Online Candlelight Vigil for Drunk Driving Victims/Survivors

During the holiday season, MADD will be hosting an online candlelight vigil in honor of victims/survivors of drunk driving crashes. Light a virtual candle and submit a tribute message to a loved one or friend impacted by drunk driving. You can even have the tribute e-mailed to the person or family being honored.

After Surviving a Severe Crash Caused by a Repeat DUI Offender, a California Law Enforcement Family Fights to Prevent Future Victims of Drunk Driving

When Jennifer Robi was 12 and a half, she and her family never imagined she would be addressing student audiences about drunk driving and underage drinking 18 months later. But when a drunk driver with three prior DUI convictions severely injured Jennifer and her mother, Kath, on April 27, 2007, the family’s lives changed forever. In the past three months Jennifer has talked to 800 students about drunk driving, using a presentation she created. She’s also been asked to speak to first-time offenders and college criminal justice students.

Read Jennifer's inspirational story of courage and survival in the wake of devastating injuries from a drunk driving crash.

MADD Launches Drunk Driving Victim/Survivor Chat Support Group in Spanish

Serving victims and survivors of drunk driving crashes is at the heart of everything MADD does. MADD gives you a voice and a place where your loved ones will be honored. You can connect to, share stories with or ask questions of victims/survivors of drunk driving crashes nationwide in MADD’s password-protected forum.

Join the moderated MADD Victim Survivor Chat Support Group.

• Mondays – 7:00 p.m. CT
• Thursdays – 8:30 p.m. CT
• Spanish – Wednesdays – 8:30 p.m. CT - beginning Wednesday, October 8, 2008

She's Come a Long, Long Way: Drunk Driving Crash Survivor Mary Ann McCunn's Story

With the Olympics just around the corner, consider how a 17-year-old drunk driver changed the entire life of one active, 21-year-old gymnast, springboard diver and former cheerleader when he hit her and her fiancé on August 16, 1980.

Orlando resident Mary Ann McCunn is permanently disabled, despite 34 surgeries and endless failed bone grafts. Paralyzed from her left knee down, she must wear a leg brace or use a cane to support her left leg. She even had to endure antibiotic nails inserted into her bone for months at a time. A chronic bone infection, osteomyelitis, has killed her bone, tissue and everything in its path. She says the worst injury was being unable to bear children. “It really is a life sentence,” Mary Ann says.

Read Mary Ann's story.

From Tragedy to Triumph: Laura Dean-Mooney Named MADD National President

Every month, 1,000 families must deal with the tragic consequences of losing a loved one to drunk driving. Newly announced MADD National President Laura Dean-Mooney knows the reality of that statistic all too well. Nearly 17 years ago, a drunk driver killed her husband Mike, leaving her to raise their 8-month old daughter, Tara, alone. Laura has used her devastating experiences to help prevent others from facing death or injury as a result of drunk driving, donating her time and talents to MADD. Read Laura's story.

Drunk Driving Crash Changes Life in an Instant

What would you do, if a drunk driving crash injured your brain, and:

• your skull broke into 24 pieces?
• doctors predicted you’d remain in a vegetative state if you survived?
• you had to relearn to swallow, talk, see, balance, think, walk, tie your shoes, etc.?
• you had three surgeries to stop seeing double, then one and a half years of vision therapy?
• you could never drive again?
• your short-term memory continued to be frustratingly compromised?
• you were still paying off more than a million dollars in medical bills, nine years after your crash and injuries (and after your insurance paid)?

Read Joan Miller's remarkable story of survival after a drunk driving crash left her with severe traumatic brain injury.

A College Student Honors His Mother’s Legacy Through Campus Leadership

Over spring break, 21-year-old Ryan Pitts is skiing in Utah. Ryan, a junior at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, is determined to make the most of the trip, despite the foot he broke last week.

Determination is nothing new to this student leader. He has overcome significant learning disabilities in his quest for a political science and psychology degree. Now he’s also focused on honoring his mother.

As a high school senior, Ryan was asked to give a speech about his hero. His choice was easy – his mom. Far from easy, however, was grappling with her death a week later. On a Friday night in June 2004, a drunk driver slammed into the family car at 90 mph. The 32-year-old offender had been drinking for eight hours prior to the crash and had a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .28. The legal limit is .08.

Read more of Ryan's story.