Ohio wrestler overcomes all odds

Despite having no arms or legs, Dustin Carter made it to the third round of the Ohio state wrestling championship. George Tiedemann/SI GALLERY: Carter in action

No matter what Dustin Carter did upon entering his third-round state tournament match at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, last month, his coaches warned, don't look up. "But he didn't listen," Carter's father, Russ, says. "He nearly lost his way when he saw all those people looking [at him]."

Though able to catch his breath, he was unable to complete his wrestling match. He positioned himself for a close consolation-bracket win, but could not mount a final comeback. Having suffered a one-point loss, his high school career was over. All he had left to do was look up in the stands. What he saw were fans standing on their feet and clapping their hands, all for Carter, the 103-pound Hillsboro (Ohio) senior wrestler and amputee who maneuvered with no arms or legs. Still soaking in the moment, he steadied himself and lifted his right arm. "It's the prettiest site I've seen," Carter says.

After a shower, Carter, who prefers shadow wrestling on his own, stepped into the spotlight again for an unexpected encore. "In Ohio, no one gets that appreciation except four-time state champions," Hillsboro coach Nathan Horne says.

The aria of Carter, who was diagnosed with meningococcemia, an acute bacterial infection, and lost his limbs when he was 5 years old, played out in high school gyms throughout Ohio the last five winters. Opening eyes with his technique and ears with his primal screams, the affable Carter had come full circle. Five years earlier, as an eighth grader adjusting to a new town he approached administrators about taking to the mat. "My first thought was OK," then-coach Brian Williamson says. "But how are we going to do this."

Once inside the wrestling room, no corners were cut. On the first day, Carter was worn down like the rest, panting heavily and looking uneasy. "After that, we just figured out what he could not do and did everything else as expected," says Williamson.

By the end of his freshman year, Carter gained notice, not for his shortcomings but for his takedowns in the 103-pound weight class. He won wrestle-offs for spots in competitions and grabbed his first victory late in the year. That summer, he went off to camps, working on his core muscles and developing a collection of muscles in his neck. "The weights and getting bigger were one thing, but I enjoy shadow wrestling and working on moves the most," Carter says. "It got my blood rushing."

The pulse-quickening efforts of Carter bring his father, Russ, back to the heart-stopping day when Dustin was five. As he prepared for kindergarten, Carter burned up with a fever of 106 degrees one night. Pools of blood gathered in his extremities and his head "swelled to the size of a bowling ball." After going to a nearby hospital, he flat lined five-to-six times before being stabilized and flown by helicopter to Children's Hospital in Cincinnati. Doctors told Carter his arms and legs needed to be amputated. But Children's doctors did not want to operate for fear of further complications, so Russ Carter transferred his son across the street for an operation at Cincinnati Shriners Hospital. "I went away and prayed," says the elder Carter. "By the time I came back everyone in the room was all smiles. He had made it."

Carter's life was saved, but his limbs, above the elbows and knees, were sacrificed. In the aftermath, he only complained once. At a party celebrating his release from the hospital, he leaned over to pick up something that had fallen from the table. Before he toppled over, his father grabbed him. "I just wish it was like it was before," the son told his father.

Fitted for prosthetic legs, Carter learned how to walk again then run. As he switched gears, though, the recovery process seemed to fall apart at the joints. "You know that scene in Forrest Gump when he gets out there to run and the braces collapse?" says Russ. "That was Dusty."

He was also measured for arms, but the feel wasn't right. All the same to Carter, who can write an essay, dial a cell phone, grab a dime off the floor and brush his teeth. What some cannot do with 10 fingers playing Playstation, Curtis does with none. He's a threat to run up the score each time he takes the controls. "I told him as long as you can zip your own fly you'll be fine," says Russ.

Once unsure of how he would wrestle without arms or legs, he is now deciding where to grapple next. Mount St. Joseph's and Wilmington college coaches are in touch, awaiting word. When ready, Carter says he will pick up a pen with his right hand, put his head down and sign on with a school. He will then withdraw to the gym, back to shadow wrestling and strengthening his frame. No matter where he goes next, he says the ovations will remain with him. "I have no picture from the ovations," Carter says. "The image is fresher in my head."