achievements, she never gave up. Her smile and laughter could fill a room.

Through years of emergency rooms, experimental medications, painful tests, and unsuccessful brain surgery, Carrie always believed that she was normal, smart, and capable of being whatever she wanted to be. From an early age, she was certain that she was called to medical missions.

Carrie's seizure control continued to improve until at last she was seizure-free. She began to close the maturity gap between herself and others her age.

When she was 26, she earned her associates degree and moved into her own apartment. She continued her schooling and the pursuit of her dream.

With her seizures in control, she was finally able to go on foreign missions. Her three medical missions to Mexico were true highlights of her life. For the last mission, she was able save enough from her job in fast food that she could donate to the mission all donations given her for her own expenses.

Just past her 28th birthday, with her Emergency Medical Technician certificate waiting in her mailbox and her soon-to-be fiance awaiting her call, Carrie died.