Getting Better

Overview

On October 7th, 2007, his senior year of high school, Will Carter leaves work and heads home to get sleep before re-taking the SAT the following morning. Three weeks later, he wakes up in a hospital bed, a trach in his throat, covered in IV’s and scars, confused, and with a terrible pain in his head. He learns that he has suffered a brain injury and stroke and that he is waking up from a medically induced coma. Will takes what scraps and bits he has of his memory to reclaim his story, as he takes the reader on a harrowing 7-month journey from his car accident and coma to his recovery and return to high school. Will fights the internal battle of wanting to be the person he was before and accepting who he is now. He must fight to graduate high school, re-learn how to walk, and re-discover how to live his life again. He must strive to figure out what getting better really looks like. Will must come to terms with God and fight to hold onto his faith. He must finally come to see getting better as not something physical but something emotional, personal, and spiritual.

Reviews

“Will Carter’s searingly honest look at his recovery from a life-changing accident is a welcome reminder of our shared humanity.” Jessica Handler, author, “Invisible Sisters,” “Braving the Fire,” and “The Magnetic Girl.” “Will Carter’s memoir of his healing from brain injury is a blueprint for hope for anyone who faces self-doubt and a seemingly insurmountable challenge. It is a testament to faith and to the love of parents and teachers. Poignant and powerful, it captures with humor and optimism the routines of the sophomoric teenage years that most people take for granted.” —Anthony Grooms, author of Bombingham and The Vain Conversation

Author Biography

On October of 2007 when Will Carter was a senior in high school, Will was in a caraccident and suffered a brain injury. After an almost three-week coma, Will awoke and went to the Shepherd Center for therapy. In May of 2008, he was able to graduate Roswell High School, and then, four years later, he graduated Oglethorpe University with a Bachelor of Arts in Playwriting. He went on to receive his Master of Fine Arts in Playwriting from BostonUniversity and his Master of Arts in Teaching from the University of Louisville.