We're Not Stumped, Carter Viss Upper Limb Amputee and Nonprofit Founder

Carter Viss was raised in Denver, Colorado, where his childhood was filled with adventures catching fish, reptiles, amphibians, and insects near his home. With several saltwater aquariums to his name, his affinity for aquatic life was unmistakable, a destiny perhaps hinted at by his surname, which translates to "fish" in Dutch. Pursuing his passion, he obtained a Marine Biology degree from Palm Beach Atlantic University in West Palm Beach, Florida, a place he quickly grew fond of, particularly relishing explorations of the picturesque nearshore reefs along the coastline.

However, tragedy struck on Thanksgiving Day in 2019. While snorkeling at Breaker’s Reef, his beloved spot, he was struck by a large boat. The impact resulted in the loss of his right arm, severe lacerations to both legs, and a badly broken left wrist. Following a complete recovery, he has dedicated himself to aiding those affected by similar accidents and advocating for improved boating and diving safety measures to avert future tragedies. Driven by his enduring love for nature and the outdoors, Carter is committed to enhancing the safety of our oceans for both humans and marine life.

Links: Carter Viss Foundation - https://cartervissfoundation.org 


#boatsafety #limbloss #adaptiveathlete #limbdifference #amputee 

Transcript

1
00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:06,600
Hello, welcome to the We're Not Stump Podcast.

2
00:00:06,600 --> 00:00:10,700
I'm your host Mike Bowland and I'm a congenital amputee of the right hand.

3
00:00:10,700 --> 00:00:14,800
In this show, I will interview other amputees and allow them to tell you their incredible

4
00:00:14,800 --> 00:00:16,200
life stories.

5
00:00:16,200 --> 00:00:20,920
I'll also feature family members of amputees and others who support the amputee community,

6
00:00:20,920 --> 00:00:25,640
all in an effort to discuss the challenges and triumphs of those living with limbaugh.

7
00:00:25,640 --> 00:00:33,880
So stick around and listen to inspirational stories and find out why we say We're Not Stumped.

8
00:00:33,880 --> 00:00:36,200
Hello everyone, welcome to the We're Not Stump Podcast.

9
00:00:36,200 --> 00:00:40,800
I'm your host Mike Bowland and today I welcome a person who has been through quite a bit

10
00:00:40,800 --> 00:00:44,960
but decided to keep moving forward and keep giving back.

11
00:00:44,960 --> 00:00:46,720
And that's Carter Viz.

12
00:00:46,720 --> 00:00:48,800
Carter grew up in Denver, Colorado.

13
00:00:48,800 --> 00:00:54,660
He spent his childhood catching all kinds of fish, reptiles and fibions and on several

14
00:00:54,660 --> 00:00:56,300
saltwater aquariums.

15
00:00:56,300 --> 00:01:01,880
This passion for all aquatics led him to earn his marine biology degree from Palm Beach

16
00:01:01,880 --> 00:01:05,380
Atlantic University in West Palm Beach, Florida.

17
00:01:05,380 --> 00:01:11,420
But an event on Thanksgiving Day in 2019 could have ended all of his dreams and his life.

18
00:01:11,420 --> 00:01:14,380
And we'll get into that more today with Carter.

19
00:01:14,380 --> 00:01:17,880
But first of all Carter, thank you so much for taking your time on The We're Not Stump

20
00:01:17,880 --> 00:01:18,880
Podcast.

21
00:01:18,880 --> 00:01:19,880
Thank you Mike.

22
00:01:19,880 --> 00:01:23,940
It's a pleasure to be here and I can't wait to tell you my story.

23
00:01:23,940 --> 00:01:24,940
I can't wait to hear it.

24
00:01:24,940 --> 00:01:28,540
We actually start the podcast with a segment I call in your own word.

25
00:01:28,540 --> 00:01:31,620
So I really like the listeners to hear your story.

26
00:01:31,620 --> 00:01:32,620
Great.

27
00:01:32,620 --> 00:01:38,680
Well, it basically starts when I got to Florida to Palm Beach Atlantic University for

28
00:01:38,680 --> 00:01:39,680
college.

29
00:01:39,680 --> 00:01:45,120
Just kind of about a ten minute walk from campus is the beach and right off the beach was

30
00:01:45,120 --> 00:01:47,180
this beautiful reef.

31
00:01:47,180 --> 00:01:52,060
It's called the Breaker's Reef because it's next to this really nice hotel called the

32
00:01:52,060 --> 00:01:53,880
Breakers.

33
00:01:53,880 --> 00:01:56,220
And I immediately fell in love with that reef.

34
00:01:56,220 --> 00:01:58,100
I'd go there.

35
00:01:58,100 --> 00:02:04,220
You know, when I was done studying or just to get away from all the stress of college.

36
00:02:04,220 --> 00:02:07,500
But that was kind of like I called in my happy place.

37
00:02:07,500 --> 00:02:13,260
And with the years going by with graduation, I still lived in the area.

38
00:02:13,260 --> 00:02:18,660
You know, I go back there every few months or so whenever I had time.

39
00:02:18,660 --> 00:02:27,660
And then comes Thanksgiving day of 2019 where I went out there with my coworker Andy.

40
00:02:27,660 --> 00:02:32,580
We actually worked at a sea turtle hospital called Walker Head Marine Life Center.

41
00:02:32,580 --> 00:02:39,440
And at this hospital, they would rescue a sick or injured sea turtles, usually by boat strikes

42
00:02:39,440 --> 00:02:42,060
or other human impacts.

