I am sharing a bit of an upcoming speaker’s story for a few reasons, the foremost being she and I have something in common. We both did time for killing someone while driving under the influence. You can find out more about me on LinkedIn, too. https://www.linkedin.com/in/timothy-g-cameron-21b91b32/
Here’s some of Terri’s background story:
Sober since 10/17/1993, Terri describes part of her story, what she was like, as sad and tragic. Her mother was a single mom and bartender in Woodville, Ohio, where Terri still lives. Her dad was a loner. Her older sister essentially raised her. Her first drunk was a blackout at 16. She was out of control, unemployable with multiple DUI's by age 21. “
First God throws a pebble, then He throws a brick!” Oprah
On 4/3/1993, 28 years old, 12 years into her ‘drinking career’, while driving and yelling at her sister, she missed a turn, ran head-on into an oncoming car and killed a 14 year old boy who was in the back seat of the other vehicle. She was so emotionally stunted by alcoholism that she did not comprehend the gravity of what she had done and continued to drink.
Terri was convicted of aggravated vehicular homicide for causing a crash on State Rt. 51 that killed Ronald Miller, Jr., of Oregon. It was her third drunken-driving conviction.
Terri was sentenced to 4 to 10 years in a maximum security prison, then was transferred to a pre-release center in Cleveland. While in pre-release, she started attending 12-Step meetings '“for all the wrong reasons” (her words). As with other women with similar charges, she was denied parole and expected to serve the entire 10 years; she was sent back to maximum security.
At 5 years in prison, she was offered and accepted an opportunity for recovery (it might shorten a sentence if one undergoes such a program in prison) and shortly after starting the program, thought she had made a huge mistake - because it was an intense program.
At six years in, she finally started to come to terms with what she had done and become.
OK, want to know MORE? Go to Gopher! Terri will be the first speaker, Friday night @ 7:30 p.m. Roundup activities are held at the:
Doubletree Bloomington Hotel, Minneapolis South
7800 Normandale Boulevard
Bloomington, MN 55439
https://gopherstateroundup.regfox.com/gopher-state-roundup-pre-registration-2019
You might find you are amazed before you are halfway through the spectacular weekend!