Dear Ann Landers,
You printed a letter from an 18-year-old who drove home drunk and couldn't even remember it. When he sobered up, he vowed never to drive drunk again. How fortunate he was to have had the chance to make that decision. Several years ago, I left a bar so drunk I had difficulty walking. On the way home, I rolled my car and broke my neck, severing my spinal cord. I'm thankful I was alone and didn't have any passengers. I'm also thankful that I didn't hit another car and murder a carload of innocent people. I spent my 21 st birthday in surgery. The surgeons took two inches of bone from my hip and fused it to a vertebra of my neck. My family spent the next six months visiting me at the rehabilitation center. I am now paralyzed from the neck down and am confined to an electric wheelchair. My fingers and legs will always be paralyzed no matter how much rehab I have. I am typing this letter with an adaptive device that helps hold my wrist and hand in place. On the end of the device is a wooden stick that I use as a finger. For a very long time, I was depressed and miserable. Life had ab-solutely no meaning. It took several years before I quit planning my suicide. My life and the lives of all my family members have been changed beyond the average person's comprehension, and it happened in a split second. One minute I was healthy and whole, and then all of a sudden, I found myself confined for the rest of my life to a wheel-chair-unable to shower myself, dress myself, curl my hair, put on my shoes, prepare a meal or hold my darling niece. And all this happened because I was drunk when I got behind that wheel. The only advice I'm qualified to give is this: If you see a friend who is intoxicated, be a real friend and drive him or her home. That's the greatest gift you can give. -D.S., Adel, Iowa

Dear Iowa,
Your letter is powerful and moving. I'm sure you made a heavy impact on a great many readers today. Thank you for the time and effort it took to write this letter. Believe me, it was worth it. For those parents with teen drivers, I hope you will look at this carefully and consider using it in your own home: