by Lili Bell Raye

Created on: April 29, 2008   Last Updated: October 31, 2008

My friend's sister went through a tragedy that changed her
life and the lives of her entire family. Her husband and
eight year old son were killed when a drunk driver hit them
head on. They were all in the same car, but she did not know
they had been killed until much later, at the hospital.

She and her other son, who was six at the time, were treated
for minor injuries. She kept asking about her husband and her

other son, but everyone avoided answering her directly. She
began to suspect, and became quite upset. A nurse got the doctor
in charge, who took her aside and told her the horrible news...
one half of her family was gone.

They then took her to a room to view her husband's body. He was
pretty banged up, but she couldn't see the injuries that had
taken his life. He was her best friend, her lover, the man she
thought she would spend her life with. In the space of an instant,
he was gone. She could not quite wrap her mind around this reality.

She was then escorted to another room, where her sweet boy was laying.
He looked like he was simply sleeping. His hair had been combed and
his face washed, and she was not sure that he was really dead. But
when she touched his cold hand, she knew.

Now, the amazing thing is, she did not feel anything once she left
the hospital. Her sister and brother-in-law came to get her and
her surviving son, and took them home. In the days to come, she would
go through periods of disbelief, anger, heartbreak, and rage at the one
who caused this senseless loss. Her home became her prison.

Her son also had serious issues to deal with. He had lost his daddy,
and his older brother. They were so important in his young life. He
could not understand how this could happen. He became depressed, and
had spells of anger. He would act out his rage in various ways.

His mother followed the news stories concerning the accident. She
collected information, and was able to obtain pictures of the actual
accident scene. She found out that the man who hit them had been drinking
for literally hours, and had a long record of repeated drunk driving
offences.

When he went to court, she went too. She testified what his crime had
cost her and her son. He was sentenced to a prison term and total loss
of driving privileges. She pulled from her faith in a merciful God, and
was able to forgive him, but she was also compelled to try to stop this
from happening to anyone else.

The result of this tragedy is that she became a lobbyist against drunk
driving, and driving while impaired. She went to senate subcommittees in
Washington D.C. and in various states. She waged a campaign, actually a
war, for stiffer penalties for drunk driving, and for educational programs
to help prevent it. She is to this day working to help others who have
suffered the same losses, and she is joined by her new husband.

In addition, her surviving son now works with his mother and stepfather
in their fight against drunk driving. He has overcome his anger and
depression, and is now very successful in his chosen profession. He is
a testimony to how love and faith can heal the most broken of hearts.

This family has found a way to bring good out of a senseless tragedy.

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