City: Portsmouth

Brain Injury: Meningitis and Motorcycle Accident

Explanation of Mask: My mask is like a mirror. The black represents having no knowledge of where life will take me next, while the white symbolizes purity and my sense of a new beginning.  The peace signs on both sides of the mask show my feeling of serenity after the illness and therapy.  The question mark was used to show how confused I was about life and questioning why the accident happened.  The crosses show two different aspects- I believe God was with me through this all, but I also believed he deserted me.  I used to smile when everything was normal, but after my accident all I could do was frown because I was confused.  As bad as my situation was, it kept me from a lifestyle that was not healthy-I was a crack addict for 4-5 years and it took being in a coma for me to realize that I needed to change my view.  I felt lonely before my accident and continue to feel lonely to this day; I lost the two things I loved most, my girlfriend and my motorcycle.