A Williamsburg man who suffered a brain aneurism in his youth is giving back to others who have suffered brain injuries through his nonprofit.

Kyle Mengelkamp, 36, was just 11 years old when he suffered a brain aneurism.

“I was at the beach with my friends and – boom. Twenty years after, I had hardly talked about it, but I wanted to do something to give back to the brain community,” he said.

Five years ago, he co-founded the nonprofit organization Stroke of Genius – providing a platform to find support and share stories.

The Brain Injury Association of New York State gave Mengelkamp the Penny Marshall Award for “facing challenges, obstacles, utilizing laughter, creativity and encouraging others to do the same."

"It's actually not my award, it's everyone else's because I couldn't have done this without everyone else,” he said.

Going forward, Mengelkamp says he intends to continue his mission of inspiring and helping others.