Defying odds

Mark and Pam Carter may have been doubted at first. Close to four years ago, the couple decided to fulfill a mutual lifelong dream of starting a family; a dream that was often discouraged due to the couple's physical disabilities.

As a teenager, Mark spent upwards of 10 years recovering from a traumatic brain injury after almost dying in a head-on collision that claimed the lives of his mother and younger brother in 1980. The accident left Mark, originally from New Hampshire, with a slightly off-balanced right side as well as minor reflex and speech problems. His wife, Pam, who was born with cerebral palsy, has difficulty with mobility in one hand, a small limp that requires use of a wheelchair for long distances and speech difficulties.

Despite these setbacks and concerns from those around them, the couple began planning their future together shortly after meeting online in 2001. After attempting to live out of state with Mark in New Hampshire, the pair returned closer to Pam's hometown, Weedsport, to live in Auburn where public transportation, which they rely on, is more readily available.