CNN -- Years ago , a frustrated boy with a violent temper attacked his own mother with a hammer ( his older brother restrained him ) . He stabbed a schoolmate over a dispute about which radio station to listen to ; the knife blade luckily hit a belt buckle . Carson wants to continue educational efforts and find ways to reform the health care system when he retires . That brash teen today is a world-renowned neurosurgeon and the director of pediatric neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins Children 's Center . Dr. Benjamin S. Carson made medical history in 1987 by performing the first successful surgery that separated twins conjoined at the back of the head . He also became known for his expertise in pediatric brain tumors and methods of controlling seizures . In 2008 , he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom , this country 's highest civilian honor . Having come up from the streets of Detroit , Michigan , to receiving an award at the White House , Carson , 56 , works to spread his gospel of education and hard work to motivate others . He and his wife , Candy , started a scholarship foundation to help children with strong academics and humanitarian qualities to pay for college . `` I have at least 100,000 letters from kids and adults from around the world ... telling me how it changed their lives , '' Carson said . Their tales of transformations and redemption inspire him to keep talking about educational empowerment and overcoming adversity , he said . An obstacle is a hurdle , and `` you jump over it , '' Carson said . `` Every time you see a hurdle , you jump over it , and it strengthens you for the next one . And if that 's the case , you lead a victorious life , because whatever comes before you , you know you 're going to get around it . '' Carson was raised in Detroit , majored in psychology at Yale University and attended medical school at the University of Michigan , where he studied neurosurgery . Carson 's life has been told through plays , books and movies , including a TNT made-for-TV movie called `` Gifted Hands , '' which airs Saturday . ( TNT is part of Turner Broadcasting , which also owns CNN . ) The biopic stars Academy Award winner Cuba Gooding Jr. as Carson . `` I think he 's an angel , a gift from God , '' Gooding said . `` He has touched a lot of people 's lives . '' Carson holds more than 50 honorary doctorates and hundreds of other awards . He 's fortunate , he acknowledges , but this doctor does not believe in luck . `` I always say you make your own luck by being prepared , '' he said . His mom pushed him hard . Sonya Carson `` would not accept the victim mentality . She would n't let us accept the victim mentality . No excuses . She did n't make excuses , and she did n't accept excuses , '' Carson said . She turned off the TV , sent Carson and his brother to the library and made them write weekly book reports . Meanwhile , she worked several jobs to support her two sons . She is now 80 and lives with Carson in Baltimore , Maryland . When Carson was young , he was influenced by stories about Booker T. Washington , a former slave who taught himself to read and later advised presidents , and the biblical character Joseph , who persevered though his brothers sold him into slavery . `` Those kinds of stories had an impact on me and helped me to believe it 's not where you started , it 's where you end that counts . And you have a whole lot to do with that , '' he said . `` Everybody has problems . They just come in different forms . If that problem for you becomes a containing fence , then you become a victim . Once you think you 're a victim , you are one , and you 're not going anywhere . '' In the same way , Carson 's biography has resonated with people like 22-year-old Douglas Nivens II of Baltimore , Maryland . Nivens ' mother was killed when he was 4 years old , and his father was imprisoned for her murder . His aunt raised him , and he endured relentless teasing for his interest in academics while attending public schools in Baltimore City . During middle school , Nivens picked up Carson 's autobiography , `` Gifted Hands , '' and immediately identified with it . `` It was a relief to see someone grew up in the city and did n't have a luxurious life but overcame it all , '' he said . `` I love stories about underdogs , those who overcome adversity and do something . '' When he was in middle school , Nivens won two $ 1,000 scholarships from the Carson Scholars Fund , which helps children with strong academics pay for college . `` When it came to times of doubt during high school , when I talked to my adviser , they would say , 'You got this award . Not everyone gets it . You 're not dumb . You have the tools to be successful in life , ' `` Nivens said . `` That 's what really helped me in terms of self-esteem and management in high school . '' He graduated with honors from the University of Maryland , Baltimore County in May . `` I probably should not be where I am , '' said Nivens , a budget analyst for the U.S. Social Security Administration . `` I went to Baltimore public schools . My father 's in jail ; my mother is dead . Statistically , I should not be here . I should be on parole somewhere or even dead . I never looked at it that way . I made it through . '' Carson said he 's heartened by stories pf people who 've been inspired by his biography . `` My message is that the person who has the most to do with what happens to you is you , '' Carson said . `` Not somebody else , and not the environment . If you have a normal brain , you 're capable of incredible things . ''
Doctor overcame troubled youth to head pediatric neurosurgery at Surgeon . Benjamin S. Carson won `` Nivens and shares his biography to motivate others . Johns Hopkins 's biography inspired Maryland , Maryland , teen that anything is possible .