City: Portsmouth

Brain Injury: Accident

Explanation of Mask: The sparkly ribbon represents the happy life I had before everything changed.  The gradations of paint color I choose are like how things changed through my life.  It started out good and happy.  And “it” [my accident] happened and the gray and black mean the sad I felt.  The tears from the eye are for sadness.  The stars mean joy that makes me dance, like I’m a star!  The heart is the love I feel and used to feel for a woman.  I had 20 years, and then I got attacked.  I was happy, danced, and had love.  Then I couldn’t speak for three months.  I worked hard.  After the accident, I started to get back to things.  I could speak and dance, and I still want more.  I feel hopeful.