Name: Gabrielle J.

City: Phoenix, AZ

Brain Injury: I used to party a lot and was not taking care of myself or my health. As a result I had high blood sugar and blood pressure which caused a stroke at the age of 23. The stroke ruined the Pons in my brain, which serve as a message station between several areas of the brain. For me the stroke affected my speech, mobility, and eyesight. I am now blind in one eye and have little use of the other. I was in a wheelchair for 1 ½ years and worked hard with physical therapy so can now walk on my own.

Explanation of mask:  My mask shows two sides to my injury. Before my stroke, I was a very eccentric and an outgoing person. The flowers with the pearls represent this beauty. The black and white represents the darkness that fell over me after my stroke and depicts how I no longer felt like myself. I felt like I looked dead all the time. In all of my life’s mess, I know now this was a wakeup call and it is important to take care of myself. This is my message.