Brain Injury Awareness Month Reminds Us: Not All Disabilities Look the Same
AGOURA HILLS, California, March 25, 2026 – As a young child, Shawn Thornton never knew what to expect. His mother, Beverly, could be sweet and loving one moment, then suddenly try to jump out of a moving car. Some nights, she served the family raw chicken for dinner.
At one point, young Shawn wondered if his mother had a demon. But his father explained that Beverly’s behavior was due to a traumatic brain injury she sustained in a car crash as a teen. The crash left her comatose for a month. Her brain—and her behavior—was never the same.
Disability isn’t always visible. For some, disability means requiring the use of a wheelchair. For others, it means unexplainable outbursts and wild swings in emotion. March is Brain Injury Awareness Month and Shawn’s story is a powerful reminder of the intrinsic value of people with brain injuries.
“Here’s the miracle in the mess,” Shawn says. “My mom, though deeply wounded and often overwhelmed, sought every single day to walk with Jesus. She wasn’t perfect—none of us are—but she was persistent. I can still remember her praying with me when I was a boy, sitting beside me when I gave my life to Jesus. Through all of the turmoil and difficulty her disability brought into our lives, she remains to this day my greatest spiritual hero.”
While Beverly struggled, she was a loving and devoted mother. Her disability helped create a pastor’s heart in Shawn, fostering empathy for those whom the world may judge.
Now as president of the international disability ministry Joni and Friends®, Shawn envisions a world where all people with disabilities, including those with hard-to-understand behavior, find hope, dignity, and their place in the body of Christ.
It’s a big mission. One million Americans are treated in emergency rooms for traumatic brain injuries every year, according to the International Brain Injury Association.
Across the world:
- Brain injuries are among the injuries most likely to result in death or permanent disability.
- Brain injury is the leading cause of death and disability worldwide.
- Traumatic brain injury is the leading cause of seizure disorders.
- Motor vehicle crashes account for 50% of all traumatic brain injuries.
- Brain injury causes a variety of physical, cognitive, and behavioral/emotional impairments that may be temporary or permanent and range from subtle to severe.
Shawn’s service with Joni and Friends is a full-circle moment. Beverly’s greatest inspiration outside of Jesus was Joni Eareckson Tada.
At some of her lowest points, Beverly would say, “If Joni can do it, so can I.”
Brain Injury Awareness Month is an invitation for those living with brain injuries and their loved ones to find beauty in brokenness, faith in fragility and peace in Christ.
Resources to Explore
Read more of Shawn’s story in his autobiography, All But Normal – Life on Victory Road.
Listen to Shawn share his story on the Joni and Friends Ministry Podcast here.
Explore more inspirational stories of life after brain injuries:
Survival to Service: Rachel LeMaster’s Story of Miraculous Healing
Learn more about brain injuries.
About Joni and Friends: For more than 40 years, Joni and Friends has provided the hope of the Gospel and practical care to people living with disability around the globe. Ministry programs include Joni’s House, Wheels for the World™, Retreats and Getaways, and disability ministry training. Joni and Friends also delivers daily inspirational media through radio programs and podcasts.
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Shawn Thornton’s “All But Normal” Childhood and Path to Ministry
Shawn joins host Stephanie Daniels on the podcast to share his raw and redemptive story of growing up with a mother who had suffered a traumatic brain injury.
