At age 23 Joseph suffered a traumatic brain injury the moment his car 'Baby Blue' impacted a tree on the side of the road the night of May 5th, 2012.
Due to the impact of the accident his brain suffered severe damage and put him in a coma for six months. Joseph woke up from his coma to find out his vocal cords were not functioning normally. He had no recollection of memories, and amnesia had become part of his life. Until this day, he does not remember the night of the accident.
My cousin Joseph, had been drinking that night, ‘Cinco de Drinko, as he called it.
I remember the night of the accident clearly. After spending days, weeks, and months in the hospital, I’ve never had the courage to photograph and document his recovery. My aunt even asked me to photograph him so that when he would wake up from his coma, he would look at the pictures and think, what a miracle he was. But I couldn’t. The photographer in me really wanted to, but it was extremely hard to even push the shutter.
Now, I regret not documenting those moments I spent next to his bed and wandering around the hospital halls. It took me over five years to start documenting him and what his life looks like now, I believe is because he has given me full consent, and he wants to tell others what a wrong decision could lead to.
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This is an unpublished and ongoing project
The key with the skull-head used to be Baby Blue's. When the car was recovered after the accident, Joseph's uncle kept it for him.
