Tenle,y Carter Justin, and Trisha Perry making the most of their time on a visit to Primary Children’s Hospital earlier this year.
PRESTON – It’s been an interesting year for the Perry family of Preston. Justin, the father, Trisha, the mother and their daughter Tenley have experienced the lowest of lows and the highest of highs with their son Carter.
In December of 2022 in Carter was in the 8th grade and started complaining of pain in his appendix area. Even with a CT scan the doctors couldn’t diagnose the cause of his pain. Finally, a simple urine test started the ball rolling.
“He had blood in his urine,” said Justin, Carter’s father. “We are thinking it was a kidney stone. They did another CT scan and that’s when they found it.”
Carter was diagnosed with Burkitt lymphoma, a rare disease that usually affects four in 1 million children under age 16 in the United States.
If not treated Burkitt lymphoma can be fatal. Once diagnosed doctors recommend immediate and intensive chemotherapy. Cater was diagnosed with stage three, the disease had spread from his pelvis to his stomach and into his lungs.
“They sent us to Primary Children’s Hospital,” he said. “They performed a bunch of tests and narrowed it down and prescribed chemotherapy.”
Doctors implanted a port in Carter’s chest so they could access his veins with fewer needle sticks, then they dripped chemo into his body.
“It’s tough to see your kid on death’s door,” Justin said. “In the end, we were blessed and lucky that Carter did so well with the treatments.”
“It sucked we’ve seen the worst of the worst in sick kids,” he added. “It got to be where we were seeing kids being life flighted to their home to die.”
One time when they were walking to the CT trailer, they saw a kid the exact size as Carter coming out of the CT trailer. He had one arm amputated.
“That experience makes life different. It changes you,” Justin said. “It brings a survivor’s guilt that you can’t imagine.”
Although many other chemotherapy patients get mouth sores from the chemo, Carter never did get them.
“We would be gone seven days at a time, and we still had our 12-year-old daughter,” he said. “We tried to make it home, but it was hell.”
Despite spending his time at Primary’s, Carter never missed a team meeting or practice.
“Carter loves football despite not having the best experience in little league football,” he said. “He hardly ever played and when he did and was successful, they would pull him.”
Justin avoided coaching Carter, he wanted someone else to do it. But the coaches never saw his potential. It’s been a process, but the kid loves football.
“I thought he would get discouraged and not want to continue to play football after little league football,” Justin said. “But he still wanted to play and I’m proud of him.”
Reggie Larsen, the senior quarterback for Preston, got injured in the Indians’ game against Jerome High School and the coach put in Carter.
Carter started the next game against Burley High School.
The Burley game was so great, it was special for the Perry family.
“It was like being in a Disney movie. It was too perfect; he started his first varsity game on National Birkett’s Day,” Justin said. “It was damn cool someone could write a book about it.”
On Friday, Sep 15, 2023, the Preston Varsity Boys Football team beat Burley High School by a score of 53-51.
“I’ve had too many experiences to know that this whole thing was bigger than us,” he said. “I watched him on his death bed and going through all kinds of medical torture and he just wants to get back to football. Just seeing his heart full again and things finally clicking.”
Preston High School Coach Craig Cunningham said for a freshman he has great decision-making skills and he is great at preparing for his games.
“He studies and puts in the work,” the coach said. “Carter is about 6 ft, but pretty wiry.”
Carter was cleared to play football after they removed his port in June.
“He was always throwing the football,” Cunningham said. “Sometimes he would get a little white and we would have to tell him to sit down and take it easy.”
The coach said Carter is a great kid with a good future.
Since defeating Burley, the football team has lost to Madison and beat Century last Friday night.