As a musician, Brad Carter's introduction to the world was more intimate than most. Last May, the guitarist's brain surgery was live-Tweeted (and Vined, and Instagrammed) for all the world to see thanks to the social-media savvy folks at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center.
Carter, who lives in Los Angeles and hails from Macon, Georgia, has a progressive neurological disorder called "essential tremor." Seven years ago, he slowly began losing the ability to play the guitar because of his tremors. But on May 23, surgeons reversed that trend almost immediately by putting a pacemaker in his brain, mitigating the effects of his disease.
Besides being broadcast live via social media, Carter made the relatively routine seven-hour operation all the more remarkable because he played his guitar to help doctors find the best location for the brain pacemaker. The Vine videos show Carter's guitar-playing skills getting stronger and smoother as the operation progresses.
The surgeries are done with -- for now. But Carter knows that his disorder has no cure, and he's not sure how long he has before it possibly develops into Parkinson's disease. That's why Carter wants to record a full-length professional album, while he still has the ability, and he's taking his case to Kickstarter to raise funds for the project.
"Having played music for many years, losing the ability to do the thing I love the most has been quite difficult and heartbreaking," wrote Carter on his Kickstarter page. "I have run the gamut of emotions with this and sometimes the depression has been overwhelming."
"I want to make the most of the time the surgery has given me by recording an album and sharing my story with you," Carter wrote. He set a goal of at least $45,000 to record the album, and if he raises another $10,000 he'll also be able to film a music video. As of this story's publish date, he has eight more days to raise about $16,000. To learn more about his project, check out his Kickstarter page.
Check out Brad Carter's brain surgery via Vine in the slideshow below. The slideshow is best viewed in fullscreen mode.
