BPCC student shares story behind viral Facebook photo

December 27, 2017

December 16th began as a normal day for Andre Carter, but it turned into one he will never forget.

He was at the Walmart on Mansfield Road in Shreveport, a usual stop on his work route, when something out of the ordinary happened.

“I’m a Coca Cola merchandiser,” Carter explained. “I’m at that store on a regular basis to restock the shelves. That day, though, there was an elderly lady just standing there in a large open area. I could tell just by looking at her that something was wrong.”

Carter, 24, used his knowledge from an EMT class he once took to assess the situation. After seeing some troubling visible signs of distress, he stepped in to help.

“I asked her if everything was ok. She looked up at me and started to cry. She said she wasn’t going to make it.”

That’s when the elderly woman let go of her shopping cart and began falling to the ground. Fortunately, Carter was there to catch her.

“She clung to me and I just held her,” he said. “I tried to comfort her and let her know that she was going to be ok. I thought maybe she was just tired.”

Carter reassured the woman that he would stay with her until help arrived. Several customers stopped to help, one of them being a nurse. There was also a person who stopped to take a photo, but Carter thought nothing of it at the time.

First responders arrived and took the elderly woman away on a stretcher. That was the last time Carter saw her.

“I don’t even know what hospital she went to,” he added. “I hope she is doing well.”

Carter had no idea the photo had been posted on Facebook until a family member asked him about it. The post has been shared more than 275 times and liked by more than 570 people.

“It’s amazing that someone captured that moment,” he said. “Hopefully it will show others that loving others and caring for people…is what God wants from us.”

That’s essentially why he stepped in to help in the first place.

“I really feel like I’ve been called to help others,” he said. “That’s something I love to do and it brings me joy. That’s how my parents raised me to be.”

Looking at the picture now, Carter expressed his feelings with a Bible verse — John 15:12.

“…love each other as I have loved you,” he said. “I don’t see age. I don’t see race. I see God’s love.”

Carter never expected to have the spotlight on him. Honestly, he never wanted it to be.

However, he hopes the post will send a message to those who see it.

“Age and race don’t matter,” Carter said. “Be there for one another. Show God’s love in your daily actions.”

And, he would absolutely help again if needed.

“I would step in and help in any way possible, in any capacity, to the best of my abilities,” Carter said.

His love for serving others translates into his studies. Carter is a chemical engineering major at Bossier Parish Community College and a member of the U. S. Air Force Reserves.

He plans to get his MBA and doctorate then use his degree to help others.

“I just want to make an impact,” he said. “This way, I can make a better life for people and society as a whole.”

By Amanda Simmons