Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story

In our cynical times, when heroes appear to be an all but extinct species (judging by the mass media), it's always pleasant to see and hear about a person who is clearly extraordinary: such a person is Ben Carson. "Miracle" is not a word that rolls easily off the tongue these days, yet watching this gentle man at work, one of the most gifted pediatric neurosurgeons in the world, "miracle" seems to be the only appropriate tag for some of his achievements. In 1986 Carson successfully performed brain surgery on a child still in its mother's womb, and in 1987 he became the first individual to separate a pair of Siamese twins joined at the head. Based on the book Gifted Hands, this video follows Carson in his day-to-day activities, often working 12-16 hour shifts, many times glued to the chair from which he is conducting a supersensitive brain surgery for hours on end. Interviews with the parents of his patients, his co-workers, and his family all attest to the warmness, confidence, and sense of commitment Carson brings to his work. In the second half of the program, Carson talks to students about his childhood as a violent inner city kid on the streets of Detroit. After nearly knifing a friend, Carson became religious and turned his life around. He would eventually earn a full scholarship to Yale University and become the chief of pediatric neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins University at the age of 32. As a religious man, Carson attributes much of his success to his faith in and relationship with God. Regardless of one's religious convictions, Gifted Hands is an inspiring story about an amazing man and his extraordinary work. Winner of a 1992 Silver Telly award. Highly recommended. [Note: The video does contain graphic footage of brain surgery which, as I discovered, makes it unsuitable for lunchtime viewing.] (See QUIGLEY'S VILLAGE SING-ALONG for availability.)