City/State: Chattanooga

Brain Injury: When I was 10 years old, I got meningitis encephalitis.  I started to feel sick at school.  When I got home, I stopped breathing.  The infection in my brain caused me to have seizures and memory problems.  For a while doctors said it was just epilepsy, but now I’ve been diagnosed with Mesial Temporal Sclerosis

Explanation of Mask: In high school, I earned an art scholarship for my paintings.  Now I only paint a little.  I’ve put women’s rights symbol on the mask because this is a woman’s mask!   The expression on the cheek is for happiness.  The lips are painted purple because that’s my favorite color.  The gold around my neck represents my vagus nerve stimulator that prevents more seizures.  The purple feathers represent my healing.  The yellow makes me feel happy and bright!  I’ve named my mask “Anita.”