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| 3 | 4 | | |
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| 4 | 5 | | R E S O L U T I O N |
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| 5 | 6 | | WHEREAS, Sean Carter of Winnsboro has faced extraordinary |
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| 6 | 7 | | challenges since being injured in an automobile accident in 2005, |
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| 7 | 8 | | and through his work as founder of WhenSeanSpeaks, Inc., he has |
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| 8 | 9 | | transformed his personal tragedy into a campaign to save lives; and |
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| 9 | 10 | | WHEREAS, At the time the incident occurred, Sean Carter was a |
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| 10 | 11 | | 22-year-old college student with plans to pursue a bachelor's |
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| 11 | 12 | | degree in business administration and go to law school; on the |
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| 12 | 13 | | evening of March 26, 2005, he was headed home with friends after |
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| 13 | 14 | | visiting a few bars when the driver lost control of the vehicle and |
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| 14 | 15 | | crashed; and |
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| 15 | 16 | | WHEREAS, In addition to the multiple fractures and internal |
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| 16 | 17 | | injuries he suffered, Mr. Carter was diagnosed with a severe |
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| 17 | 18 | | diffuse axonal injury, a type of brain trauma; after emerging from a |
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| 18 | 19 | | coma that lasted 39 days, he found he was unable to speak or walk, |
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| 19 | 20 | | and his mother, Jenny Carter, had to assume guardianship of him; and |
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| 20 | 21 | | WHEREAS, Refusing to abandon hope under these dire |
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| 21 | 22 | | circumstances, Mr. Carter began using a tablet computer with "type |
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| 22 | 23 | | to speech" software in an effort to reclaim his autonomy; he went on |
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| 23 | 24 | | to embrace a new sense of purpose as well when he began sharing his |
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| 24 | 25 | | story with others in 2007, as a participant in a Mothers Against |
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| 25 | 26 | | Drunk Driving Victim Impact Panel in Dallas; three years later, he |
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| 26 | 27 | | founded the nonprofit organization WhenSeanSpeaks; and |
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| 27 | 28 | | WHEREAS, Since that time, Mr. Carter and his mother have |
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| 28 | 29 | | taken their message to tens of thousands of young people across the |
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| 29 | 30 | | nation; with funding from the Texas Department of Transportation, |
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| 30 | 31 | | they partnered with the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service to |
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| 31 | 32 | | deliver presentations at 15 venues in 2013 and at 50 venues in 2014; |
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| 32 | 33 | | and |
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| 33 | 34 | | WHEREAS, WhenSeanSpeaks is dedicated to educating youth on |
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| 34 | 35 | | the devastating toll of drinking and driving, emphasizing that it |
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| 35 | 36 | | is equally important, as a passenger, to be mindful of the condition |
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| 36 | 37 | | of the driver of the vehicle; the organization is also dedicated to |
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| 37 | 38 | | improving the lives of people affected by traumatic brain injuries |
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| 38 | 39 | | through public awareness and research and to increasing the |
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| 39 | 40 | | availability of exercise facilities that are equipped to serve |
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| 40 | 41 | | persons with mobility needs; and |
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| 41 | 42 | | WHEREAS, Throughout his ordeal, Mr. Carter has benefited |
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| 42 | 43 | | greatly from the support of his mother, his brothers, Todd and Ben, |
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| 43 | 44 | | and his father, Danny Carter, who passed away in 2012; Sean reached |
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| 44 | 45 | | a major milestone in 2013, when his recovery was deemed sufficient |
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| 45 | 46 | | to have his guardianship dismissed, and he continues to make |
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| 46 | 47 | | important strides toward complete independence; and |
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| 47 | 48 | | WHEREAS, Although Sean Carter's fight is not yet over, he has |
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| 48 | 49 | | made an inspiring contribution to the world through his example of |
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| 49 | 50 | | resilience and perseverance, his determination to assist others who |
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| 50 | 51 | | are enduring similar struggles, and his commitment to focus |
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| 51 | 52 | | attention on the dangers of drunk driving; now, therefore, be it |
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| 52 | 53 | | RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 84th Texas |
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| 53 | 54 | | Legislature hereby commend Sean Carter for all that he has achieved |
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| 54 | 55 | | in his work with WhenSeanSpeaks, Inc., and extend to him sincere |
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| 55 | 56 | | best wishes for the future; and, be it further |
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| 56 | 57 | | RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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| 57 | 58 | | prepared for Mr. Carter as an expression of high regard by the Texas |
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| 58 | 59 | | House of Representatives. |
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