City: Suwanee

Brain Injury: I am Bill.  I was born in 1960.  In 1965, I was walking home from school and a car hit me in Evanston, Illinois.  That is near Chicago.  I have had a brain injury since I was 5 years old.  I am paralyzed on my right side.  My muscles are spastic; they have spasms.  My brain damage makes me feel unstable.  Sometimes I think to myself, ‘If I was stable, I could have been in the Army, Navy or Marines, or I could have had a perfect job.’  It would trouble me that I can’t do everything.  It’s okay though.  In the past, I didn’t feel good about myself because I was handicapped, but now I am happy where I am. 

I have 2 older sisters, one younger brother, and the best brothers-in-law.  I love my family so much.  They have been so good to me.  Sometimes I feel I am a bother.  I try real hard to be positive and certain of myself.  I have accepted the things that I can do now.  I am happy most of the time.

Explanation of Mask: If you look at my mask, you might notice that I am a perfectionist.  I wanted each feature of my face to be highlighted.  Light blue is my favorite color, but I also like the other colors too: red, yellow, green and orange.  This mask makes me feel happy, ‘pretty sweet.’  The pictures I chose are what I like such as music, trees, swimming, mountain climbing and wine. I love to watch people climb mountains.

I can’t drink wine, but I would like to taste it.  I love meat.  My favorites are cheeseburgers, steak, fish, and hot dogs.  I like fruit, too, but not as much as meat.

I have so many things that I like to do.  Fieldtrips are my favorite activity.  Some say I can sing pretty good.  I am in the Villagers Choir.  I also play the tambourine.  I am writing a book about ‘tang soo doo.’  It is Korean martial art.  When I go swimming, it calms me down.  It is ‘really sweet.’  I like to learn as much as I can each day.

When I was younger, I would draw 70 pages a day, but I can’t now because my hands won’t let me.  I had a teacher who told me to slow down; that discouraged me.  When I was in high school, I ran cross country track.  I have an award hanging on my wall in my room for Best Effort.  I had a dog named Duffy.  He would really shed.  I had to sweep his hair all the time.  I couldn’t believe it!

Basically, I am happy!