My name is Tom Stumm. I am 41 years old. In a few months, it will be twenty years since my brain injury. I was involved in a motor vehicle accident and sustained the following injuries: fractured skull, broken shoulder, nerve eye damage, speech difficulty, and diabetes.

In September 1982, I was a senior at the University of Virginia in their School of Engineering and Applied Science. I was majoring in civil engineering and anticipating going for my masters immediately following graduation.

On October 6, 1982, I was involved in a motor vehicle accident. It left me in a coma for two and a half months at Lynchburg General Hospital. After that, I was in rehab at GW Hospital and Mount Vernon Hospital and then joined the first BRIDGE class. Later, I went to the Woodrow Wilson Rehabilitation Center.

I have worked for the Fairfax County Library System and for ten years I worked for the Department of Defense. I now volunteer at Project WORD and the INOVA Mount Vernon Hospital. In addition, I am a member of the National Rehabilitation and Rediscovery Foundation and the Rhythms of Hope Dance Company. This year we have toured to several cities for performances and I especially enjoyed the trip to Hawaii.

I am proud of what I have accomplished so far and I still am determined to keep moving forward.

I have found that for me it takes a lot of: patience, determination and a sense of humor to bring myself back from a brain injury.