City: Spanish Lake

Brain Injury: Military accident. Helicopter rotor blade fell on my head while serving in Iraq.

Explanation of Mask: “The Calm before the shake”
The mask shows things I liked to do before the accident on the left side and what my life is like now after war on the right. My time in the Army is shown by the colors and stickers near top. The right side of my mask is what life is like now for me and mom, my caregiver, our “new normal”. Sometimes I get very overwhelmed and can’t express my feelings to my mom or I get angry and yell and have an outburst. It makes her cry and she leaves me alone to calm down. I can’t work a real job but I’ve learned different hobbies and spend time with my dogs and my mom. I stay home a lot more too and don’t want anyone knowing about my brain injury. This is my reality now.