University of North Carolina Athletics
Lucas: Practice Visitor Provides Perspective
August 25, 2007 | Football
Aug. 25, 2007
By Adam Lucas
Friday marked the twenty-fourth practice of Butch Davis's first North Carolina training camp.
By the time you've hit the practice field two dozen times, there are few surprises. No drills have to be demonstrated. Plays are run crisply. It even starts to get a little, well, routine.
But for one person at Friday's practice, being outside at Navy Field was anything but routine. Chris Carter, a 35-year-old Apex native, was attending his first Carolina football practice. That's remarkable in and of itself--Tar Heel practice sessions are closed tightly under Davis. Outsiders are forbidden and passerby are discouraged from lingering too long outside the fence that rings the perimeter of the field.
But Carter belonged, and not just because he was decked out in a Carolina shirt, hat, and socks. After all, he was there by special invitation of the head coach.
Chris has advanced cerebral palsy. A feeding tube provides all his nutrition, and his arm and leg movement is severely limited. For nine years, he has lived at Raleigh Rehab, a 170-person facility. Speech is challenging, although those who spend time with him every day--including nurse Tony Blackmon and program director Laura Mears--converse with him easily.
Words might be difficult, but smiles aren't.
"He's our greeting committee," Mears said. "Most days, as soon as he comes downstairs he's right there by the door so he can say hello to everyone. It's perfect for him, because he's always so cheerful and he's great with names."
He also happens to be the most rabid Carolina fan at Raleigh Rehab--or maybe in Raleigh, period. In a city infested with NC State fans, Chris is a beacon of Carolina blue hope. When a game is on television, he watches intently.
His cerebral palsy is advanced and the outlook is not optimistic. His lengthy tenure at Raleigh Rehab combined with his medical prognosis made him the logical choice to serve as the first recipient of the facility's Magic Moment program. Mears asked Chris a simple question: If you could do anything, what would you want to do? Then she sat back and hoped he'd wish for something doable.
The answer came quickly--he wanted to attend a Carolina football practice and meet the head coach.
That was doable. The request was routed through Corey Holliday, who quickly secured Davis's approval.
Understand that this was more than a practice. This was Chris's first time outside of Raleigh Rehab other than a doctor's appointment in three years. No trips to the store. No eating out. Nothing.
"He stayed in his room all day yesterday," Mears said. "He wanted to be sure he would be rested up for today."
Blackmon stationed Chris's wheelchair in the one small patch of shade available on the Tar Heel practice field. Then, Chris was saying something. Blackmon leaned down. "You OK, my man?" he said. Words were exchanged.
Then Blackmon straightened and laughed. "He wants to know," he said with a smile, "where the cheerleaders are."
Fortunately, Chris was soon paid a visit by someone equally as important. As Davis's team went through their stretching, the head coach strode purposefully towards his practice visitor.
"Hey buddy, how you doin'?" he asked. The two chatted for a couple minutes, with Davis encouraging Chris to cheer on the Tar Heels in the opener against James Madison.
"Oh, you don't have to tell him that," Blackmon said. "This man wears something Carolina every single day."
Davis eventually walked back to his team, with Chris's eyes following every step.
"It was a real pleasure to get to meet Chris," Davis said after practice. "It certainly puts things in perspective for all of us. I was glad we were able to be part of making his dream come true because he is a great Carolina fan."
Eventually, with the high-90s temperatures sweltering and 5:00 traffic looming, Chris's escorts decided it might be time to head back towards Raleigh.
"You ready to go, Chris?" they said.
He just shook his head. Not yet.
Adam Lucas most recently collaborated on a behind-the-scenes look at Carolina Basketball with Wes Miller. The Road To Blue Heaven will be released on September 1. Lucas's other books on Carolina basketball include The Best Game Ever, which chronicles the 1957 national championship season, Going Home Again, which focuses on Roy Williams's return to Carolina, and Led By Their Dreams, a collaboration with Steve Kirschner and Matt Bowers on the 2005 championship team.
