Meet Carter, a 13-year-old superhero, wakeboarder and cancer survivor! Carter battled leukemia for three years, enduring a long process of treatment and recovery.
Recently, we got to spend an amazing day on the water with Carter, his friends and family, and two professional wakeboarders (one a fellow cancer survivor!) to celebrate the fact that he is now cancer-free!
When Carter was just ten years old, he received his leukemia diagnosis. He went through chemotherapy and endured many tough days of treatment. He missed a large amount of school due to treatment and was unable to participate in many of his favorite activities. Carter loves the water, but had to take a summer off from wakeboarding and swimming due to his treatment.
Remembering the difficulties of that time, Carter’s mom emphasized how meaningful it was for Carter’s siblings to support him every step of the way. His parents and siblings took turns staying with him at the hospital, encouraging him simply by being there. This family is a true example of lifting each other up during the most difficult time in their lives.
Thankfully, Carter matched with a bone marrow donor and received a bone marrow transplant when he was 12 years old. His transplant was a success! After a difficult recovery, Carter is now in remission and is truly living his life to the fullest.
To celebrate Carter and his family, we brought him on a special wakeboarding adventure. Two professional wakeboarders, Bob Soven and Alexa Score, came along to spend the day on the water with Carter and his friends and family. They did wakeboarding tricks, cheered each other on, wake surfed and even had a dance party and a cannon ball contest!
Alexa shared how much this day meant to her personally because she is battling the same type of cancer as Carter. Given their shared experience battling leukemia and their shared love for wakeboarding, it was a day that neither of them will forget.
For Bob and Alexa, this day was an incredible way to use their talent to encourage Carter and his friends. They both loved goofing off with Carter and his friends, and they presented him with his own brand new wakeboard at the end of the adventure!
Thank you for your support, which makes adventures like this possible for these amazing children and their families. Together, we are putting smiles on the faces of amazing children like Carter.
