City: Asheville

Brain Injury: Hemorrhagic stroke due to skiing accident

Explanation of Mask: The heart depicts my lost marriage due to my wife unwilling or unable to handle the changes in my life. The blue tears are for the sorrow that I felt for losing my job, income, way of life, and use of my left arm and leg. The brown represents the ongoing hard work that I put in during rehab-sometimes one has to get dirty. The mask over the eyes is for the blindness in my right eye and limited vision in my left. The words around the perimeter are topics that I struggle with on a daily basis including fear, doubt, career, money, rejection, anger, pain, loneliness and acceptance. The smile is for the fact that I am a survivor when no one thought I would survive, let alone recover. The cross is strength from the Lord to persevere in the face of adversity and overwhelming challenges.