On the second day of February in 1980, the side of the automobile in which Dona Rose was a passenger was struck by a drunken driver who was racing another driver through a red light.

She had recently graduated from UC Santa Barbara, qualifying for and competing in the gymnastics NCAA's, and was in Los Angeles to take the qualifying test for a registered nursing degree.

The driver of her car, a long time friend, who at the time was a student in medical school at USC, suffered a broken neck, which fortunately healed relatively quickly, and he went on to become a doctor. However, Dona suffered extensive brain damage, was in a coma and semi-coma for well over six months, was in full time rehabilitation programs for five and a half years, and has continued to recover in infinitely small steps every day since.

In her program she tells students about the accident, its causes and results, and some of what she has gone through to effect the degree of recovery she has attained. Her courage and her sense of humor together with her patience and persistence in the face of almost overwhelming odds shine through and communicate to students the real evil of drinking and driving while at the same time telling them in a vivid and memorable way that overcoming handicaps and taking on worthwhile challenges is the very meat of the good, joyous, and satisfying life.

To arrange for a program for your students, please contact:

Dona Rose
Palo Alto, CA
650.575.8303
dona@donarose.org

Drinking and Driving: A Dangerous Mix
An MP4 movie public service announcement. Running time is two minutes, an 11MB download.