Name: Mark M.

City: Norristown

Brain Injury: Skull fracture with bleeding on the brain.  Left craniotomy 

Explanation of Mask:  Playing soccer, I went to head the ball with my opponent beside me.  I hit the ball and instantly my opponent hit my head with his head, crushing in my left temple.  Imagine reaching for your temple and it not being there, where you have to push your finger in deeper to the distance of your fingertip to your second knuckle just to touch it.  My opponent was injury-free.  On the ground, my first thought was, “That was badass!”  I was choppered to Penn Hospital in Philly that evening where it was still sunny.  Surgery was performed the next morning and I now have 10 plates on my skull.  Post-surgery I had 60 temporary staples where a headband might go, basically from ear to ear.  I also had 2 black eyes from the injury.  During the hospital stay I had family, friends and teammates visit me.  That’s the reason for the heart.  My dad mentioned that since my girlfriend came everyday while in the hospital, she’s my angel.  So the heart is also for her along with the wings and halo.  She helped me get through the stay and was/is there for me.   We’re now married. 

Negatively, I feel irritated and anger that it happened, as well as tired. 

Positively, I’m a brain injury survivor.  I’m alive!  I’m lucky too as everything could have been much worse.