Missing Moma

by Connie Little
(Bogalusa, La )

On July 30, 2010, my mom, Joyce Munizza, was on the way home from spending the day at the hospital with her sister, who is critically ill with cancer. She had just spoken to my step father just minutes before. She was only 18 miles from my home when a drunk driver, whose BAC was 3 times the legal limit, decided to get behind the wheel of his truck and speed down the rode. The state police estimated that he was going between 85-90 mph when he hit my mom's car. The police said that my mom received at hit of 145 mph. She was killed on impact. The other driver died shortly after the accident. My mom leaves behind a husband, 4 children, and 7 grandchildren, a mother, stepfather, and 8 siblings. My mom would have made 54 on April 13, 2011. She was a first responder with the local ambulance company. She was a well respected member of the community. The night of her wake the final count of vistors reach well over 500. There was standing room only at the funeral. She was given full honor at her funeral. I promised myself that I would do everything I could to prevent another family from going through the same thing I did. I now speak to students at the local high school during Prom week and hopefully if I can save one family the heartache it is worth it. I will never be able to bring my mom back but I know that she is looking down on me and smiling.