Photo: facebook / Destiny Mantia
"On this day, I also died as a wife and mother"
Destiny Mantia, a young, beautiful woman, probably the hardest year of her life behind her. She lost not only her husband and son last year but also herself. And only because a fourth person under the influence of alcohol has taken the wheel.
Today, a year after the tragedy, the pain is greater than ever. But the Missouri girl in the US has not given up on the belief in the good in life, and now turns to us with a moving appeal. On Facebook she writes:
I'm so proud of my amazing girlfriend Destiny Mantia she shared her story yesterday at the one year mark of the tragic ...
Posted by Brett Klimaszewski on Monday, September 21, 2015
One year ago today was a day like any other. Corey Mantia woke up and went to work. Parker and I stayed home and played together all day. Some time later, Corey came back home and played with our cute baby - while we were getting ready for an appointment. We needed the money for our little family. There was time to set out. Now we did not know that in a few minutes everything would be different. We would not be able to live our dreams together anymore. We would not be able to sell our house, we would not be able to witness Parker's first haircut and not be able to bring him to school - our family would not grow anymore. All that we wanted to experience would suddenly vanish. And that without us wanting it.
On the way to our appointment, my wonderful husband, who was behind the wheel, saw my beloved baby looking at Mickey Mouse Club in the backseat and I was rammed by a drunken driver with increased speed . A moment I will never forget. A moment that has burned into my memory forever.
The act of this one selfish and selfish person who thought she could drive while drunk killed my 15 month old sweet son. She is responsible for bringing my husband and I to the hospital with the rescue helicopter. And that he lost the fight for survival 24 hours later. She is responsible for my family being destroyed today.
This selfish act - driving in a drunken state - made me the widow and mother of an angel at the age of 21. Not only do I wake up with nightmares every night, I also have a lot of pictures going through my head during the day - from my baby's autopsy and the reconstruction of the accident. I have seen all the things you should not see as a 21-year-old. This one woman has ended all our dreams and brought me pain that I never thought possible.
I also died that day as a wife and mother. I had to find myself again. I have discovered a strength in myself that I never thought possible. I did it all because my family and friends were there for me because they were praying and supporting me. And because a widow self-help group has shown me that my feelings are normal.
This pain, this suffering and the lost future - all of that could have been prevented if someone had kept this selfish woman from driving. You can do that. And so save the life of another! Do not allow your family and friends to drink alcohol and drive a car. Do not tell them where alcohol controls are. Let's stop that. One is too much. DO NOT DRINK AND DRIVE!