43
00:02:42,060 --> 00:02:48,180
So we're pretty used to seeing all the damage that has been done to turtles of human

44
00:02:48,180 --> 00:02:49,180
impacts.

45
00:02:49,180 --> 00:02:55,660
Well, we went out there that day just to relax and we it was such a perfect day.

46
00:02:55,660 --> 00:02:59,500
We saw sea turtles, a couple sharks, octopus.

47
00:02:59,500 --> 00:03:01,100
I mean, you name it.

48
00:03:01,100 --> 00:03:02,100
We saw everything.

49
00:03:02,100 --> 00:03:05,180
The water was perfect.

50
00:03:05,180 --> 00:03:07,700
We just we loved it out there.

51
00:03:07,700 --> 00:03:11,420
And about three hours into our dive, we decided it was around noon.

52
00:03:11,420 --> 00:03:15,060
So we decided to head back to the beach.

53
00:03:15,060 --> 00:03:20,820
And I started swimming back towards the beach and I heard this incredibly loud sound of an

54
00:03:20,820 --> 00:03:22,500
engine.

55
00:03:22,500 --> 00:03:28,100
And what's interesting about you're swimming into water sound travels actually five times

56
00:03:28,100 --> 00:03:30,420
further than the dozen air.

57
00:03:30,420 --> 00:03:33,020
So you can hear a no engine.

58
00:03:33,020 --> 00:03:36,740
It sounds like kind of semi loud, but it's really far away.

59
00:03:36,740 --> 00:03:40,840
So I'm used to hearing that underwater because there's so many boats, you know, that go

60
00:03:40,840 --> 00:03:43,380
by at a reasonable distance.

61
00:03:43,380 --> 00:03:45,900
This boat was extremely loud.

62
00:03:45,900 --> 00:03:47,500
I was swimming through the beach.

63
00:03:47,500 --> 00:03:50,860
So I look towards my right, which is north of me.

64
00:03:50,860 --> 00:03:55,180
I saw this huge hole of a boat heading straight towards me.

65
00:03:55,180 --> 00:04:00,900
And just like that, and second, I'm in a life or death scenario thinking I can't have this

66
00:04:00,900 --> 00:04:03,340
boat hit my head or my back.

67
00:04:03,340 --> 00:04:06,380
Because I'll be dead on impact.

68
00:04:06,380 --> 00:04:11,540
And I don't think I'm going to be able to out swim, you know, this boat heading towards

69
00:04:11,540 --> 00:04:14,060
me at an incredible speed.

70
00:04:14,060 --> 00:04:17,380
So at the very last second, I kind of twisted my body.

71
00:04:17,380 --> 00:04:21,460
So my back and my head were away from the boat.

72
00:04:21,460 --> 00:04:27,980
But unfortunately all my whims kind of swung towards the boat and there is the impact.

73
00:04:27,980 --> 00:04:29,820
And the impact was really quick.

74
00:04:29,820 --> 00:04:32,060
There's just about a second.

75
00:04:32,060 --> 00:04:36,820
And first thing I noticed was that my right arm was missing.

76
00:04:36,820 --> 00:04:45,180
I had to cut off right above the elbow and I actually got a glimpse, looked downward and

77
00:04:45,180 --> 00:04:52,500
saw it sink to the reef below me kind of like a, like a scene out of jaws or something.

78
00:04:52,500 --> 00:05:00,380
And before I could really process that, I looked, well, I noticed that I couldn't swim anymore.

79
00:05:00,380 --> 00:05:04,140
And just all the water around me was turning red.

80
00:05:04,140 --> 00:05:05,740
And my legs were not moving.

81
00:05:05,740 --> 00:05:11,060
So obviously they've been severely damaged by the propellers or the boat.

82
00:05:11,060 --> 00:05:14,900
And I would just kept sinking and sinking in my thought, you know, this is it.

83
00:05:14,900 --> 00:05:16,820
I'm going to drown.

84
00:05:16,820 --> 00:05:19,940
But thankfully Andy was close by.

85
00:05:19,940 --> 00:05:24,980
He has to swim over, pick me up, hold me out of the water.

86
00:05:24,980 --> 00:05:29,780
And thankfully the boat that did hit me noticed what happened.

87
00:05:29,780 --> 00:05:35,700
And they turned around and called 911 kind of backed up towards Andy and me.

88
00:05:35,700 --> 00:05:40,740
Got me on the boat, on the back of the boat.

89
00:05:40,740 --> 00:05:48,180
And just a crazy miracle that happened right then was that there was a paddleboard or nearby.

90
00:05:48,180 --> 00:05:51,300
She mean Andy did not know her at all.

91
00:05:51,300 --> 00:05:55,340
And she actually just a week earlier learned how to tie a tourniquet.

92
00:05:55,340 --> 00:06:04,100
So she immediately swam over and was able to tie tourniquets around my, both my legs

93
00:06:04,100 --> 00:06:06,460
and my arm as well.

94
00:06:06,460 --> 00:06:12,180
And when they pulled me up out of the water, I noticed what happened to my legs.

95
00:06:12,180 --> 00:06:18,780
My left leg was cut by the propeller kind of right between my ankle and my knee.

96
00:06:18,780 --> 00:06:22,900
So my leg was kind of dangling to the side.

97
00:06:22,900 --> 00:06:25,020
And you know, I could see the bone and stuff.

98
00:06:25,020 --> 00:06:27,820
It was really, really bad.

99
00:06:27,820 --> 00:06:34,020
And then my right leg was cut open right through my knee.

100
00:06:34,020 --> 00:06:37,100
So my leg was just dangling as well.

101
00:06:37,100 --> 00:06:42,260
I remember being the most painful out of everything at that moment.

