As a college student, Sean Carter was in a car crash and sustained a traumatic brain injury. He could no longer walk, and was only able to communicate by typing into a computer. His mother, Jenny, became his full-time caregiver.
Sean Carter and Jenny Carter in Dallas, Texas in 2006. Courtesy of Jenny Carter.
Sean and Jenny first came to StoryCorps in 2015 to talk about how they made peace with this unexpected turn in their lives. Ten years after that recording, they came back to StoryCorps to reflect on Sean’s ability to care for himself, and have an honest conversation about what the future might hold.
Sean Carter and Jenny Carter at their StoryCorps interview in Houston, Texas, on September 25, 2025.
Courtesy of Wire Road Studios.
Top photo: Jenny Carter and Sean Carter in Red River, New Mexico in 2022. Courtesy of Carl Brown of Southern Exposure Photography.
This broadcast is supported in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people, and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Originally aired October 31, 2025 on NPR’s Morning Edition.