Look, here’s what happened to my brain, and it all makes sense when you connect the dots. I did two tours in Iraq. Got exposed to those blast waves from explosions— that ‘hidden injury’ a lot of us vets carry. You don’t always see it right away, but those pressure waves can damage blood vessels deep in your brain over time. Weak spots form or get worse. That’s what set me up for what came later.
On March 4, 2020, one of those weakened spots ruptured—an aneurysm blew. Bleeding in my brain, everything shut down. I went into a coma for 6 weeks. Doctors gave me about a 4% chance. When I woke up, I couldn’t talk. Couldn’t walk. Speech and movement were gone. Life flipped upside down.
But I fought. Relearned to talk. Relearned to walk. Neuroplasticity—that’s your brain rewiring itself with hard work. Therapy, grit, my family’s support, and God’s grace got me through. Yeah, I had some anger at first, but I accepted it and kept pushing.
Now? I’m a dad of three, working as a broker, hitting the gym, living life. Residual stuff is there—fatigue, speech quirks, frustration some days—but I’m proof you can come back stronger. That hidden injury from Iraq led to this, but it didn’t win.
If you’re going through your own battle—brain injury, recovery, whatever—just keep swimming. Share your story. Turn the pain into purpose. We got this.”
