Ben Carpenter

Ben Carpenter, 15, of Tampa, Fla., has drive and ambition far beyond that of most teenagers. He is an accomplished speaker, a straight-A student, power-wheelchair soccer player and the founder of two non-profit organizations. If you ask Ben what motivates him to do so much, he says it is his desire to defy expectations.

Ben has spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) and uses a wheelchair. “As soon as people see my wheelchair, they automatically doubt my abilities,” he said. “This pushes me to try harder at all things I do.” SMA is a degenerative nerve disease affecting the part of the nervous system that controls voluntary muscle movement.

Before the diagnosis, the family visited doctor after doctor to find an answer that no one seemed to have. At Shriners Hospitals for Children — Tampa, doctors determined Ben had SMA. Over the years, Ben has received extensive therapy, customized back and leg braces and assistance with wheelchair seating from the hospital.
 
Ben shares his story through speaking engagements in his local school district and on behalf of Shriners Hospitals for Children and other organizations. “I want to try to help people re-think their preconceived notions about people who use wheelchairs,” Ben said.

Ben’s two non-profit organizations help him share his joy of reading. Ben’s Mends was founded in 2007 to collect, repair and distribute books to local charity organizations. Ben’s Mends Hearts takes that mission a step further and provides volunteers who go to shelters and care facilities to read books to people who cannot read or to those who might need a friend.

“Because of the Shriners, Ben knows that being different simply means being unique,” said Ben’s father, Jim. “He has never had the ability to walk on his own, but he’s never had to worry, because with the Shriners in our family, he’s never had to walk alone. The Shriners are our family.”