May
27, 1979 – May 24, 1997
May 24, 1997 was the night
that my life came to a screeching halt. Suddenly,
without any warning, I lost my oldest daughter,
Tiffany. She was 17 years old. A teenager
without a care in the world. She was a beautiful
girl with a smile that could light the room.
Tiffany had many friends. Everyone at school
knew her. She had the gift of gab. Tiffany
shared everything with me. Every night she
would fill me in with the details of her
day. We had a lot of laughs and then Tiffany
would kiss me goodnight and tell me she loved
me.
It
was the last day of high school and the
kids were all excited about graduation and
senior prom the following weekend. They went
to a party. Everyone was drinking and when
it was time to come home, Tiffany got into
a VW Bug with a young man who was drunk.
She and four other friends piled into the
car. The driver went through a red light
and was hit by a Jeep Cherokee. My Tiffany
was killed on a street corner about a mile
from home. She didn’t fall asleep and
gently slip away. Her neck was broken and
her skull was crushed.
The
driver was sentenced to four years in prison,
but he actually served 13 months.
He can now put everything behind him and
move on with his life. We're not so
fortunate, however. Our emptiness remains,
our tears are still fresh and our pain just
lingers.
My daughter, Sondra is 14 months younger
than Tiffany. They are as close as two sisters
can be. Sondra has since developed severe
ulcerative colitis. Throughout the year there
are occasions of severe bleeding and pain.
She is now required to have routine bone
scans annually and blood drawn every two
weeks. She must see her physician many times
throughout the year. She will have this condition
for the rest of her life.
I continue to think of Tiffany daily. I
am still unable to look at a photo album
or a video and there are still places that
I am unable to visit. I miss her so very
much.
I love you Tiff, forever and always!!
