JACKSON, Mich. (WLNS)—“When I walked out of the hospice home I was walking down the side walk and this bird almost flew right into me and I remember just thinking like maybe that’s Carter kind of showing me he’s flying now,” said Sierra Carter.
It’s a story of love, loss and healing. For mom Sierra Carter, it started when she first realized something wasn’t right with her one year old son Carter.
“For a long time the doctors said he was just a little behind he would catch up and when that didn’t happen that’s when we finally started seeing specialists and trying to find answers.”
The news wasn’t good. Doctors diagnosed Carter with a rare terminal disease called mitochondrial. It effects the energy cells in the body. For her son Carter, that meant trouble with breathing and living without the ability to speak.
“It took me a really long time to kind of believe it.”
Over the course of the next six years, there were ups like when he started to walk even though doctors said he wouldn’t, and downs including 12 hospital visits in 12 months. Six times airlifted. It’s then when mom had to make the impossible and final decision to stop the pain.
“As they took the IV’s away, took the breathing tube away and they took all these things away like he just looked at me with so much peace and he just looked happy and he kind of just gave me this little smile like it’s ok mom.”
In his final moments Carter was in the arms of his biggest supporter, a final request from mom to staff and son.
“I said you know they put him on my chest when he took his first breathe and all I hope is that I can be holding him when he takes his last and within minutes we had noticed he had stopped breathing.”
Sierra says she wrestled with her decision for years, but out of the pain of loss came another chapter in Carter’s story.
It’s a book written by mom full of life and color—just like carter. She says she wrote it to help others go through the pain of loss while also giving her son a voice to be heard.
“You know telling his stories like this it kind of keeps him alive in a way.”
The book helps meet a need to help kids understand tough topics.
“There are not books about you know about some of those hard topics, you know like seeing a child in a wheel chair, and you know talking about like what happens when they can’t get better and so my goal is to change that.”
With every page Sierra is reminded of who Carter was, his blue eyes and smile brought to life again.
“There was just a light within Carter like to know him was to love him you know and anybody who knew him like that’s kind of like the across the board what people say. He was just a light.”
She also started a non-profit called Carter’s Voice. It helps raise money for families paying for funeral expenses. It’s another way to keep his legacy of love alive, and every day like the day that he took his final breathe moms reminded it’s going to be okay.
“I think he is kind of saying you’re doing good mom. Keep going keep going keep going.”
The book is out now. Sierra says she looking to make it a series.
“It’s all about perspective, so when you go through a loss or you go through hardships it’s all about perspective and how you choose to move forward.”
And one that with every line brings out the love in Carter’s voice.
“He’s definitely showed me ways over the years that I know he’s still here.”
The book titled ‘Meet Carter’ is currently available on Amazon. For ways you can get involved to support ‘Carters Voice’ there is a link below.