Lawton “Super Mom” enters contest to help tetraplegic daughter

When Stephene Carroll broke her neck diving into a lake two years ago, she and her mother, Tamara Keitt, weren’t prepared for the life-altering change.

Now Keitt is competing in the worldwide Super Mom contest to win $20,000, among other prizes, to buy her a van.

“I saw the contest on Instagram and I saw that you could win $20,000 and all I could think about was the van,” Keitt said.

Their life changed direction shortly after Carroll turned 19. She was camping with some friends when she went diving into a lake.

“People were thinking that ‘Oh it’s college kids, diving accident, they’re probably drinking or being careless,’” Keitt said. “But she’s never been to a lake, she didn’t know that you walked down in a lake. … She just dived in off the docks, so the rocks were right there when she dived in.”

“They flew her to the OU Trauma Unit and she spent the weekend [there] and then she spent the next three or four months at Bethany’s Children’s Hospital,” Keitt said.

Keitt said after three months of Carroll being in the hospital, they told her their house was too small to accommodate Carroll’s new situation.

“The crazy part is, we just moved into a two-bedroom house right before she turned 19,” Keitt said. “It was just enough room for me and her, and in May she broke her neck. I was told, about three months of her being in a hospital, that my house was too small and we were going to have to move again. I didn’t know how we were going to do it, I just prayed and asked God for what I wanted and [we ended up moving here.]”

Keitt said she had to drop everything and learn how to care for Carroll.

“She came home from the hospital in October of 2022,” Keitt said. “It was just me and her because they didn’t have any nurses, there’s a shortage of nurses, so when they sent her home she just came home to me. I basically had to learn how to do everything. No school, no nothing just learn. I have to learn how to do everything. I’ve been taking care of her for almost two years by myself. “

Keitt said she goes to Great Plains Technology Center for nursing in order to take care of Carroll.

“I get up two hours early before class,” Keitt said. “I can spend an hour on me, getting ready or studying, and an hour on her getting her up. I have to clean certain things, feed her, set her up on her iPad and then I leave and go to class.”

Carroll has the ability to move her arms and work on her iPad. She is pursing a general education degree through online courses at Cameron University.

“I told her she’d make a great counselor,” Keitt said.

Keitt said she plans to take Carroll to campus for in-person classes, appointments and other things if she wins the contest and is able to buy a van.

Keitt said winning the competition would mean everything to her.

“I have never been on a vacation before and one of the prizes is a weekend getaway to Palm Springs, Calif.,” Keitt said. “Even thinking about it, I have mixed emotions. I don’t know what to pack, what to bring, where to go, how to do it, if I should go by myself. I’m anxious about it.”

Keitt said another thing she’ll get if she wins is a makeover.

“I’ve always wanted to get my hair and makeup done and get some pictures taken,” Keitt said. “It means a lot to me because I just turned 50 in February, and I really wanted to celebrate my 50th birthday, cause that’s the big number.”

Keitt said the winner also will get a two-page spread in Woman’s World.

“I would just love to share our story with the world and inspire,” Keitt said.

As of Friday, Keitt said they were in first place.

“Votes get you in first place,” Keitt said. “Vote daily.”

To vote for Keitt, go to thesupermom.org/2024/tamara_k. The winner will be announced on or around June 28.

“If you’re a mother, you’re already super,” Keitt said. “As a mom, I know that we are teachers, counselors, the driver (to practice, the doctor, school, etc.), doctors, cleaners, it’s a lot.”