Pain doesn’t hold her back
Kylea Carter got off to a rough start in life. She was born with VATER syndrome and wasn’t expected to live. The initials refer to five bodily areas in which a child may have abnormalities. Babies who have been diagnosed with it usually have at least three or more of these individual anomalies.
Even with these challenges, Carter said her mother considers her birth a miracle. “My mom was told she couldn’t have children,” she said. “But she had me and my two younger brothers.”
Life hasn’t always seemed miraculous for this resilient teen. Carter’s vertebrae are continually deteriorating, leaving her in constant pain. “I’ve had 17 surgeries in the past couple years,” she said. Yet, despite hospital stays and body casts, she’s managed to keep up with her schoolwork, get her driver’s license and even take Running Start classes. The 18-year-old is thrilled to be graduating on time.
Carter has been able to complete her education, thanks in part, to the Mead Education Partnership Program. MEPP students are primarily home-schooled but supplement their education by taking classes at the program’s home, Five Mile Prairie School. Carter said the school “encouraged my belief that I can go anywhere and be anything.”
Jane Wright, a teacher at MEPP, has known Carter for six years. “It’s been a real struggle for her,” she said. “Being in pain and on pain medications all the time makes it difficult for Kylea to study and retain knowledge.”
But Wright said Carter downplays her struggles. “She almost always has a smile on her face.”
A love of reading has offered this student a welcome refuge from pain. “I read 10 books a week,” she said with a laugh. She prefers historical fiction. “I like to learn a little bit of history and get a good story.”
In fact, Carter herself recently authored a historical novel that she’s hoping to get published. The feisty teen doesn’t shy away from a challenge. For her senior project she sewed a dress based on a pattern from the 1800s. “It was a 50-piece pattern,” Wright said. “The top had eight layers. It was beautiful!”
Carter understands that her physical challenges have made her adolescent years different from those of her peers. She shakes her head when she hears friends complain about dating or chores.
She has a singular perspective. “I can finally walk by myself,” she said. “I’ve learned to appreciate things like getting dressed by myself. It’s very rare to have pain-free days.”
But the pain hasn’t diminished her dreams or hampered her reach. She’s ready to experience more of life. Wright said Carter wants to spend a year in Europe doing volunteer service through the community colleges.
Carter is enthusiastic about those plans. “I’m planning on a trip to England,” she said. “My parents say, ‘Go for it!’ “
And while that may seem an ambitious undertaking, Carter’s other goal is much more prosaic. “One day, I hope to walk without pain.”