102
00:06:42,260 --> 00:06:47,100
And at the time I didn't even know about my left wrist was also badly broken.

103
00:06:47,100 --> 00:06:52,060
Couldn't even notice that because of all my other injuries.

104
00:06:52,060 --> 00:06:57,420
But I got on the boat and Andy was encouraging me towards the beach.

105
00:06:57,420 --> 00:07:05,900
He knew how grim the situation was, but he managed to inspire some hope in me and got to the

106
00:07:05,900 --> 00:07:11,340
beach and got in the ambulance and got to the hospital.

107
00:07:11,340 --> 00:07:16,740
And the whole time I remember it all, I was actually yelling my dad's cell phone number

108
00:07:16,740 --> 00:07:19,660
because they all lived in Denver at the time.

109
00:07:19,660 --> 00:07:22,860
So they wouldn't know what this happened at all.

110
00:07:22,860 --> 00:07:29,780
And I told the surgeons my name right before they put me under and that was it.

111
00:07:29,780 --> 00:07:35,500
You know, I went under not thinking, well, I wake up again with at all or when I wake up

112
00:07:35,500 --> 00:07:39,620
with any limbs, I really didn't know at that time.

113
00:07:39,620 --> 00:07:45,180
I'm actually quite surprised that you were even awake as much as you were as much as I

114
00:07:45,180 --> 00:07:46,180
read about you.

115
00:07:46,180 --> 00:07:47,180
I hadn't heard that part of it.

116
00:07:47,180 --> 00:07:49,500
You were awake during this whole thing.

117
00:07:49,500 --> 00:07:53,900
Yeah, I still vividly recall it.

118
00:07:53,900 --> 00:08:02,300
And even a week later, I woke up from a medically induced coma I was in and my parents were

119
00:08:02,300 --> 00:08:04,460
by my bedside at that point.

120
00:08:04,460 --> 00:08:06,980
And they kind of started telling me what happened.

121
00:08:06,980 --> 00:08:09,460
And then was I, I remember everything.

122
00:08:09,460 --> 00:08:15,700
You know, you don't need to tell me, I remember this all happened and it kind of clicked in

123
00:08:15,700 --> 00:08:16,700
my head.

124
00:08:16,700 --> 00:08:19,060
But you know, I love marine life.

125
00:08:19,060 --> 00:08:21,060
I love the ocean.

126
00:08:21,060 --> 00:08:28,780
And I just experienced something that affects so much marine life on a daily basis and kind

127
00:08:28,780 --> 00:08:35,260
of gave me that confidence or not confidence, kind of like drive to say that like make it

128
00:08:35,260 --> 00:08:41,340
bigger difference now than I ever could before this happened because I have this experience.

129
00:08:41,340 --> 00:08:46,140
So that was kind of the initial way to encourage myself.

130
00:08:46,140 --> 00:08:48,860
I guess through the healing process.

131
00:08:48,860 --> 00:08:52,660
We were certainly doing even other things with through your foundation, which I want to

132
00:08:52,660 --> 00:08:59,300
talk about in a second, but Andy, he obviously went through a pretty traumatic experience too.

133
00:08:59,300 --> 00:09:01,420
And how is he doing?

134
00:09:01,420 --> 00:09:02,420
Is he great?

135
00:09:02,420 --> 00:09:03,420
Yep.

136
00:09:03,420 --> 00:09:10,660
He still works at Bloggerhead marine life center and he just got married last year and they

137
00:09:10,660 --> 00:09:13,740
have a two year old son right now.

138
00:09:13,740 --> 00:09:15,780
So he's doing great.

139
00:09:15,780 --> 00:09:19,060
He's great to hear because that would have been very difficult and certainly a shout out

140
00:09:19,060 --> 00:09:20,060
to him for his help.

141
00:09:20,060 --> 00:09:23,540
And whoever that person was that helps you with the turnipids.

142
00:09:23,540 --> 00:09:27,420
Yeah, Christine, she, she's part of our foundation too.

143
00:09:27,420 --> 00:09:32,180
We're all really good friends and Andy and I still fish together.

144
00:09:32,180 --> 00:09:36,220
We still snorkel together and we live our best life.

145
00:09:36,220 --> 00:09:38,180
Well, I know you do.

146
00:09:38,180 --> 00:09:41,500
I want to go through kind of the phases here as you live them.

147
00:09:41,500 --> 00:09:45,260
So the first thing happens as you wake up and don't have to be reminded what happened

148
00:09:45,260 --> 00:09:49,460
to you, but you do wake up missing your right arm.

149
00:09:49,460 --> 00:09:51,060
Is it above the elbow, I believe?

150
00:09:51,060 --> 00:09:53,020
Yeah, just above the elbow.

151
00:09:53,020 --> 00:09:54,020
Yes.

152
00:09:54,020 --> 00:09:55,660
So what goes through your mind then?

153
00:09:55,660 --> 00:10:01,020
I know you said you had some goals, but you're in bed, you're thinking about the rest of

154
00:10:01,020 --> 00:10:02,020
your life.

155
00:10:02,020 --> 00:10:04,340
What is going through your mind at that time?

156
00:10:04,340 --> 00:10:08,060
Well, it was, I mean, there is so much going on with my body.

157
00:10:08,060 --> 00:10:13,820
I couldn't move any of my limbs, but obviously I had both my legs.

158
00:10:13,820 --> 00:10:21,940
So I was confident I'd be able to walk again, but I was missing my right arm and what goes

159
00:10:21,940 --> 00:10:27,620
through your head after that happens is I'm not going to be able to do anything anymore.

