The summer before high school is such an exciting time. And so, I was excited to graduate 8th grade and move onto another chapter of my life. However, little did I know of what life had planned. 8 days before my 8th-grade graduation my mom underwent a hysterectomy. Everything seemed to be going well then all of a sudden 12 days post-surgery the complications began. Fast forward, 3 weeks and it was discovered that while conducting the surgery, the doctor had accidentally caused bladder trauma. I saw her take numerous ER trips and schedule endless appointments with different doctors just to find a solution to make this all end. Even though my mom put on a brave face, I could see her silently struggling through the pain and difficulties. As a 13-year-old, I couldn’t do anything to make any of this better or bring an end to her pain. I wanted to make a difference in the lives of traumatic brain injury patients. I found that a need existed for remote patient monitoring tools for many ‘silent’ injury/disease. These are diseases that cannot be seen by looking at someone or their vitals. I began seeing my mom’s story reflected in the lives of the TBI patients I talked to. I was helpless 7 years ago but today I stand in a position where I can help make a difference in people’s lives. Through remote patient monitoring, I aspire to help ease the pain of people who are battling these silent injuries/diseases.

New Jersey Institute of Technology This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx