It's been twenty years since Lisa's crash. The pain of losing my daughter stays with me every minute of every day. Lisa’s tragedy could have been prevented had she not been driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs. The grim reality knowing that my daughter will never be coming home again fills me with overbearing sadness. There is a part of me that wants to desperately believe that it didn’t happen -- it’s just a bad dream. Every day I drive by the street where she died and my heart sinks deeper. The vivid memories of the devastation will haunt me forever. Her car exploded upon impact just two blocks away from our home.

      The dangers of drinking and driving can never be underestimated. "Don’t Drink and Drive", "Friends Don’t Let Friends Drive Drunk", and for those in recovery from alcoholism, "Don’t Take that First Drink".

      Lisa had been in recovery and sober for three years. During her sobriety she had also helped many people in recovery as well. She became very active in twelve step work and chair-headed committees designed to foster sobriety thru recovery. When she turned twenty-one she compromised her sobriety . In January, 2003, Lisa went to a party and decided to drink again. She made a wrong choice by not only taking that first drink, but by getting behind the wheel. That first drink became her last.

      Fortunately, she didn’t kill or maim anyone else in her path. She has forever scarred this family by the very nature of this preventable tragedy. Knowing that Lisa would have wanted us to convey her story to others in the hopes of preventing tragedy is our driving force today. Judy and I have been sharing Lisa’s story to those in recovery homes, treatment centers, schools and via our website. (www.lisaslight.com) There needs to be a "renewed" public awareness regarding the perception of alcohol. We need to change the way alcohol is portrayed in advertising and in the mass media. The alcohol industry conveys alcohol as a beverage and not a drug. In general, we need to re-emphasize the negative consequences of alcohol and drugs and keep that memory fresh for others. We need to keep Lisa's message alive so that others may realize the negative consequences of drinking and driving. Please help us by contacting local and national media to get the word out. The more we reach, the more we can help.