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<\/p>\nThe doorbell was ringing. It was 1:30 am on Thanksgiving morning 2017.\u00a0 You see, just a few minutes before that I received a phone call from one of my daughter\u2019s friend telling me, \u201cEmylee was in a car accident and she died\u201d. I didn\u2019t believe her and hung up the phone. As my husband and I ran around our bedroom trying to figure out what just happened and replaying what was said, the doorbell was ringing. I took off running down the hallway to the front door, hoping to see my daughter\u2019s sweet face when I opened the door. But when I opened the door, I saw two State Troopers standing there. They asked me, \u201cIs Emylee Anglen your daughter?\u201d That is the moment that changed our lives forever. The officer said that a wrong way driver hit Emylee head on and that she didn\u2019t make it. My husband asked the officer if alcohol had anything to do with it. The officer said, \u201cNo, we did not see anything that would indicate that\u201d. At that point, we were told the man that hit our precious daughter had died too, and that it was just an accident.<\/p>\n
Fast forward 11 weeks later, when I received a phone call from an officer stating, \u201cWe got the toxicology report back, and the man that killed your daughter had a blood alcohol level of .29, over three times the legal limit\u201d. It wasn\u2019t long after that when I contacted our local MADD office and met Laura Askew. I really didn\u2019t know what I needed or wanted from her or MADD. I met with Laura in person, and she was amazing, so thoughtful, kind, compassionate and understanding. The first thing she told me was this was no accident. He knew what he was doing. He chose to drink and then drive that night, all the way from Tennessee. She was right. \u00a0Emylee didn\u2019t have a choice or chance due to his very selfish act. This was a 100% preventable crime.<\/p>\n
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Emylee was our oldest daughter of three. She was an amazing daughter and big sister. She loved her two sisters with all she had in her. She was Alyson\u2019s best friend and Abygale\u2019s second mother and so much more. She was the most caring, kind, beautiful person inside and out. She never knew a stranger and helped anyone that needed help no matter what it was. She had the most amazing throw her head back laugh that always put a smile on your face. She loved the outdoors, fishing, hunting, hiking, and camping. She is loved by so many and is so greatly missed.<\/p>\n
You never think that something like this can happen to you and your family. Things like this happen to other people, not you. But I am here to tell you, not only did this happen to our Emylee, but 5 months after Emylee died at the hands of a drunk driver it happened again. April 13, 2018, Emylee\u2019s second cousin, Cassidy, was on her way home from work, when a drunk driver hit her head on, killing her instantly too. Emylee and Cassidy were both only 20 years old. They had their futures ahead of them.<\/p>\n
I heard about St. Louis, MO having a walk in honor of victims and was asked if I would want Emylee to be honored at the walk. I was unsure what a Walk Like MADD was. So myself, along with three of my very close friends, decided to go to St. Louis and participate last May 2018. This is when TEAM EMY\u2019S ARMY was formed. Debbie and Meghan and their team did an amazing job. It was sad and wonderful at the same time. I knew then this was something that our community needed.\u00a0 October 20, 2018, was Springfield MO\u2019s first Walk Like MADD. The event was a huge success that raised over $18,800.00 with the help of family, friends and amazing organizations. We do this in honor of our sweet Emylee and so many others that have been affected by drunk drivers. Together, we can stop this unthinkable, preventable crime from happening to other families. You can join this year\u2019s 2nd<\/sup> Annual Walk Like MADD Springfield, MO October 19, 2019.<\/p>\n www.walklikemadd.org\/Springfield<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/madd.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Anglen-sisters-227x300-1.jpg\")