Name: Tony S.

City: Glendale, AZ

Brain Injury: BRAIN DAMAGE FROM TRAUMA AT BIRTH

Explanation of mask:  I have struggled with many illnesses as a result of my brain damage at birth, ranging from mental health problems to the physical as I am now an amputee who lost my right arm and leg and I am unable to walk. I was diagnosed with Lyme disease at 18 and during an operation I died for 5 minutes. During this time I visited HELL and then HEAVEN where God gave me another chance to survive. My mask represents this and I used the YIN YANG symbol to represent both sides of the POSITIVE (HEAVEN) and the NEGATIVE (HELL) that I have gone thru because of my brain injury. I designed my mask to represent this to illustrate the principle of Yin and Yang where all things exist as inseparable and contradictory opposites using blue for HEAVEN (YIN) and orange and reds with flames for HELL (YANG).