A remarkable young man from Saskatchewan is on a mission in Montreal to make a difference in the lives of other patients.
Carter Brown has created a splint kit in conjunction with the Shriners Hospital for Children to help make fractures more bearable for children suffering from brittle bone disease.
It’s the latest project for a boy who has already made a world of difference in many people’s lives.
Brown has broken about 20 bones in his body since birth. The pain is often excruciating until the fracture is stabilized with a splint.
“As soon as you get the splint on, it just takes the pain right away,” Brown told Global News.
But finding a proper splint can be a nightmare for families, especially for those living far from hospitals.
“The pain and seeing them with that much pain is difficult,” Carter’s mother Jennifer Brown said. “So having splinting supplies at home or with us in a car or wherever we’re travelling, we can immobilize the fracture and help stop that pain.”
The 11-year-old has osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) and created the one-step splint kit after seeing one of his friends in unbearable pain.
“I’m launching the splint kit project for a lot of people who have OI like me,” Carter said. “I really hope it helps.”
The kit will be handed out to about 350 patients suffering from brittle bone disease. It includes a memory game to help children learn about the different bones in their bodies. It’s just the latest contribution from Carter, who has travelled across North America as an ambassador for the Shriners hospital.
“I do a lot of fundraisers for the Shriners,” Carter said. “Just by myself, I’ve raised over $100,000 for this hospital.”
Carter and his family have clearly made their mark in Montreal, and serve as an inspiration to others facing the same challenges.
“They worked a lot for this and I’m very proud of them,” orthopedic nurse Pierre Ouellet said. “It’s gonna have a major impact for those families and especially the patients.”
Ten-year-old Kaleb Wolf De Melo Torres couldn’t be more proud of his good friend Carter’s accomplishments.
“I think it’s really amazing what he’s done,” Kaleb said. “It’s fun to have someone that’s like you and that understands you 100 per cent, 110 per cent.”