As Spring 1998 rolled around, I was determined to spend less time in hospitals and rehab centers and to get back out into the community. Here I am with my brother and sister-in-law, on the way to see my sister's play, "The Prince And The Pauper".

I have always enjoyed biking. I used to go on 20-mile bike rides, just for the fun of it. Here I am, riding a recumbent bike on my driveway. I'm not back up to 20 miles yet, but it sure feels good to be on a bike again.

For my 19th birthday, my aunts, uncle, and grandparents put their funds together. They bought tickets for me and my family to see "The Phantom Of The Opera" in Toronto. This is my all-time favorite play and Andrew Lloyd Weber is my favorite composer. It was a wonderful weekend!

I gave my high school graduation speech from Clonlara School on May 31, 1998. After weeks of hard work and practice, I was able to walk up onto the stage with my cane and speak clearly enough to be understood. The standing ovation that I received was great!

The graduation ceremony occurred at Clonlara's annual national conference, held this year at the Toledo Hilton. The hotel had a big pool and I spent most of the weekend actually standing by myself in the water, unassissted. It felt good to manage on my own.

Frances Wright-Johnson, the director of the on-campus program at Clonlara, provided wonderful help for me. She tutored me, as I finished up my last few high school credits, and helped me revise all of the drafts of my graduation speech. Thank you for everything, Frances.

Since I was able to start getting around a bit easier, it was Time For Some Fun and some different activities. Use of my left side was still a challenge, but ir was definitely improving!

Like TBI recovery, building this web site is also a long-term process. My parents and I started it, to help me remember what has happened. Perhaps others can learn from it, too. Primary pages on the site at this time are as follows: