Near the end of high school, fancy dresses and stylish tuxedos come out for prom. Seniors also prepare for college, military service and careers.
A lesson from my life must be learned. In 1992, I was a junior and an athlete at Tracy High School in San Joaquin County. I planned to attend a California college, like Butte College.
That never happened. I was 16 on April 10 of that year, and hit head-on by a drunken driver. The collision put me in a coma for 100 days with brain injuries, several broken and dislocated bones, and paralysis.
I was a patient in two hospitals for seven months and then had therapy for 17 months. After 25 years, I still struggle daily with my hearing, talking, walking and I cannot drive. Schooling for my dream job is unrealistic. A drunken driver dramatically changed my life.
Please do not make a bad decision by driving drunk or becoming a passenger of a vehicle with one. As the old cliché says, “the life you save may be your own.”
Lori Martin
Tracy, Calif.
