City: Portland

Brain Injury: I had a stroke in 2012.

Explanation of Mask: The right side of the mask is during the stroke. When I was having the stroke, I felt like I was underwater and couldn’t see. That’s why the eye is covered. And I couldn’t speak. The left side of the mask is how I felt after the stroke, floating in space, with a cloudy mind. I had trouble speaking and my nose was tingly. I tried to figure out complex things in my brain, like reading and music, to get my mind back to where it used to be. I went at it like a bulldog. I had to keep at it. I wasn’t willing to let it slide. Colors became much brighter and intense. Everything was vibrant. That was a good thing from the stroke.