Name: Shannon M., Mother of Mackenzie G.

City: Phoenix, AZ

Brain Injury: TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY (TBI). At 16 years of age, the car my son was a passenger in was in an accident. He was a 3 on the Glasgow Coma Scale when he arrived at the hospital. While waiting for the Organ Donor Network to arrive, his vitals improved and new testing confirmed a positive shift in his CT. He had surgery and his skull cap was removed. We were told he would be nothing more than a vegetable. He is not, but he can not be out in the world without supervision. He has social and sexual inappropriateness, which makes him unpredictable and unstable.

Explanation of mask:  January 21, 2007, my LIFE and that of my FAMILY’s CHANGED forever. The truth about TBI is there is no PASSPORT, roadmap, or tour guide to show you the way. The THINGS THAT YOU DON’T KNOW after something like this happens to your child is that it affects every aspect of your life and your family’s emotionally, financially, and physically. Things GET REAL fast.