Photos: Brad Ebner’s post-trauma journey

Brad Ebner takes time out to play with Moose, the family dog, as he gets ready for school with the help of his father Chuck.  (Michael Robinson Chavez / Los Angeles Times)

Moose, the family dog, accompanies Brad to the bus that picks him up at 7 a.m. to take him to Santa Barbara City College, where he’s enrolled in the special education program as part of his rehabilitation from a traumatic brain injury sustained during a high school football game.  (Michael Robinson Chavez / Los Angeles Times)

Before his traumatic brain injury, Brad Ebner was never interested in nature or what most people perceive as mundane things in life, according to his father Chuck. Now animals and birds fascinate Brad, who takes a moment while washing his hands to blow some soap bubbles.  (Michael Robinson Chavez / Los Angeles Times)

Brad Ebner, whose motor skills and memory were severely effected by a traumatic brain injury sustained in a high school football game, attends special education courses at Santa Barbara City College where instructional aides like Debbie Dole, left, help him readjust to the world around him.  (Michael Robinson Chavez / Los Angeles Times)

Brad Ebner carries plastic bottles to be recycled for cash as part of his rehabilitation at Santa Barbara City College, which uses the money to help fund special education programs.  (Michael Robinson Chavez / Los Angeles Times)

Brad Ebner gives his father Chuck a hug as his younger sister Brittany, 13, gets caught between the two as the family gathers in their home.  (Michael Robinson Chavez / Los Angeles Times)

Brad Ebner cheers as Santa Barbara City College scores a touchdown in a game in 2008. Brad, who suffered a traumatic brain injury while playing for Dos Peublos High, began attending games at the college when some of his former teammates were playing there.  (Michael Robinson Chavez / Los Angeles Times)