MADD Teen Influencer
November 2023
wanted her to continue on. People didn’t even know us and were trying to put us down even more. Even further down the line, my mom had to fight the school about saying Madysyn's name at the end of graduation. This was one of the hardest battles I’ve seen my mom fight. She was making phone calls, posting stuff, and reaching out trying to get her school to spare three seconds at the graduation just to say her name.
Our family as a whole has never been the same. When we get to Thanksgiving or Christmas it’s always quieter than usual. Birthdays are lonelier. Everyone in our family was impacted by this 100% preventable crime. They don’t get to see new babies or weddings for our family. Grief was a lot harder for my mom to grip and even harder for people around her to understand. People don’t know what to say or sometimes believe she is “overreacting.” We have realized that grief is something not everyone understands. I’m sure everyone reading this had felt like no
one understood them before. Dealing with grief sometimes separates us from people. After the crash, my friends started to drift away from me. I notice in my younger sisters when they tell their friends, they give them an odd look and walk away. This feeling was 10x worse for my mom. This happens to families every day. Drunk driving is everywhere. My siblings were just two of the 10,511 people who were killed in these crashes in 2018. Drunk driving is an increasing problem. There are so many ways to prevent these crashes like using rideshare apps, drinking responsibly (for those over 21), and using designated drivers. Making responsible choices like these can help save other families from this heartbreak and support the fight against drunk driving. Another way to help fight this problem is to provide information on volunteering with organizations, such as ours. I believe that change is possible and every little bit helps, advocating for safer roads and helping to keep my siblings' memory alive will help save other people’s siblings just like mine. If you or someone you know is affected by an impaired driver, call 877-MADD-HELP for free 24/7 victim assistance.
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