The boy (man) who triumphed
By Phyllis Moore
Published in News on November 15, 2015 3:05 AM
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News-Argus/CASEY MOZINGO
Carson Thomas battled back from a coma and traumatic brain injury after being struck by a vehicle in the crosswalk in front of Greenwood Middle School 10 years ago this week.
Heather and Doug Thomas still remember the call the morning of Nov. 18, 2005.
Their son, Carson, had been struck by a car while crossing the street in front of Greenwood Middle School.
He and two eighth-grade classmates were walking to school from their homes on Seymour Johnson Air Force Base when a driver ran through a traffic light.
Carson and MacKenzie Wessels, both 13, were initially taken to Wayne Memorial Hospital. The third student was not injured.
Wessels was released a week later, while Carson spent nearly three months at Pitt Memorial Hospital (now Vidant) in Greenville. In a coma for several weeks, Carson suffered a severe traumatic brain injury and was released from the hospital in early February.
Wednesday marks the 10-year anniversary of that fateful day.
But instead of it being a day of painful reminders, the couple has chosen to turn it into a celebration -- with a nod to one of their son's favorite books, "Harry Potter," Mrs. Thomas references Carson as "The Boy Who Lived."
"We celebrate that day every year," she said. "We just want to remember it as a good thing."
"Somewhere along the way we just started calling it 'Survivor Day,' because he survived," Doug said. "Rather than putting that bad spin on it, I wanted to make it a positive thing."
That may not have been possible during those initial days and weeks of waiting in the hospital, uncertain what the future would hold for their eldest child.
"At the very beginning, I stayed in the room, dozed when I could," Mrs. Thomas recalls. "He kept all the nurses on their toes."
The situation was complicated by the fact that Doug was recovering from his first back surgery and younger son, Victor, was still in school. The parents took turns staying with Victor in Ronald McDonald House and holding vigil for Carson.
The years since have been busily consumed with providing care for Carson, now 23.
He briefly returned to Greenwood, and would later attend the Eastern Wayne High School graduation of his classmates.
"He wanted to go, the year he would have graduated with them," his mother said. "He had some friends -- Mack and C.J., the ones that were in the accident, you know, and lots and lots of classmates that were at EW and he got to watch them graduate.
"If they could, they saw him. Graduation day is just crazy. And he was not the center of attention. They were."
Some classmates keep in touch still, through Facebook especially. But Mrs. Thomas says she doesn't want them dwelling on "that one day" for the rest of their lives.
"We want them to have regular lives and move on," Mrs. Thomas said. "It was tough for Mack especially and C.J. CJ's in Florida now I think and Mack's dad retired and they live in South Carolina."
Carson attended brain injury camp several times, received specialized services like speech therapy, and managed to earn his Eagle Scout badge. When he turned 18, he was eligible for the day program at ReNu Life.
"I know we're blessed here because of ReNu Life," Mrs. Thomas said. "It's kind of like school. They do computer and arts and crafts, daily living things. He also does aqua therapy at the Y."
He remains in a wheelchair, although he has mobility and walks every day. His physical difficulties are on the left side, but he has strong muscle tone on the right side and can still write and draw.
"I like to draw and give free back massages," Carson says, adding, "and for wrists."
"He still loves the ladies. He will massage their wrists," his mom explained. "We call him Carsonova."
The light-hearted note is representative of the sense of humor shared by the couple and their son. Much of their conversation is rippled with laughter, a sound the Thomases weren't sure would be heard again after the accident.
"The doctor told us originally that the main area of his brain that was affected was his art and his personality," Mrs. Thomas said.
The prognosis hit the couple hard, since it represented the essence of their son. Fortunately, that didn't prove to be the case.
"Carson is very sharp mentally, has short-term memory loss but he's got a lot of his long-term memory. And he's quick. He doesn't miss a beat," his mother said.
Carson communicates by writing and texting. He learned sign language to better express himself and compensate when verbal skills waned.
"He started writing the letters in the air," his mom said. "We handed a clipboard back and forth. He spells really well. He's always been really verbal."
Another of God's blessings, she says, is that her son has never let the situation get him down or depressed.
"He was diagnosed with something that I cannot remember the name of it, but it is actually a sense of joy," she said. "In the early days, he'd probably laugh inappropriately."
"But he's not perfect. He's no angel," she says, directing her motherly tone to her firstborn. "You have horns holding up your halo."
Carson laughs, raising his right hand as if to adjust the invisible halo.
When asked to compare their son's personality from before the accident until now, the response came quickly.
"Personality's the same," his mom said. "He's always been goofy."
"That's one of the things, the good things that's come out of this -- it's Carson," his dad said.
Carson's hand shoots up, pointing directly toward his father.
"Like Dad," Mrs. Thomas says with a laugh. "He's blaming his dad for his goofiness."
A sense of humor has definitely helped over the years, the couple says, as has their faith.
"We have seen special needs situations tear families apart, good families, but we're just, I think it was a lot to do with the prayers," Mrs. Thomas said. "But we understand. It's tough. We worry about Victor because he had to deal with a lot, too, at a very young age."
Since graduating from Wayne School of Engineering -- where he opted for the fifth-year and earned nearly enough credits for an associate degree -- Victor is in his first year at Appalachian State University.
A few years ago, Carson decided it was time to have some independence, his dad said.
"He was 19 and ready to be living on his own," Mrs. Thomas said. "It was about the time it occurred to me it was going to take more than just me."
Carson now lives in a group home on the outskirts of Goldsboro. His parents visit often and enjoy taking him out to eat and to movies.
Doug retired from the Air Force in 2008. He had been working at the AT&T call center, until he recently starting experiencing migraines.
The couple never envisioned retiring in Goldsboro. But life has a way of rewriting the script, they say.
Their son's accident, the prayers of a community, and a facility like ReNu Life, have helped this become home to all of them.
"We're very, very thankful," Mrs. Thomas said, crediting family, friends, as well as teachers and EMTs and even strangers they haven't met yet, who prayed all those years ago for the family of the boy struck down in the crosswalk.