The Story of a Minor Who Had So Much

The day was July 19th, 2004, at about 4:20 in the evening, the summer before my senior year in high school; I was on my way home from work, working at my dream in a law office the day of my accident. The office personnel had already informed me that I would be welcome to join their firm once I did obtain my law degree, which would, granted, be many years in the future. But still, to already have job security at the age of 17. How many kids can say that?

I had done exemplary in high school the three years that I had attended prior to my near fatal automobile accident; achieving nearly perfect grades in all academic areas. Then, of course, there was my personal life. I was very popular among my peers, mainly because I treated everyone the same; regardless of race, gender, or creed. And unfortunately, what matters in high school, how you look.

Nearly all the students at my high school were my friends, a lot of them being female; I not only had a lot of female friends to make me feel good about myself, but also to make most of the other male students jealous. In addition, I have also found that females are usually a whole lot nicer and way more understanding than their male counterparts. However, as I said, I was friends with nearly everybody at my high school.

The medical terminology that is used to describe my injury is: Diffuse Axonal Injury with Shearing and a Ventricular Bleed; all this meaning, the actual brain coverings from “throughout” my head were literally stretched to almost their breaking points! I was put directly into a coma, staying in one for approximately 2 ½ months. I was also cursed with HO (Heterotopic Ossification) in my left knee and a contracture in my left arm, which, thankfully, I was able to break through.

I returned to school and attended the second semester of my senior year on-site. When I returned in January, on the very first day of the second semester, I returned as somewhat of a small celebrity. Somehow everyone had heard about my accident, even people I didn’t know prior to my accident were coming up to me, shaking my hand, hugging me and saying, “Hey, Kevin, how are you?”

Since then, and the two standing ovations I received during my senior year, I have wanted nothing else but to become famous and get the word out about TBI: one of the most difficult and widely spread injuries in the United States. It is even known as “The Silent Epidemic.”

In order to become famous I am now attempting to become an author. I am currently working on the book I first began when I was just 12-years-old; although I have already written several short pieces that I will attempt to have published first, some of which already have been; in fact, I’ve already won quite a few awards for writing. Then, I will submit my full-length book for publication.

--Here’s to miracles and hard work. Both of which I know a whole lot about now.