Each time I read another story of a loved one passing because of COVOD 19, my heart breaks. Especially when they mention they didn’t get to say goodbye, or they are alone and there will be no funeral. Even more distressing are the statements from heartbroken parents who say they don’t know how to grieve. I want to reach out, wrap my arms around them and reassure them. I want to let them know that no one knows how to grieve…even if it isn’t your...
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On May 3rd, 1980, my daughter, Cari Lightner was killed by a multiple repeat offender drunk driver. Her foreshortened life now stands for something amazing. Hundreds of thousands of people have lived as a result of her death. Who knew that her death would spark a movement, a revolution really, against the way this world thinks about drinking and driving. This date will be forever etched in my mind, my life and my actions. It was the catalyst for my founding MADD - and her life and that of my family continue to inspire me as I move forward with We Save Lives...
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Did you know that March is “National Brain Injury Awareness” month? Unless you have a child or family member with a brain injury it’s unlikely you know there even is a “month” set aside for such awareness.
I am more than aware because my son, Travis, was run over by a car when he was 4 years old. The driver was on prescription meds and distracted by her baby in the back seat. Travis was outside with his friends, sisters...
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A man I once loved died recently. He was my ex-husband, Steve, the biological father of my son and the adopted father of my twin girls. We met at the officer’s club one Friday night when I was out with my girlfriends. Steve and his friends joined us, all young good- looking lieutenants. He was the funniest of the men and kept us in stitches all night. It was his sense of humor that attracted me to him, more than anything else. We were hoping to get the men to buy us steak dinners so we could take the leftovers home for another meal. As the single parent of twins, money was very tight. He did take me out for dinner, 2 eggs, because all he had was 80 cents. I worked...
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“Mourning is the most intense process that most people ever go through. Grief is complex, unpredictable and primal. Many people are frightened by it-frightened by feeling it, frightened by seeing it in others. Fortunately, there are ways to move through it, and those all involve expressing your feelings. If you act upon your grief, you will make room in your life and in your heart for hope and happiness. If you suppress it, it sticks around forever. However, unpleasant or disturbing some of those feelings may be, there is no benefit in trying to ignore them.”
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When I first met Gail and heard her story I knew I had to share it so other parents could learn from her experiences dealing with a son addicted to vaping. I have been working with her in this issue and I hope you have the opportunity to not only read this article but share it with your friends. This is a “Call to Action” to every parent to be on the alert to your child’s potential vulnerability to a critical problem in this country. Thank you for reading.
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Candace Lightner will be a keynotes speaker at the PA DUI Association's 40th Annual Meeting "Exceeding the Future" October 23-25, 2019 in Pittsburgh, PA
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Candace Lightner to speak at Health Choice YOUniversity October 19-20.
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GHSA presented its most prestigious honor, the James J. Howard Highway Safety Trailblazer Award, to Candace Lightner, President of We Save Lives and founder of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD). Under Lightner’s leadership, MADD became a national and international force behind a movement that shifted America’s attitude toward impaired driving. More recently, she founded another non-profit organization, We Save Lives, which focuses on reducing drunk, drugged and distracted driving.
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Read this article written by Phil Edawards here.
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