Ben Carter’s Testimonial

Ben Carter
Sept – Oct 2021 • Vol 3, No 117

My name is Ben. In 2006, just four months after getting married, I was in a near-fatal car accident, crushed by an 18-wheeler on the freeway. It broke my femur in two places, cracked my tibia, broke my ribs, destroyed my right shoulder, cut my face open, severely damaged my lower back, ruined my right knee, and damaged my left one. Over the course of the past 15 years, I have undergone 14 major surgeries and 13 minor ones. My left knee was scoped twice, 2 knee replacements on the right knee (as they didn’t get the size right the first time—a nightmare that never did end up well for me), 5 back surgeries along with many outpatient procedures on my back to burn nerves, etc. My shoulder ended up with 2 severed muscles, cartilage blown off the socket, and my rotator cuff torn so badly it was hanging on by less than 5%. I had it repaired—not replaced.

Before the accident I was very fit and adventurous. I enjoyed downhill skiing, hiking, biking, motorcycles, big game hunting, fishing, rock climbing and spelunking. The majority of my career had been spent in the construction industry working with my hands, doing heavy lifting, and lots of maneuvering up and down.

After the accident, I spent months in a wheelchair and then a walker. I was walking again within a year, but more than a decade later, I was still experiencing pain and issues with nearly every major joint in my body. My ankles and wrists ached with arthritis. My knees, back, shoulder, and neck were a constant source of pain and limitation. Gone was my ability to do many of the activities I loved and also the work that sustained me. I was forced to live a life very different from what I ever imagined for myself.

Read full article »