Remember High School, Not Regrets

My teenage life was never imagined. When I was 16 in 1992, a drunken driver hit me. After the 30- to 40-minute extrication, I was airlifted to a hospital. I stayed in a four-month coma, was paralyzed, and had broken and dislocated bones, as well as brain injuries. After years of hospitals, surgeries and therapies, I can walk and talk.

High school events bring excitement. Teens have no experience drinking alcohol and assume it brings fun. Just from sips they can become clumsy or ill. It’s insane to believe you can drive in that condition.

Proms are happening. For instance, the Dos Pueblos High School prom will be on April 29 in Goleta.

I missed prom, and many other high school traditions, and graduated in a wheelchair. My plans to go to college vanished. A drunken driver changed my life. For 30-plus years, I text on the phone, read lips, and cannot drive.

Drinking and driving do not mix. Be sober when driving.