Ten-year-old Carter Beckhard-Suozzi’s dream has been to meet former President Jimmy Carter for a few years. And not long ago, he got his wish granted from the aptly named Make-A-Wish Foundation, where he was whisked to the Carter Center in Atlanta.
Jimmy Carter, who is also a cancer survivor, rushed to give the young boy a “warm hug” as soon as they saw one another.
Beckhard-Suozzi’s mother, Jane, said:
“It’s just been incredibly uplifting to be able to experience a trip like this and be free from everything Carter has been going through. And to meet President Carter and everything he’s done for this world, we were just in awe and the more we learned, we were more in awe.”
Beckhard-Suozzi is currently in remission from Burkitt’s Lymphoma. He was diagnosed in 2015 and after five months of chemotherapy, his doctors declared him cancer free. Former President Carter immediately asked the boy how he was feeling upon their greeting hug.
“I said, ‘Good,’ and he said, ‘Me too.’ The hug definitely made me feel I was supposed to not be nervous.”
The young boy had prepared a list of questions for the former president, which were answered in his office before Jimmy Carter signed autographs and the pair took selfies together.
The younger Carter said of the questions he had prepared:
“It was more me asking him and he had stories behind each question, which was really cool to hear because it’s not like you get to hear something like that every day. He fought segregation and wanted to make peace so he never fired a gun while he was in office and also he wanted to help civil rights.”
The former president, who had read up on Burkitt’s Lymphoma before the meeting, was having so much fun talking to the young survivor that when his assistants told him it was time for him to go to his next appointment, he told them he’d like 5 more minutes with the youngster.
Former president Carter said:
“He is a fine young man, and we share much more than a name in common, especially our success in overcoming cancer. I know Carter will grow up to do great things.”
Sources:
Huffington Post
ABC News