160
00:10:27,620 --> 00:10:33,940
You know, I'm not going to be able to work my job or do any of my hobbies, hobbies like fishing

161
00:10:33,940 --> 00:10:39,500
or diving or I was a big piano player as well.

162
00:10:39,500 --> 00:10:45,940
So that kind of felt like it was off the table for me and sunk me into a really dark space

163
00:10:45,940 --> 00:10:49,460
kind of thinking about that and dwelling on that.

164
00:10:49,460 --> 00:10:51,860
Were you right handed as well?

165
00:10:51,860 --> 00:10:53,340
I was left handed.

166
00:10:53,340 --> 00:10:59,140
So thankfully my left hand healed up, so I was fortunate.

167
00:10:59,140 --> 00:11:03,220
Well, I'm still, I would imagine that was still a journey in the self even healing up

168
00:11:03,220 --> 00:11:07,220
your left hand because you said we've got hit pretty hard and broken in the wrist, huh?

169
00:11:07,220 --> 00:11:14,220
Yeah, like it has some screws and plates in it and I couldn't use it for the first at

170
00:11:14,220 --> 00:11:16,340
least month after the accident.

171
00:11:16,340 --> 00:11:22,260
So really I couldn't use any of my limbs for a good, good amount of time for about the first

172
00:11:22,260 --> 00:11:24,740
month to a month and a half.

173
00:11:24,740 --> 00:11:28,620
And what's interesting you had already said that hey, you and Andy go fishing together

174
00:11:28,620 --> 00:11:29,620
now.

175
00:11:29,620 --> 00:11:34,780
So, yeah, there's certainly quite a bit of time in between what we, what you just described

176
00:11:34,780 --> 00:11:38,180
and you fishing, but what have you learned through that?

177
00:11:38,180 --> 00:11:43,700
Because now maybe some of the fears that you had initially, you're past them and living

178
00:11:43,700 --> 00:11:45,660
as you say your best life.

179
00:11:45,660 --> 00:11:47,340
How does that feel?

180
00:11:47,340 --> 00:11:53,540
So it all kind of started in the hospital when I was relearning how to stand and walk.

181
00:11:53,540 --> 00:11:56,020
In the first time it was, it was just horrible.

182
00:11:56,020 --> 00:11:58,780
The pain was so severe.

183
00:11:58,780 --> 00:12:04,180
And then the second time and the third time, you know, it progressively got a little better

184
00:12:04,180 --> 00:12:08,060
and that's kind of when it clicked in my head that if I just give, you know, all of this

185
00:12:08,060 --> 00:12:14,260
time and repetition that I could be getting back to a normal life eventually.

186
00:12:14,260 --> 00:12:21,100
So I applied that to especially life with one arm kind of relearning, re-adapting how

187
00:12:21,100 --> 00:12:26,540
to do things with time and repetition, you know, eventually became easier and then getting

188
00:12:26,540 --> 00:12:32,900
back to my hobbies like fishing, you know, I found creative ways to work around just like

189
00:12:32,900 --> 00:12:39,420
talking, you know, talking to pull in my armpit in a real or playing piano even, you know,

190
00:12:39,420 --> 00:12:43,380
that person really sucked.

191
00:12:43,380 --> 00:12:47,020
And you know, I wanted to quit completely, but I kept at it.

192
00:12:47,020 --> 00:12:51,620
And now I feel more confident on the piano than I did when I had two hands.

193
00:12:51,620 --> 00:12:57,780
So it really, it's really all comes down to time and repetition.

194
00:12:57,780 --> 00:12:59,980
Yeah, there's something I think about too.

195
00:12:59,980 --> 00:13:04,620
You know, I still, anything I can do myself, I'm going to do and it's funny because people

196
00:13:04,620 --> 00:13:07,580
ask me those types of questions and I don't care if it takes longer.

197
00:13:07,580 --> 00:13:08,580
I want to accomplish things.

198
00:13:08,580 --> 00:13:11,700
It doesn't matter to me, you know, that's exactly.

199
00:13:11,700 --> 00:13:15,060
So one of the things that I noticed about you in all the pictures and I did read a little

200
00:13:15,060 --> 00:13:16,060
bit about this.

201
00:13:16,060 --> 00:13:20,460
I think there was a little bit of a, of a prosthetic journey.

202
00:13:20,460 --> 00:13:24,980
You may have tried it, but it doesn't look like you were one now for the most part.

203
00:13:24,980 --> 00:13:28,500
So let's talk about that journey a little bit.

204
00:13:28,500 --> 00:13:30,340
Yep.

205
00:13:30,340 --> 00:13:38,900
So basically, since my amputation was right above my elbow, it was really, I guess the right

206
00:13:38,900 --> 00:13:46,860
word is uncomfortable to find a good prosthetic because all of them had to have like an elbow

207
00:13:46,860 --> 00:13:51,540
joint on them and then wrap around my chest.

208
00:13:51,540 --> 00:13:57,940
I did try for a few months, but overall I found myself more restricted when I was wearing

209
00:13:57,940 --> 00:14:05,780
it than when I was just, you know, free and had at least this half of arm to kind of hold

210
00:14:05,780 --> 00:14:08,180
stuff down or do stuff with.

211
00:14:08,180 --> 00:14:15,460
So eventually, I was like, I don't, you know, the, I guess the rose didn't outweigh the

212
00:14:15,460 --> 00:14:19,180
cons when it came to wearing a prosthetic.

213
00:14:19,180 --> 00:14:20,180
Yeah.

214
00:14:20,180 --> 00:14:22,220
Oh, I'm sorry, go ahead.

