INTERVIEW
Dr. Ben Carson: The Hollywood Story
By Cynthia Savage with Mia Evans-Saracual
The 700 Club
CBN.com
– Dr. Ben Carson’s groundbreaking work in pediatric neurosurgery has made medical history. He gained worldwide recognition for separating conjoined twins. Now his extraordinary life is captured on dvd in the movie, Gifted Hands, based on his autobiography.
Academy award winner Cuba Gooding, Jr., stars as Dr. Carson – a man who overcame insurmountable odds through his faith in God, his mother’s love, and his determination to never give up.
Mia Evans-Saracual: What did it feel like to see your life come to life on screen?
Dr. Ben Carson: Well, it was pretty amazing. It's very emotional. I even shed a few tears. My wife still says she cries every time she sees it.
Candy Carson: The reason why it was done [was] to help people understand they can take charge of their lives they don't have to be that whatever's going on in your life you don't have to succumb to your circumstances. You can pray about it until you get more wisdom on that.
Raised by a single mother in extreme poverty, Ben struggled in school. But the self-proclaimed "class dummy" rose to the top of his class after his mother taught him the importance of reading despite her own illiteracy.
Evans-Saracual: What were some of the scenes that caused you to cry a little bit when you watched it?
Dr. Carson: The scene where the teacher was berating all the other students for allowing me to be number one.That was downplayed in the movie. It was actually much worse than that.
Evans-Saracual: What did that do to shape you?
Dr. Carson: It just made me cognizant of the fact that there are people out there who are going to judge you not on who you are but on what you look like. I reached a point in my life where I just said, "You know what? That's not my problem. It's their problem." I don't really have time to deal with that because I need to concentrate on developing the God-given talents that I have and try to do God's will – not to be worried about somebody's silly little thoughts. I encourage all people to do that.
Ben developed a strong faith in God early on thanks to his mother’s example.
Sonya Carson: God is greater than any human being, and we have to rely on God to supply all our needs even though we don’t see how we’re going to get them.
Ben credits God for helping him overcome an explosive temper which threatened to destroy his future. He later attended Yale University on scholarship and the University of Michigan medical school. At the age of 33, he became the youngest Director of Pediatric Neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins medical institutions.
Evans-Saracual: Tell me about what do you pray about.
Dr. Carson: Well, first of all I pray for wisdom and guidance in everything that I do. You know many people have said that I'm on the edge and I'm maverick for some of the big operations that I've done. I’m not at all. I pray I ask God to give me wisdom, should I do it, guidance in terms of how to do it, who to consult with. All those kind of things are incredibly important.
Dr. Carson's love for children extends beyond the wall of Johns Hopkins Children’s Center. He gives back to the couumunity through the Carson Scholars fund and the Ben Carson Reading Room projects.
Dr. Carson: We want every single kid in this nation to recognize that they can get the same kind of recognition for using their brain and for being kind and considerate and nice to other people as they can for shooting a 25-foot jump shot.
He’s a family man, and a medical history maker who’s received over 50 honorary doctorate degrees. And in 2008, Dr. Carson was awareded the presidential medal of freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor. Still, none of his accomplishments compare to his greatest reward in life.
Dr. Carson: The most important thing for me is having a relationship with God.To know that the owner, the creator of the universe loves you, sent His Son to die for your sins, that's very empowering. Knowing Him and knowing that He loves me gives me encouragement and confidence to move forward.
CBN IS HERE FOR YOU!
Are you seeking answers in life? Are you hurting?
Are you facing a difficult situation?
A caring friend will be there to pray with you in your time of need.
