Travis S

Age 20.
Graduate of Mandarin High School.

Travis divides his life in two phases: ‘before’ and ‘after.’

In the ‘before,’ he smoked and drank. Before, he thought he was invincible. Before, he was a high school dropout.

Then came the accident. On Aug. 23, 2008, all of Travis’ poor choices came to a head when he went to a party, got drunk, and got behind the wheel. By all investigative accounts, he shouldn’t have survived when his speeding car smashed into the path of an oncoming car.

This is Travis after. After the accident, he had to be resuscitated six times. After, he changed his mind about school and dropped back in. After, he relied on help from a teacher’s aide to get the education he used to take for granted.

The traumatic brain injury hobbled his memory, but not his resolve.

Travis graduated with an Option 1 diploma and is working to pass the GED test so that he can go on to college.

“Travis is excited to be alive, and he has learned to appreciate every new day and the people who surround him,” his teacher at Mandarin High, Pam Enteman, said.

Teachers such as Ms. Enteman, as well as his brother, mother and therapists at Brooks Rehabilitation have helped Travis recover after the accident.

Travis has written about his experience and vows not to keep his past choices a secret—not any more.

Today, Travis hopes his ‘after’ will help change someone else’s ‘before.’