215
00:14:22,220 --> 00:14:24,780
Oh, so I haven't worn it in years, really?

216
00:14:24,780 --> 00:14:28,020
Yeah, that's a very, very similar story to mine.

217
00:14:28,020 --> 00:14:30,020
I've worn mine until I was about 12.

218
00:14:30,020 --> 00:14:33,020
The reason why I wanted to bring that up is because that's a very common question that

219
00:14:33,020 --> 00:14:34,020
I get.

220
00:14:34,020 --> 00:14:35,020
Is that a question you get a lot to?

221
00:14:35,020 --> 00:14:36,500
Hey, how come you don't wear a prosthetic?

222
00:14:36,500 --> 00:14:38,820
Yeah, I get that all the time.

223
00:14:38,820 --> 00:14:44,780
And, you know, the best way to explain is because I'm more comfortable without it.

224
00:14:44,780 --> 00:14:49,540
Yeah, I feel like more, for me personally, in my life, I think I'm more capable without

225
00:14:49,540 --> 00:14:50,540
it.

226
00:14:50,540 --> 00:14:56,540
But I, like I built myself a homemade prosthetic for, for lifting weights and I, I do want to

227
00:14:56,540 --> 00:15:02,500
talk about your, your, your healthy goals and your workouts because you, you do workout.

228
00:15:02,500 --> 00:15:05,980
I think did you just run a marathon or you're going to be running a marathon?

229
00:15:05,980 --> 00:15:14,380
Yeah, I did a half marathon in December of last year and then signed up to do a triathlon

230
00:15:14,380 --> 00:15:17,740
at first ever in August of this year.

231
00:15:17,740 --> 00:15:22,940
Yeah. So, I mean, just even you coming back that far with your legs the way they are to be

232
00:15:22,940 --> 00:15:24,940
able to do what you're doing is one thing.

233
00:15:24,940 --> 00:15:31,460
What, as far as being an amputee and the, the workouts and the physical, being in shape,

234
00:15:31,460 --> 00:15:34,260
mentally and physically, what does that mean for you?

235
00:15:34,260 --> 00:15:37,260
How do you feel that helps you?

236
00:15:37,260 --> 00:15:44,740
Well, I love to exercise and before the accident.

237
00:15:44,740 --> 00:15:52,060
So doing kind of the same thing I did before, I did before the accident and after just feels

238
00:15:52,060 --> 00:15:56,540
right and it feels like I'm back to my normal life.

239
00:15:56,540 --> 00:16:04,540
You know, I, I'm not super into like being in the best shape at all times, but I, you know,

240
00:16:04,540 --> 00:16:12,220
I do it because it makes me feel good and it, it just helps me more mentally and physically,

241
00:16:12,220 --> 00:16:13,220
I'd say.

242
00:16:13,220 --> 00:16:17,380
Yeah, a lot of people that I get the opportunity to talk to you on the podcast say the same thing

243
00:16:17,380 --> 00:16:19,100
and I feel the same way.

244
00:16:19,100 --> 00:16:22,260
You know, the mind, body, soul is kind of all, all together there.

245
00:16:22,260 --> 00:16:23,260
So exactly.

246
00:16:23,260 --> 00:16:28,540
So, I want to go back to the day that this all happened because what I read was you were

247
00:16:28,540 --> 00:16:34,540
using all of the necessarily precautions, I guess, for lack of the flags and things like

248
00:16:34,540 --> 00:16:37,660
that, but yet this accident still happened.

249
00:16:37,660 --> 00:16:47,060
So now that we go post Thanksgiving 2019, you are all about making sure that things are safer

250
00:16:47,060 --> 00:16:49,420
for people in the water.

251
00:16:49,420 --> 00:16:50,940
What are you doing in that respect?

252
00:16:50,940 --> 00:16:53,500
I know you're doing quite a bit.

253
00:16:53,500 --> 00:17:01,260
So it initially started kind of when confronting the driver about the accident in court, instead

254
00:17:01,260 --> 00:17:06,820
of seeking more of a prison sentence for what happened.

255
00:17:06,820 --> 00:17:14,100
I pushed more towards helping him helping me promote safe boating and diving.

256
00:17:14,100 --> 00:17:20,580
And this one of the first ways we did this was through promoting a three-dimensional dive

257
00:17:20,580 --> 00:17:21,580
buoy.

258
00:17:21,580 --> 00:17:28,020
So yeah, you said that I had a traditional divers down flag, which is just a flag.

259
00:17:28,020 --> 00:17:31,180
That's about 12 by 12 inches.

260
00:17:31,180 --> 00:17:40,100
And the buoy that the driver is helping me actually be drafted a bill to eventually hope

261
00:17:40,100 --> 00:17:47,380
it becomes a law someday for people to be required to have a three-dimensional divers down

262
00:17:47,380 --> 00:17:48,460
device.

263
00:17:48,460 --> 00:17:56,860
So this is like a kind of picture, like a buoy marker that kind of floats behind you.

264
00:17:56,860 --> 00:18:04,220
It's about the same weight and same ease of dragging a dive flag behind you, but obviously

265
00:18:04,220 --> 00:18:09,380
it's more visible from 360 degrees for boats.

266
00:18:09,380 --> 00:18:13,340
So that's kind of the first step where it started.

267
00:18:13,340 --> 00:18:20,380
And then I decided to start my own 501C3 nonprofit called the Carter Vist Foundation.

268
00:18:20,380 --> 00:18:26,460
And our mission is to promote safe boating and diving, as well as support other individuals

269
00:18:26,460 --> 00:18:30,620
with WIM trauma resulting from boating incidents.

