Carter Ford
Carter was born on August 10th joining his mom, Ratasha and big brother Anthony to complete the Ford family. Carter is full of life with a bold personality and an even bigger heart. She is loving, funny, outgoing, and isn't afraid to be herself. She has a contagious laugh that can brighten anyone's day, and she loves making people smile.
She has always had a wonderful imagination and loves singing, dancing, Disney, and animals. Carter has a natural way of making ordinary moments feel special. She is compassionate, caring, and loves making others feel included. Even through the many challenges that come with battling DIPG, she continues to show incredible courage and resilience. While the disease has changed many things physically, it has never changed the joy, kindness, humor, and determination that make Carter who she is.
Above all, Carter treasures the people she loves. She shares a special bond with her family, especially her cousins, and loves every opportunity to spend time together. Whether they're laughing, playing games, watching videos, or just sitting together, those moments are what she values most. She also loves her dog, Scottie, who has been a loyal companion and source of comfort throughout her journey.
Carter loves making memories with her family and has a special gift for turning every hotel stay into a mini vacation. She gets excited about exploring the hotel, waking up early for the free hotel breakfast, and making every trip feel like an adventure.
Their favorite family vacation was her Make-A-Wish trip to Disney through Give Kids The World Village. Disney, and especially Universal Studios Park, were incredible experiences, but the real magic happened at Give Kids The World. It was a place where Carter could simply be a kid, surrounded by joy, laughter, and people who wanted to make every moment special. The memories we made there will always hold a special place in their hearts. Although she isn't a big fan of the beach itself, she loves going because it means spending time with the people she loves. Her favorite place is the pool. Even though she can't swim, she loves sitting in the water, splashing around, relaxing, and being part of the fun.
Carter loves spending time with her cousins, and some of her happiest moments are simply laughing together, watching funny videos, and making memories. She enjoys watching YouTube reels, especially, A for Adley, and loves trying out the funny ideas she sees. After one of her little jokes, she'll usually burst into laughter and proudly say, "It's a prank!"
When it comes to food, Carter's favorites are seafood, spaghetti, macaroni and cheese, and chicken nuggets. During football season, she's always cheering for the Carolina Panthers.
Before DIPG, Carter loved going to the park, climbing, running, and playing outside. As the disease has progressed, walking has become much more difficult, and the summer heat drains her energy quickly, making those outings harder than they used to be. Even so, she still looks forward to every opportunity to get out, spend time with her family, and create new memories.
For Carter, happiness has never been about where she is, it's about who she's with. Whether it's laughing with her cousins, relaxing in a pool, cheering on the Panthers, or waking up excited for a hotel breakfast, she reminds us that the best moments in life are often the simplest ones.
Diagnosis
Before Carter was diagnosed, her mom had never even heard of DIPG. Like so many parents, she thought the little changes she was seeing were just part of her growing up. She had become a little clumsier, and she started having accidents because she couldn't make it to the bathroom in time. Ratasha never imagined those seemingly small changes were signs of something so devastating.
The moment she knew something was truly wrong happened during a simple daycare walk. Carter couldn't make it the short distance and had to be carried back. That's when her mother's instinct told her this was more than clumsiness.
They went to one emergency room, where we were told there was fluid on her brain. They knew something was seriously wrong, even if they weren't yet sure what it was, and immediately transferred them to another hospital. Two days later, their world changed forever. Ratasha heard four letters that she had never heard before, DIPG. Her four-year-old daughter had an aggressive brain tumor. The doctors prepared them for the unimaginable. They were told the average survival was around 9 to 12 months. No parent is ever prepared to hear that their child may have less than a year to live. But Carter has always done things her own way. Today, more than two years after her diagnosis, she is still here.
Ratasha says. "Before Carter, I had never heard of DIPG, and neither had most of the people around us. I'm sharing her story because no family should have to hear those three letters without knowing there's a community that understands. I hope Carter's journey helps raise awareness, brings hope to another family, or inspires someone to support research so one day no parent has to hear this diagnosis. Carter has already shown us that she's stronger than anyone ever imagined, and every extra day with her is a gift. She is so much more than DIPG, she is my sweet, funny, brave little girl, and I will never stop fighting for her."
The Archer Foundation is proud to honor Carter and her incredible courage and spirit of joy even when facing really hard days.
