City: Duluth

Brain Injury: Traumatic Brain Inury

Explanation of Mask: On March 12, 2014, my life was changed when a 17-year-old going 110 mph T-boned my car.  Every quadrant of my brain hemorrhaged. I died and was brought back to life. 

Ironically, the accident saved my life. I was anorexic, just a shell of a person.  This tragedy was a blessing.  My heart and head weren’t connected.  The left side of my mask shows me broken; living life for everyone else’s pleasure, not mine. 

During my rehabilitation I became strong and would fight, fight, fight.  I progressed well.  If they said I couldn’t, I said I could.  On the right side, my mask represents my new beginning.  I now think outside of the box and have fun.  I am living now, not just surviving.

Today, I am experiencing feelings of anxiousness and anger, sometimes not trusting what I can or can’t do.  What is my purpose?  I have learned that you don’t recognize the strength within you until you have to tap into it.