When Cathy Dewitt, Cody\u2019s mom, visualized her oldest son\u2019s high school graduation she dreamed a time of joy, celebration, and planning ahead for the next stage of his life. Cathy was excited about the numerous possibilities for Cody; she never imagined that she would sit next to an empty chair covered with flowers and an unworn cap and gown.<\/p>\n
Cody was a few months shy of graduation, and beginning the next chapter of his life. He had done the hard work\u2014completed homework, paid attention in class, participated in projects and earned his degree. Yet due to someone\u2019s choice to drink and drive, Cody did not live to see the fulfillment of all of his hard work and plans.<\/p>\n
On December 24, 2011, Cody hugged his mother goodbye. He went to a friend\u2019s house to enjoy the last of his winter break. Cody and his friends hung out in the friend\u2019s garage and drank alcohol until 1:15 AM, when they were asked to leave. Cody was riding in a passenger seat when the driver lost control of the car and hit a tree. Less than a mile away from home, the impact of the crash killed Cody instantly.<\/p>\n
Cathy describes the next year of her life as a blur.\u00a0 She shares few memories of the day that she learned her son was killed. She remembers Cody\u2019s friends at her door telling her that he had been in a crash. She remembers arriving at the scene of a blocked off road and seeing the word \u201ccoroner\u201d on the side of the vehicle. She remembers feelings of shock and haze, being physically present but mentally and emotionally absent.\u00a0 That shock stayed with her for an entire year, \u201cI don\u2019t remember the first year after the crash, by the second year I started to realize that the crash did happen, and by the third year I started to grieve\u201d.<\/p>\n
Cody was a country boy at heart. He loved cutting wood, hunting, camping, fishing and being outdoors. \u201cHe was so active and always had to be doing something. As soon as he turned 16 he got a job to help me out.\u201d Cathy, Cody, and Ben (Cathy\u2019s youngest son) were a team. Together they were one. They did everything with each other and for each other. Cathy recalls a conversation with Cody days before the crash, \u201che told me that he wanted to have fun for a little bit before he had to grow up.\u201d<\/p>\n
A night of fun and someone\u2019s choice to drink and drive changed many lives forever. Cody died, the driver was sentenced to six years in prison, Ben lost his best friend and big brother, Cody\u2019s girlfriend lost her first love, and Cathy struggles to live the rest of her life without her son.<\/p>\n
Their stories are examples of the devastating consequences of drinking and driving. Cathy believes that this is a community problem for which we are all responsible to prevent. \u201cIt affects more people than you\u2019ll ever know, EMT, hospital staff, bystanders, neighbors, friends, everyone\u201d. Cathy wants young people to think of how many lives they touch every day. She shares her story in hopes that she can prevent others from experiencing the grief that she lives with daily. Cathy now volunteers as a speaker at Victim Impact Panels and is committed to help MADD fight for its mission of No More Victims<\/strong>\u00ae. <\/strong>Drinking and driving is a 100 percent preventable crime, but even one life lost due to underage drinking is unacceptable. There needs to be zero tolerance for underage drinking considering two out of three underage drinking deaths do not even involve a motor vehicle.<\/p>\n