270
00:18:30,620 --> 00:18:35,220
So I've had that for about a year now.

271
00:18:35,220 --> 00:18:42,780
And what we've done, we've just handed out educational materials or promoted the 3D

272
00:18:42,780 --> 00:18:50,380
buoy, which is something that's available on the Foundation website or through a Brownies

273
00:18:50,380 --> 00:18:52,420
Marine Group.

274
00:18:52,420 --> 00:18:55,180
And that's kind of where it started.

275
00:18:55,180 --> 00:19:02,420
I have a lot of kind of visions for the future, but yeah, that's kind of where I'm at right

276
00:19:02,420 --> 00:19:04,420
now with it all.

277
00:19:04,420 --> 00:19:09,740
And you actually met with senators, state senators, right, to try to make this even a little

278
00:19:09,740 --> 00:19:10,740
bit more.

279
00:19:10,740 --> 00:19:11,740
I don't know.

280
00:19:11,740 --> 00:19:16,180
Law is at the right word to get a law passed and make sure these were more visible.

281
00:19:16,180 --> 00:19:24,580
And a few years ago, spoke with a Florida senator about it in the real issue right now.

282
00:19:24,580 --> 00:19:28,540
I was just thinking to get it out there before it can become a law.

283
00:19:28,540 --> 00:19:31,620
You need obviously products out there.

284
00:19:31,620 --> 00:19:36,900
So we have one 3D buoy out there right now, but I believe more are going to come on the

285
00:19:36,900 --> 00:19:38,420
market in the next few years.

286
00:19:38,420 --> 00:19:47,100
And once we have a good amount on the market, then it'll be easier to kind of convince the

287
00:19:47,100 --> 00:19:50,780
state that this could be a law.

288
00:19:50,780 --> 00:19:53,100
And you had mentioned your Foundation.

289
00:19:53,100 --> 00:19:57,700
And I love to hear what's the URL is at the Carter Vist Foundation dot org.

290
00:19:57,700 --> 00:20:01,540
Is that yeah, yeah, Carter Vist Foundation dot org.

291
00:20:01,540 --> 00:20:05,980
And you can learn kind of all about what, especially our goal, our future goals are in the

292
00:20:05,980 --> 00:20:06,980
website.

293
00:20:06,980 --> 00:20:11,940
Well, I want to talk about that too when we get on here, but one of the people that is

294
00:20:11,940 --> 00:20:15,460
part of the journey and you had mentioned Danny Stanton.

295
00:20:15,460 --> 00:20:20,820
He was a gentleman that unfortunately hit you that day, but you have really taken that

296
00:20:20,820 --> 00:20:24,540
first situation and made something positive out of it.

297
00:20:24,540 --> 00:20:26,500
And he is along for the ride.

298
00:20:26,500 --> 00:20:32,060
How is that going for you and what was that like to first talk with him?

299
00:20:32,060 --> 00:20:34,100
It's been a journey.

300
00:20:34,100 --> 00:20:41,300
You know, at first, the first six months, there was an amount of anger.

301
00:20:41,300 --> 00:20:48,780
That built up just more so because of the situation.

302
00:20:48,780 --> 00:20:53,580
Our day in court was actually November Thanksgiving week 2020.

303
00:20:53,580 --> 00:20:57,900
So about exactly a year after this happened.

304
00:20:57,900 --> 00:21:02,740
And that's kind of when our case was going to be closed.

305
00:21:02,740 --> 00:21:06,580
And first time I'd ever see him in person or talk to him.

306
00:21:06,580 --> 00:21:09,380
So I was pretty nervous for that.

307
00:21:09,380 --> 00:21:14,260
But kind of after hearing his statement and after sitting in court with him for a while,

308
00:21:14,260 --> 00:21:18,740
I just felt a sense of peace come over me that I knew I was doing the right thing.

309
00:21:18,740 --> 00:21:26,980
By pursuing more of a constructive option rather than a prison sentence.

310
00:21:26,980 --> 00:21:31,420
And right after the court was a year and you know, I walked up to him and shook his hand

311
00:21:31,420 --> 00:21:35,580
and just said, let's make a difference and I forgive you.

312
00:21:35,580 --> 00:21:38,180
And my family was in the courtroom.

313
00:21:38,180 --> 00:21:40,260
His family was in the courtroom.

314
00:21:40,260 --> 00:21:45,740
I could just see the weight lifted from all of their shoulders when I said that.

315
00:21:45,740 --> 00:21:48,420
And both families started talking.

316
00:21:48,420 --> 00:21:54,740
And we've been acquaintances ever since and we've gone out for beers.

317
00:21:54,740 --> 00:21:57,620
We've just kind of been friends.

318
00:21:57,620 --> 00:21:59,780
So it's been great.

319
00:21:59,780 --> 00:22:03,060
That's an incredible story.

320
00:22:03,060 --> 00:22:05,180
I can't think of the right word to say.

321
00:22:05,180 --> 00:22:10,100
I had a gentleman on about a month ago Bruce Mizon from,

322
00:22:10,100 --> 00:22:16,260
Maze Anne from San Diego who got hit by a person when he was riding a motorcycle.

323
00:22:16,260 --> 00:22:20,460
And he was able to do the same thing for give and now he's trying to make a difference.

324
00:22:20,460 --> 00:22:26,180
And I just can't say enough about people like you to do this because it would be incredibly

325
00:22:26,180 --> 00:22:27,180
difficult.

326
00:22:27,180 --> 00:22:31,580
So congratulations on that and certainly Danny, you know, thank you for your help.

