City: Honolulu, HI

Brain Injury: The concerned concussion is a result of a bad decision, stemming from the damage of several previous concussions from falls. Because of the concussion from the fall of January 27, I tried to stand on a leg that was painful and broken, making the break worse. In the emergency room, I was told that I would have surgery the next day, but I didn’t understand what was broken or what the surgery entailed. I didn’t find out until I got the surgical report from the hospital medical records a month later. In the meantime, I just followed directions on my care and therapy, not understanding why. Even when the surgeon asked me if I have any questions, after the facility rehab discharge a month later, my brain wasn’t functioning well enough to ask.

Explanation of Mask:  The mask is an expression of the appreciation of the compassionate care I received for the concerned brain injury and its associated broken leg. For the passing bicyclist that picked me up off the ground and put me into the passing car that drove me home so that my husband could take me to the Emergency Room, to the kind support of the hospital and rehab facility staff who reached out to bond with me to friends who cheered me up with cards and visits in the facilities and cooked food when I got home. And my patient husband. All this kept me going and was so instrumental in healing.