LEAN ON ME...TO HELP OTHERS BY THERESA MARTINEZ M y 23-year-old daughter, Ashley, was killed by a drunk and drugged driver on April 29, 2012. The driver hit her head-on, and she died at the scene from a severed brain stem—while the impaired driver sustained a broken leg. Losing my daughter is how I got involved with MADD. I’ve been a helpline volunteer for several years now, and I’m passionate about helping other people who have had similar experiences. Furthermore, I have spoken at Victim Impact Panels, am a board member of Compassionate Friends, lobbied lawmakers in Kentucky, and presented at various high schools. I’ve been volunteering at Kentucky high schools for eight years now. I explain the impacts of drunk and drugged driving from a parental perspective; sharing Ashley’s video, the devastation of having a police officer come to my home and burying a 23-year-old child. The drunk driver left me with the sound of Ashley’s voice, that I have recorded from her phone. Sharing Ashley’s story alongside the impacts of drinking and driving fills my soul, and I hope that sharing her experience will encourage young adults to make the right choices. People often give me hugs when I speak for the Victim Impact Panels in Kentucky. They say, “You have got to be one of the strongest moms I know and…I’m sorry for your loss but thank you for coming. I couldn’t imagine what my mom would be going through if she had to do this.” I always tell kids to never ride with a driver who is substance-impaired, and not be fearful of informing their parents. I explain that their parents would rather come pick them up than to have a coroner and police officer tell them their children won’t come home. I think that driving substance-impaired is selfish, even if it’s a short ride home. My daughter was only 15 minutes away from home when she was hit. Volunteering for the MADD helpline brings awareness of the impacts of drunk and drugged driving to family, friends, and the community. Sharing my loss of a loved one due to a drunk and drugged driver is how I relate with
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