[yeahbut]

as I posted in a different thread my daughter is participating in a program called "Every 15 Minutes" next week. Every 15 minutes someone dies by a drunk driver. This is a very emotional educational two days for the entire school.

Britnee will be in a real life crash, the fire department, ambulance, local hospital and funeral home are all involved. She is going to be driving a vehicle and get hit by a drunk driver, she will be thrown half way thru the windshield. She will be taken by ambulance to the local hospital and pronounced dead there. A police office will come to my parents home to pick me up and tell me of her accident. I will ride with them to the accident and then in the ambulance to the hospital. While they will be trying to save her life.

The following morning there is a funeral at the school. She will read a letter starting with Dear Mom and Dad, I have been killed by a drunk driver and this is what I wish I would of told you...... and she finishes the letter.

I at first thought I can't do this but it is important to her so I will do it.....

I have created this thread for support.... I know in the next week I am going to need it. I already tear up when I think about it.

some people have asked questions about it... here is the website of the national program.

http://www.every15minutes.com

Thank you in advance for your support. I come here for I know it is here!

[wyldkatt]

wow...

sorry, I should have said hello first...

I am scared to go to your link in case it has pictures from these re-enactments.

I could not imagine doing something like this, kudos to you for going through it to support what your daughter believes in.

It is a good cause, but the method sounds a bit, um, brutal?

good luck to you in the coming week as you deal with this.

[yeahbut]

yes Katt brutal but in real life it is brutal. This program is to give a real life experience to these teenagers. There is so much more going on in the school during these two days that I didn't even touch on.

Every 15 minutes a student is pulled out of class by a Grim Reaper - their face is painted white and they will wear a black shirt. They go about their day in classes but can not speak to anyone.

Powerful....

[wyldkatt]

Originally Posted by yeahbut

yes Katt brutal but in real life it is brutal. This program is to give a real life experience to these teenagers. There is so much more going on in the school during these two days that I didn't even touch on.

Every 15 minutes a student is pulled out of class by a Grim Reaper - their face is painted white and they will wear a black shirt. They go about their day in classes but can not speak to anyone.

Powerful....

I can understand making the point so strongly, so the kids really get it.

I took a defensive driving class once that showed pictures from drunk driving accidents and they were NOT for the weak stomached...

I did not realize the statistics were that high, thought places were cracking down and programs had reduced them.

[Friend2U]

...my thoughts are with you. You are a brave mother to do this. We have done this at our school. It does have a huge impact. I'm glad you daughter wants you to be involved and she sees the importance of it. I'll bet she is a great kid....just like her mom! I will be thinking of you!

[Riverwild]

I think the thing that affected me the most working on the ambulance was the kids and the parents.

It's heartbreaking when it's your town and you know them and they look at you hoping you can give them some good news, and you know the odds are against their child surviving.

I watched my own mother go through this and I will never forget that noise, the noise she made when she saw my brother. He didn't make it. I would spare any parent that pain and agony.

If this program works on even one kid and stops them from making a bad choice that can kill them or someone else, then it should be a mandatory program for all schools.

Char.

[MSacorn]

Wow (like Katt said)

Char, just know that we all are here for you. It's a great privilege to partake in such a grand learning experience. You will get through it. Your daughter sounds so very special too. Her desire to create this horrific scenario as a teaching tool for peers leaves me speechless.

[Koala77]

I agree with what the others have said Yabbit, and your daughter must be one special young lady to be doing this.

I'm so glad you started this thread. I'm sure a lot of us will be more aware ourselves now and it never hurts for anyone to be reminded of the consequences of drink driving.

You know darn well we'll all be here to hug you when it's over, and I'm pretty sure you'll be needing it. Maybe some of us will be too.

As an RN I've worked in Emergency Rooms in that past and as RW mentioned, we in medical and allied health services get to see the other side, and it can be quite heartbreaking at times.

[Victor H]

I think that this is one of the BEST things that can be done to educate youngsters.

I hope you hold-up well and that you feel a deep sense of pride for all of the lives that she will be saving. She will, I assure you.

Thank her for me, and thank you for having the courage to go through with it.

-Vic

[Erin524]

My family lives with the effects of a drunk drivers actions every day.

My mom was hit by a drunk driver when she was 17yrs old. She lived, but she was in a coma for 5 weeks with a brain concussion.

When she came out of the coma, she had to re-learn how to walk. Her vision was screwed up, she needed prisms in her glasses for several years to fix her vision. When she started college classes not long after her accident, she noticed she had to tilt her head almost all the way to the side to read the chalk board.

She's had memory problems, anger issues because there was apparently damage to that part of the brain that controls emotions.

Now that she's in her late 60s, she's got back, knee and hip problems from some of the injuries she got from the drunk hitting the car she was in.

The memory problems are getting worse, and the anger issues are bigger than just issues now. She's pretty much on her last nerve and anything can set her off. (no control at all)

When I was growing up, I didnt realize that there was something wrong with my mom. I thought she was normal. (she is fairly normal compared to some other people, I've had friends who's parents were a lot stranger, and they didnt have a brain concussion to use as an excuse for weird behavior)

My dad did a good job of protecting me and my sibling from my mom's personality.

I have no sympathy for any drunk drivers. Having to deal with my mom and her TBI from that drunk driver, it's one of the reasons I do not drink alcohol. If I were ever in the jury pool for a drunk driver's trial, they wouldnt be able to use me because I would want the guy to be found guilty and dropped into a hole and never let out.


I really hope this program will keep everyone who participates from drinking and driving and potentially killing or injuring anyone else.