It all started on the night of September 13, 2002 when Padgett went out to a karaoke bar near his
home and was robbed.
Two men attacked him from behind and punched him on the back of the head, knocking him unconscious.
At the hospital,he was treated for a bruised kidney but released the same night.
The next morning, Padgett woke up and found that his vision had changed to include what he never
noticed befor.
"At first, I was shocked and worried about myself, but it was so beautiful that I just stood in my
slippers and stared," Padgett told the New York Post.
Padgett stopped going to work and spent all of his time studying math and physics, focusing on
fractals, which are repeated geometric patterns.
Even though he showed no talent for art before, he started drawing fractaks ub extreme detail -
sometimes taking weeks to finish the work.
Dr. Darold Treffert, who was a leading expert on savantism, diagnosed him with "acquired savant
syndrome". There are currently just 40 people in the world who have been diagnosed with the
syndrome, becoming seemingly smartter after a brain injury.
After his diagnosis, Padgett decided to apply his new-found mental capacity by enrolling in
community college.