The right choice
Jonathan Crabtree, Staff Writer
Issue date: 11/18/05 Section: News
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Twenty years ago, in the summer of '85, Terry, a native of Fayetteville, was driving home and awoke in a strange place.
"The next thing I knew I was talking to a doctor in the hospital and he was telling me I was in a wreck. In 1985 they started telling us to wear seatbelts…but I just started wearing mine every so often. I didn't wear it regularly.
"I don't know if anything would have helped me. I was in a Ford pickup truck that rolled over I don't know how many times. They said you couldn't recognize it afterwards."
More than 400 students filled the HPER Gym 1 to hear Terry and others speak Tuesday evening for a presentation entitled "The Split-Second Decision: Alcohol and Your Life!" which was co-sponsored by the Pat Walker Health Center (PWHC) and the University of Arkansas Sport Clubs. The meeting was mandatory for those involved in sports clubs.
Robert Rawlings, graduate assistant for UA sport clubs, said, "We saw it as a great opportunity to partner up with the PWHC…and be proactive as we work into the holiday season."
Other speakers included, Desireé Kelly and Susie Kirkwold, health educators from the Arkansas Spinal Cord Commission and Mike Oakes from UAPD.
Kelly spoke about minimizing the risk of spinal cord injuries, drunk driving and the dangers of combining drinks and drugs. The ASCC is a state agency that works with the Arkansas State Police through the help of a federal grant.
"Our goal is to prevent spinal cord injuries by encouraging people to buckle up and never drink and drive or ride with those who do," Kelly said.
Each year more than 100 people in Arkansas sustain spinal cord injuries. "It takes a matter of seconds to make a decision," Kelly said. "Many spinal cord injuries can be prevented by being careful and making good decisions.
"I love my life…and I definitely do not want to lose my life because someone else chose to recklessly experiment with his or hers," Kelly said. "Alcohol is the No. 1 killer of people under the age of 25."
Rawlings said that when students are on a college campus, they might be exposed to some things that they haven't been exposed to before.
