Dr. Carson had a childhood dream of becoming a physician. Growing up in a single parent home with dire poverty, poor grades, a horrible temper, and low self-esteem appeared to preclude the realization of that dream until his mother, with only a third-grade education, challenged her sons to strive for excellence. Young Ben persevered and today is director of the division of pediatric neurosurgery and a professor of neurosurgery, oncology, plastic surgery, and pediatrics at the Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions. In 1987, Carson made medical history with an operation to separate a pair of Siamese twins. The Binder twins were born joined at the back of the head. Dr. Carson agreed to undertake the operation. A 70-member surgical team, led by Dr. Carson, worked for 22 hours. At the end, the twins were successfully separated and now survive independently. Carson's other surgical innovations included the first intra-uterine procedure to relieve pressure on the brain of a hydrocephalic fetal twin, and a hemispherectomy, in which an infant suffering from uncontrollable seizures has half of its brain removed. His special interests involve craniofacial reconstructive surgery, neuro-oncology (brain tumors), skeletal dysplasia, seizure surgery, and on the adult side, trigeminal neuralgia. Dr. Carson holds numerous honors and awards, including more than 40 honorary doctorate degrees. In 2001 he was named by CNN and Time Magazine as one of the nation’s 20 foremost physicians and scientists. That same year, he was selected by the Library of Congress as one of 89 "Living Legends" on the occasion of it’s 200^th anniversary. His three books, Gifted Hands, THINK BIG, and The Big Picture provide inspiration and insight for leading a successful life. Dr. Carson has been married for over 30 years to his wife, Candy, and is the father of three sons. And yes, his mother, Sonya Carson, who made all this possible, is alive and well.