Name: Debby

City: Anchorage

Brain Injury: TBI skull fracture 1980 USAF accident: vision changed, severe light sensitivity, migraines, depression, sensitive to sounds, sleep problems, PTSD, nausea, tinnitus. 2nd TBI closed head injury: hyperthermia, epilepsy, gerstrums, loss music, tire easy. more balance, memory, headaches, not able to cope loud rooms, separate voices…

Explanation of Mask:  Inside = before TBI

Lily for Innocence.  Tree for rooted, strenth, family, and dandelion – makin wishes.  Hearts – romantic, loved being with others/ butterfly – free to chase dreams.  Music – wrote, played, loved, school bands, orchestra /  US Flag – love being American, wanted to serve my Country / loved Math – things made sense, it was fun.  After w/TBI –  I am thankful for each day, moving forward.  Camo blues and white: TBI is a hidden disability – I am workin hard to do everthin I do do an get anything done no one has a clue how distracted an hard I work to do anything.  Blues are for depression came with my TBI.  I came to peace. an to accept myself.  White is for hope that never ends.  Camo print to me is like how much things are over my head.  Sunglasses for the light sensitivity.  Earplugs for sound sensitivity and tinnitis, migraines.  Mouth – words don’t work like wish, find. Anchor – faith and my sons kept me anchord, lost lotta connections, forgot so much after 1st TBI my sons kept me going an faith/  Traffic signals – confusing messages, lost connections/ process things slowly / forget/ need things writ down simply.