City: In Georgia

Brain Injury: In 1969, I fell off of a water tower in Maryland when I was 19.  I had been drinking, and it just happened. I was working for a circus with the carnival crew. Years later, I was operating a curb machine when I hit a large rock and was thrown into the air.  I landed on both hands.  Both wrists were broken, and my hands were detached from the wrists. They were reattached, and the scars remind me daily of that airborne ride.  Then another accident happened, which caused me to break my shoulder and clavicle bone.  I still ache from the discomfort today.

Explanation of Mask: What word describes my life with a brain injury?  LUCKY!  Even though I’ve had many surgeries throughout my life, I still feel like a very healthy man.  I have joy, not bitterness.  My experiences have turned into wisdom.  My mask represents my current life; no need to dwell on the past.  I chose the color red to surround my brain because I had vibrant red hair in 1969.  The eye slots represent the beauty of my blue eyes, along with the red & gray whiskers I put on my mask.  The water tower represents where my brain injury journey began.