Caroline Campbell
Remarkable Abilities
story by MEGAN THIBAULT MORRIS photos by JOHN WOLLWERTH
Those lucky enough to know Caroline Campbell know she is a remarkable young lady, who is worthy of the national attention she has received over the past year. Caroline is a Beaufort native. She, along with her parents, Jennifer and Kenny, and two brothers, Matthew and Christian, love their hometown of Beaufort.
Caroline was born almost thirty years ago and has thrived as a person with down syndrome. Instead of a story about her disability, this is a story about all of her abilities.
Caroline has the exceptional ability to make everyone smile and feel good. She has the ability to be a wonderful daughter, sister, and friend. Caroline is able to do a lot of things that bring joy to others, and this author can personally account for her positive demeanor. To be one of Caroline’s childhood babysitters was a privilege as there was always fun. Often on weekend nights, pillow forts and movies were a staple as was playing outside and going for neighborhood walks. To be around Caroline is to be welcomed into her bubble of pure happiness, and it is infectious.
One thing Caroline is most proud of is her faith, which she loves to share with others. Her relentless dedication to the word of God is almost unmatched, and her remarkable ability to show that love happened in a very unique way.
About nine years ago, at the age of nineteen, Caroline decided she was going to do something that few others had done. She was going to write every single word of the Bible. Every day, she pulled out her pens and papers — often contributed by family and friends — and continued to write, word-for-word and verse by verse. Whether she was home for the day, on vacation with her family, or at her brothers’ golf tournaments and baseball games, Caroline remained steadfast in her daily writing.
“To say we are proud is an understatement,” says Caroline’s proud mother, Jennifer. “It was amazing to watch her commitment to her faith. We believed in her as much as she believed in herself.”
After nine years of her daily routine, Caroline was within the last few sentences of scripture. On the next Sunday morning, Pastor Broggi called her up to the front of the church at Community Bible. Fellow parishioners proceeded to display all forty-three of Caroline’s binders, containing over ten thousand handwritten pages, verbatim of God’s word, to show the magnitude of her work. As the congregation recognized her for her amazing ability to accomplish this project, Caroline wrote the final words of the Book of Revelation, beaming in front of her church family.
“I felt very proud,” says Caroline. “And I learned a lot from the Bible. My favorite story is that of Esther because she was beautiful and teaches us to always do the right thing and help others.”
Caroline was celebrated for her achievement that day. Her family hosted many friends for a party in her honor. While they were worried about the impending stormy weather, it seems that someone was looking out for Caroline. A surprisingly sunny day brought everyone together to enjoy the occasion.
Since then, Caroline has been recognized in many ways. She was featured in Christianity Today and Daily Edition. She received congratulatory letters from the Tim Tebow Foundation and Senator Tim Scott, and the City of Beaufort honored her with a proclamation.
When asked what her encore act would be, Caroline and her mother both giggled, sharing that Caroline’s cousin recently gifted her a Bible written in Spanish. “We joke now that maybe she’ll start over, and rewrite the whole Bible in Spanish!” says Jennifer.
Well, that would be a remarkable feat, but not a surprise. Caroline Campbell is able to do remarkable things!
