Walk For Thought honors brain injury survivors on Sept. 13

The Walk For Thought enters its 22nd year as a way for traumatic brain injury survivors to connect and raise money for the Minnesota Brain Injury Alliance. FOX 9's Tim Blotz has the story.

NEW BRIGHTON, Minn. (FOX 9) - The Walk For Thought enters its 22nd year as a way for traumatic brain injury survivors to connect and raise money for the Minnesota Brain Injury Alliance.

Walk For Thought

What we know:

"It helps raise the awareness of the community that this is an issue and it’s an issue that matters," Brad Donaldson with the Minnesota Brain Injury Alliance told FOX 9. "And we as Minnesotans need to stand up and make sure we take care of the individuals that are dealing with these problems and challenges."

This year’s walk steps off at Long Lake Regional Park starting at 9 a.m. on Sept. 13.

A companion Walk for Thought is also taking place at the same time at the St. Luke’s Sports and Event Center in Duluth.

Participants can register here.

First Walk for Michelle Smith

Dig deeper:

Michelle Smith has been on her recovery journey from a brain injury for the past eight years.

"I was in a work explosion," said Smith of the day a gas leak at Minnehaha Academy leveled a portion of the Twin Cities prep school on Aug. 2, 2017.

The blast killed a school receptionist and a custodian. Smith was working as an administrative assistant when the explosion happened.

"It threw me across the room into a radiator that was up against the wall. And the ceiling came down, and there were things that fell on top of me," Smith recalled. "I didn’t lose consciousness, but when I realized what had happened my first response was to look down and make sure my arms and my legs were still there, because I could see out the window and the whole side of the building next to me was gone."

Smith said she had terrible head pain and struggled to breathe. She was treated at the Hennepin County Medical Center where doctors performed a number of tests.

"It was those days following it where I was just very anxious and my head, it was debilitating. I couldn’t even put a thought together," said Smith.

After more testing, doctors connected her with the TBI clinic where clinicians told her she was in for a long, hard road to recovery.

"For me, I’m thinking months, maybe a few months, and here I am eight years out and I still have a lot of issues pertaining to the TBI that I deal with every day," she says.

Connecting with the Minnesota Brain Injury Alliance

Big picture view:

Two years ago, Smith started volunteering with the Minnesota Brain Injury Alliance and helping other TBI victims through its unmaking programs.

"You’re basically given a blank canvas of a mask and supplies," she explained about the process that survivors take at telling the stories of their brain injury.

"And what you basically do is make a mask that represents how you’re feeling in your journey, and it is such a healing process to go through that," she says.

The Minnesota Brain Injury Alliance started its Unmasking Brain Injury Program 10 years ago by holding mask-making events across the state. So many TBI survivors have participated in the program that their works have been displayed in art gallery events, and even at the Minnesota State Capitol.

Smith’s own mask she created several years ago is painted with black on her forehead to represent the darkness her brain injury created.

On top of the black paint is a band of red dots representing confusion. Tears come out of the eyes because of sadness.

"I’m fortunate enough that I can see these different masks every week and I read different ones every week, and it just puts things in perspective for me and just reminds me of how grateful I am to be where I’m at today," she says.

If she had the chance to recreate her own mask today, she says it would include a lot of changes.

"There would definitely be a lot more yellow for healing and hope, and I’d have a little heart over here like you just need to love yourself through it," she says.

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