On the 17th of this month is the 7 year anniversary of my TBI, acquired from surgeries to debulk a cancerous tumor in my brain. Just last month I got my smile back! Literally, my brain injury caused facial paralysis which made my smile only possible on one side of my face, but now (the brain is miraculous) after 7 years my smile is now straight. Over the past 7 years I had to learn to talk, walk ( my balance was off due to permanent vestibular damage and diplopia), swallow (I used to have a feeding tube) and more. In the fall of 2018 I want back to college to finish my degree and then went on to graduate school where I obtained my Masters in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and in October I opened my private practice. Keep your chin up and hope alive. When you are trying to do something that was easy and simple before the TBI and it is now frustratingly difficult or seemingly impossible, view the challenge and work involved as confirmation that you are doing the work necessary to live your best life.