Hi, I'm Dave Isae founder of StoryCorps. Support for this podcast and the following message come from Dignity Memorial. Did you know that planning your celebration of life in advance can protect your family? Give your loved ones the best gift, peace of mind. For additional information, visit DignityMemorial.com.

Hey, folks, this is Max Young Rice from the StoryCorps podcast.

Just want to remind you that you can tell us your personal stories by calling our voicemail at 702-706

talk.

This week, you want to know.

Is your life different than you had pictured?

Tell us how that came to be in a voicemail at 702-706, T-A-L-K.

Hi, my name is Sean Carter.

I am a 31-year-old guy.

I cannot currently talk or walk.

What my life is like now is something I would have never dreamed could have happened.

In 2005, Sean was a college student in Wichita Falls, Texas.

I have no memory of the night that dramatically changed my life forever.

But his mom, Jenny, does remember.

I got the phone call in the middle of the night,

stumbling out of my bedroom thinking somebody's got the wrong number,

and then I answered the phone.

And he said, do you have a son named Sean Carter?

And I said yes.

Sean had been in a car crash, riding with a friend who'd been drinking.

He was left with a traumatic brain injury,

and Jenny became his full-time caregiver.

...