Memories

My favorite volunteer activity is with MOTHERS AGAINST DRUNK DRIVING! MADD is something that I strongly believe in as I've had first hand experience on what a drunk driver can do to a family.

My family was the typical family. My dad worked at one of the local mills, and mom took care of my two brothers and me. Dad was 29 yrs old, mom was 26. My brothers-both older then me-were 6 and 4. I wouldn't turn 3 until August.

April 19th was a typical weekend day for us with a family outing to a coastal town about two hours away. Its something that we did often. Going for drives or campouts on the weekends. Early afternoon we started home..but we didn't make it! At 3:13pm our lives were forever changed!

The car in the front was ours!
My mother never even made it to the hospital. She died enroute from injuries she received when our car was hit head on by a drunk driver! The impact was such that both cars ended up facing the same direction, and the crash was heard almost a mile away. My father would live almost 32 hours, but ultimately he would die from his injuries! (his chest was crushed by the steering wheel) Before he died his Mother (the one who ultimately raised us!) was by his bedside. He did regain conciousness for a short period of time. She had to tell him that the woman he had married, the mother of their children, had already died! She didn't have the heart to tell him that his oldest son may not live, so she said that we were alive and not hurt badly! When he realized that he was going to die, he asked his Mother "Please take care of my babies. Keep them together as a family! Let them grow together and be there for each other!" She made that promise, not knowing if there would be 3 children to care for or only 2! Shortly after that he lapsed into a coma, from which he never woke.

Mom and Dad on their Wedding Day May 5,1951!

My oldest brother was critically injured, with traumatic closed head injuries. He lay in a coma for some time, and the prognosis was not good. But live he did. My other brother also had severe injuries, though not life threatening. As for my injuries, well they weren't to bad..a broken tail bone and pelvis, a broken leg and arm. The facial damage gave me a scar on my bottom lip and what looks to be a black eye. Those are what a person might see when they look at me. What they don't see are the scars that I carry around inside.

Even though this wreck occurred 40 years ago, the pain of it never leaves me. Every day I think of my parents and what might have been had this not happened. I can remember growing up and wondering what I had done to deserve this!

Kids can be so cruel...believe it or not I was teased by kids that I went to school with because I didn't have parents. I couldn't attend the Mother-Daughter teas..and even this long after I can recall how it made me feel!

The night before I got married I can remember wishing that my mom and dad were there to give me away. On the day that each of my children were born I would have traded everything I owned to have been able to call my mom. Instead the only way that I can visit them is to head over to their grave. I sit there and talk to them, write them little notes, or leave flowers!

After my parents died, the three of us kids were raised by our paternal grandmother. During holidays we always got to spend time with our other grandma. Both of these woman taught me many things..most importantly among the things that I learned was that no matter what happened I could survive it. They were both strong ladies..and very stubborn!! They helped to make me the woman that I am today..a survivor..a woman who refuses to let the world walk on her..a fighter.... so my goal is to help prevent such a needless act and to help other victims of this needless and senseless crime! Last year more then 17,000 people were killed in alcohol related traffic crashes in the United States! Many many more then that were injuried. The cost is not just felt by the families of those killed or injured. It is also felt by the friends and family of the drunk driver! It is felt by everyone that has a heart! One thing I ask of people is that when they talk of crashes that are alcohol related...please don't use the word accident. When it involves alcohol it's no accident..the person that is driving drunk has made a choice to drink and drive! So please, before you drink, think about what can happen if you drive!

This People Affected by Drunk Driving site is owned by
Maggie.

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