My teenage life was never imagined. When I was 16 in 1992, a drunk driver hit me.
After the 30- to 40-minute extrication, I was airlifted to a hospital. I stayed in a four-month coma, had paralysis, broken and dislocated bones, and brain injuries. After years of hospitals, surgeries and therapies, I can walk and talk again.
High school-aged gatherings like prom often bring excitement and alcohol consumption. Most teens have no experience drinking alcohol and might assume it brings fun. But with only a few sips, they can become clumsy or ill. It’s insane to believe anyone could drive in that condition.
Glendale High School will have prom on April 8. I missed prom like many other high school traditions and graduated in a wheelchair. My plans to go to college vanished. A drunken driver changed my life. For more than 30 years, I text on the phone, read lips and cannot drive.
Drinking and driving do not mix. Please, be sober when driving.
Lori Martin
Tracy, California
First published in the April 1 print issue of the Glendale News-Press.
