For Lacena Carson, more commonly known by her nickname, “Candy,” life hasn’t always been picture perfect.
The daughter of a teacher and a factory word, before marrying Ben Carson, she grew up poor in inner-city Detroit.
But that didn’t stop Candy from being a colorful child. She jokes her nickname came from having the ultimate sweet tooth.
“Candy’s the name,” she said with a laugh.
As Candy stands alongside her husband, she recalls their first meeting.
“He and his roommate both had their heads squared on their shoulders,” Candy said.
The Carsons have been married for 40 years and first met as students at Yale University despite both being from Detroit.
Candy said the recipe to a long marriage is not only faith, but “pulling a wagon together.”
“The life of a neurosurgeon isn’t an easy one … The life of a neurosurgeon’s wife isn’t much easier,” Candy wrote in her memoir, “A Doctor in the House: My Life With Ben Carson.” "But it’s all been worth it."
ABC News' Olivia Smith, Katie Bosland, Anja Crowder and David Kovenetsky contributed to this report.