Getting Better

by William Carter

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 my 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.

Genres: Memoir

304 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 6, 2025

About the author

William Carter was an American photographer.

Reviews

[Lisa Eagen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Will has an impactful writing style that really helps the reader understand every layer of trauma he's been through and the lifelong challenges of brain injury. His sense of humor also shines through!

[Sandra Stiles · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is Will Carter's story. His senior year in high school he was involved in an accident. With all of his sever injuries he was put into a coma to give his body a chance to heal. With such a traumatic brain injury he had to learn to walk and talk all over again. He tells you right from the beginning that these are his memories of that time and he can't be one hundred percent sure how accurate they are. This is a story of perseverance and becoming a new and best you.

The majority of this story takes place during Will's senior year. He talks about his different therapies. He talks about the challenges of going from a straight A student to someone who has trouble remembering what was said just a few minutes before. The theme that ran throughout this book and is a part of the title is the theme of getting better, and what exactly that means. At what point do you realize and accept the definition of getting better? This is a very inspirational book and one I will proudly put on my shelves at school.

[José · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this eye-opening memoir, Will Carter chronicles his recovery from a traumatic brain injury. It is a day by day, sometimes hour by hour account of the effort involved, and shows how family support is crucial to the recovery process. A wonderful book, necessary reading for anyone struggling with head trauma and for health care professionals involved in their care.

[Brittany Curtin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading Mr Carter's memoir of recovering from his car accident and traumatic brain injury his senior year of high school. It was encouraging to see all that God did for him in this time and how God moved through this experience.

[Whitney Li · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a great read. I was a child when I heard about this, and it was so inspiring to read how God shifted Will’s heart throughout his recovery and his life!