By: Maighdlin Carty
Raised by one Jewish parent and one Catholic parent, Mary was immersed in her family’s faith from a young age. Adopted early in life, she also developed a deep connection to her Egyptian heritage, which became a large part of her identity. At the age of seven, Mary was involved in a bicycle accident that resulted in a traumatic brain injury. During her recovery for many years, she turned to her faith for guidance. But at around the age of 20, Mary started to 
struggle with the faith she was raised in.
“I couldn’t go into a church without having a panic attack,” she reflected. “The religion no longer felt right to me.”
She decided to explore a different path in her spiritual journey. Embracing her Egyptian culture, she felt a strong connection to the faith of paganism, which is deeply rooted in the revival of ancient Egyptian spiritual and religious practices.
Today, Mary attends the Brain Injury Community Center (BICC), where she has been able to explore her Egyptian background more. She has started a research project on Egypt and Paganism. She values the resources that the BICC has offered her.
She says, “I have loved my days here because I have more structure to my days, and I am treated like a person and feel it is a place I am understood.”
Besides her research, she loves working the front desk and socializing with people who call in on the phone.
Earlier in Mary’s life, she struggled after her brain injury. After her injury, she was wheelchair-bound and had to relearn all the basic motor functions. As she recalled her years leading up to where she is today,
she said, “I am extremely proud to be a brain injury survivor.”
Along her journey, she defied the many people who doubted her. She is proud to be a high school graduate and dedicated her accomplishment to her late brother, who never had the opportunity to receive his diploma.
Looking into the future, Mary has many hopes. She wants to continue her days at the BICC, working the front desk and meeting new people. She also continues to work on her research project and wants to learn as much about Egypt as possible. She dreams of one day visiting Egypt to physically connect to her culture and see what she has been learning so much about. She accredits a lot of these goals to the BICC because the center has shown her that she can do more with her life and work towards her goals.