327
00:22:31,580 --> 00:22:36,060
I would imagine is also something that we should, yeah.

328
00:22:36,060 --> 00:22:37,060
Absolutely.

329
00:22:37,060 --> 00:22:38,580
And how is your family?

330
00:22:38,580 --> 00:22:43,380
Obviously, very traumatic for your family, the whole journey.

331
00:22:43,380 --> 00:22:47,100
And holding up, how did they support you?

332
00:22:47,100 --> 00:22:48,420
They're all doing great.

333
00:22:48,420 --> 00:22:57,020
Now, you know, they were on the front lines the first two months, especially my, he took

334
00:22:57,020 --> 00:23:03,860
the role as my caretaker in Florida for about, I think, eight months post accident.

335
00:23:03,860 --> 00:23:08,100
So he never went back to Colorado for about eight months.

336
00:23:08,100 --> 00:23:09,980
And I know it took a toll on him.

337
00:23:09,980 --> 00:23:12,780
And he's doing great now.

338
00:23:12,780 --> 00:23:15,020
And my family's doing great.

339
00:23:15,020 --> 00:23:19,460
They are the reason not until here from their support.

340
00:23:19,460 --> 00:23:26,740
And then that stems out to the communities of my work and school and church.

341
00:23:26,740 --> 00:23:30,820
And all the support of others is really what taught me through this.

342
00:23:30,820 --> 00:23:33,700
Yeah, the support system is so important.

343
00:23:33,700 --> 00:23:35,420
It's great to hear that your dad did that for you.

344
00:23:35,420 --> 00:23:42,540
I'm sure he did that without blinking, but that's, that's, yeah.

345
00:23:42,540 --> 00:23:44,060
Was your dad saying?

346
00:23:44,060 --> 00:23:45,060
Chuck.

347
00:23:45,060 --> 00:23:46,060
Chuck.

348
00:23:46,060 --> 00:23:47,060
Okay.

349
00:23:47,060 --> 00:23:48,060
Chuck this.

350
00:23:48,060 --> 00:23:49,060
Thank you.

351
00:23:49,060 --> 00:23:50,060
Great.

352
00:23:50,060 --> 00:23:52,420
It's awesome and not surprising.

353
00:23:52,420 --> 00:23:55,020
It sounds like you got a great family unit.

354
00:23:55,020 --> 00:23:59,300
What is something that you have learned about being an amputee that maybe you didn't know

355
00:23:59,300 --> 00:24:02,060
before your own journey?

356
00:24:02,060 --> 00:24:03,060
Hmm.

357
00:24:03,060 --> 00:24:04,780
Well, I've learned a lot.

358
00:24:04,780 --> 00:24:12,220
I'd say the first thing that comes to mind would be that there's so many ways to do

359
00:24:12,220 --> 00:24:18,940
things and you can find so many creative ways to do things that you never would have thought

360
00:24:18,940 --> 00:24:21,300
of the two hands.

361
00:24:21,300 --> 00:24:22,300
Yeah.

362
00:24:22,300 --> 00:24:27,940
When it comes down to like work or just cooking or you know, a housework or whatever, there's

363
00:24:27,940 --> 00:24:32,540
so many easy ways to do things like holding laundry that you never do.

364
00:24:32,540 --> 00:24:33,540
No.

365
00:24:33,540 --> 00:24:39,860
I then, now I do it and it's, it's like have it to me, but I just thought it was so cool

366
00:24:39,860 --> 00:24:42,300
to discover new ways to do things.

367
00:24:42,300 --> 00:24:44,980
Yeah, but you can't give the seeker away about folding laundry because then it's going to

368
00:24:44,980 --> 00:24:46,580
ruin for all of us one handed people.

369
00:24:46,580 --> 00:24:47,580
Yeah.

370
00:24:47,580 --> 00:24:49,340
I don't want to admit to that one.

371
00:24:49,340 --> 00:24:51,900
You talked earlier when we first started talking about attitude.

372
00:24:51,900 --> 00:24:55,060
What does that mean to you?

373
00:24:55,060 --> 00:24:57,700
It means everything.

374
00:24:57,700 --> 00:25:02,540
From day one, I know I had some dark moments, but saying that I can make a bigger difference

375
00:25:02,540 --> 00:25:09,740
now than I could before the accident really drove me and drove my attitude to a, a, a,

376
00:25:09,740 --> 00:25:16,900
look towards the positives in life, especially because I was in a, I'd say a certain death

377
00:25:16,900 --> 00:25:17,900
scenario.

378
00:25:17,900 --> 00:25:23,180
You know, it's a scenario that I shouldn't have survived, but I'm still here and I know

379
00:25:23,180 --> 00:25:31,860
that every day is a gift and that I want to live to show people that no matter what you

380
00:25:31,860 --> 00:25:33,900
do in life, you know, you're going to lose something.

381
00:25:33,900 --> 00:25:37,700
You can't rule, you don't have a choice about that, but you do have a choice of how

382
00:25:37,700 --> 00:25:45,220
you can handle it and how you can portray that to others as well.

383
00:25:45,220 --> 00:25:46,220
And what are you doing now?

384
00:25:46,220 --> 00:25:48,660
I know your researcher, is that correct?

385
00:25:48,660 --> 00:25:49,660
Yeah.

386
00:25:49,660 --> 00:25:57,060
So I, I did work out loggerhead at Marine Life Center a few years after the accident.

387
00:25:57,060 --> 00:26:05,180
And then I eventually start working at Florida Atlantic University, Arbor Branch Oceanographic

388
00:26:05,180 --> 00:26:06,700
Institute.

389
00:26:06,700 --> 00:26:11,900
It's just a research facility that specializes in ocean research.

390
00:26:11,900 --> 00:26:18,740
So I'm, yeah, just doing a research tech position there and hoping to pursue my masters and

391
00:26:18,740 --> 00:26:20,740
maybe my PhD one day.

392
00:26:20,740 --> 00:26:22,460
So we'll see about that.

393
00:26:22,460 --> 00:26:23,460
That's fantastic.

394
00:26:23,460 --> 00:26:27,780
And as you look at your journey, you know, from, from the day Thanksgiving Day 2019 to where

395
00:26:27,780 --> 00:26:32,740
you're at right now, if you had something that you could boil it down, very difficult to

396
00:26:32,740 --> 00:26:39,220
do this, but to, to share with others and maybe going through their own amputation journey and

397
00:26:39,220 --> 00:26:43,140
to get where you've gotten to the other side, what would be some of the, the tips or the

398
00:26:43,140 --> 00:26:49,340
things that you would share with other amputees?

399
00:26:49,340 --> 00:26:57,620
Let's say what comes to mind now is don't dwell or focus on anything you think you can do.

400
00:26:57,620 --> 00:27:03,100
You've never think, never see something and think, oh, I can't do that because I have one arm

401
00:27:03,100 --> 00:27:04,100
because you can.

402
00:27:04,100 --> 00:27:09,260
And I guarantee that if you just give it some time and repetition, you know, it might not

403
00:27:09,260 --> 00:27:14,860
be easy the first time as you keep doing it, you're going to probably be better than most

404
00:27:14,860 --> 00:27:15,860
doing it.

405
00:27:15,860 --> 00:27:16,860
People.

406
00:27:16,860 --> 00:27:19,260
Yeah, we're not biased, but I agree with you.

407
00:27:19,260 --> 00:27:20,260
Yeah.

408
00:27:20,260 --> 00:27:21,260
For sure.

409
00:27:21,260 --> 00:27:23,100
And so what's next for you?

410
00:27:23,100 --> 00:27:24,740
I mean, that's one of the things I wanted.

411
00:27:24,740 --> 00:27:29,620
You were talking about the future of your, certainly what you're trying to do with your education,

412
00:27:29,620 --> 00:27:34,300
but even your foundation and then just you as a person, what are you looking forward to?

413
00:27:34,300 --> 00:27:37,500
Well, I'm going to be a father in August.

414
00:27:37,500 --> 00:27:38,500
That's great.

415
00:27:38,500 --> 00:27:44,340
Yeah, that's a big thing coming up and then can't wait to have a family and can't wait

416
00:27:44,340 --> 00:27:48,580
to see where it goes in life.

417
00:27:48,580 --> 00:27:50,580
Now, I like to push myself.

418
00:27:50,580 --> 00:27:58,180
I like to see what I can do with one arm and I know I'll keep pushing myself.

419
00:27:58,180 --> 00:28:00,340
So it's excited for the future.

420
00:28:00,340 --> 00:28:03,420
Yeah, you got a lot of great things going on.

421
00:28:03,420 --> 00:28:08,340
We mentioned the URL for your foundation, but you also said you do some speaking as well,

422
00:28:08,340 --> 00:28:09,340
right?

423
00:28:09,340 --> 00:28:10,340
Yeah.

424
00:28:10,340 --> 00:28:12,500
It would be the best to go through the foundation website.

425
00:28:12,500 --> 00:28:17,420
You have a personal website or everything through the foundation website.

426
00:28:17,420 --> 00:28:21,180
There's an email on the homepage.

427
00:28:21,180 --> 00:28:24,540
Anyone can contact me anytime with questions.

428
00:28:24,540 --> 00:28:27,340
I respond to that all the time.

429
00:28:27,340 --> 00:28:32,540
I can attest to that because I found your story and I just thought this was somebody that

430
00:28:32,540 --> 00:28:34,860
I really wanted to talk to.

431
00:28:34,860 --> 00:28:41,140
You said the email on the home page and you got back to me and I really appreciate that.

432
00:28:41,140 --> 00:28:42,140
Yeah.

433
00:28:42,140 --> 00:28:45,260
I'm here for anyone who wants to talk.

434
00:28:45,260 --> 00:28:49,060
Well, thank you so much for taking your time for being on the We're Not Some Podcast.

435
00:28:49,060 --> 00:28:50,020
I see nothing but great things.

436
00:28:50,020 --> 00:28:54,140
Congratulations on the child coming very shortly and congratulations on everything and

437
00:28:54,140 --> 00:28:55,900
the difference you're making.

438
00:28:55,900 --> 00:28:56,900
Appreciate it.

439
00:28:56,900 --> 00:28:57,900
Yeah.

440
00:28:57,900 --> 00:29:00,460
It was a pleasure to be here to tell my story.

441
00:29:00,460 --> 00:29:01,460
Thank you so much.

442
00:29:01,460 --> 00:29:11,460
[Music]

443
00:29:11,460 --> 00:29:16,420
That was The We're Not Some Podcast hosted by Mike Bold.

444
00:29:16,420 --> 00:29:21,420
If you want to be a guest on the program, reach out to Mike Bolland.

445
00:29:21,420 --> 00:29:24,620
Mike@MikeBolland.com.

446
00:29:24,620 --> 00:29:28,340
This podcast is produced by one hand man productions.

447
00:29:28,340 --> 00:29:34,420
If you're looking to start your podcast, go to onehandmanproductions.com.

448
00:29:34,420 --> 00:29:42,020
[Music]