{"id":1582,"date":"2016-08-15T18:07:44","date_gmt":"2016-08-15T18:07:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/madd.org\/tennessee\/?p=1582"},"modified":"2022-05-30T09:48:49","modified_gmt":"2022-05-30T09:48:49","slug":"why-were-here-millie-webb","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/madd.org\/tennessee\/why-were-here-millie-webb\/","title":{"rendered":"Why We’re Here: Millie Webb"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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\"MillieMillie Webb never asked for this story.\u00a0 She didn\u2019t care if she got to shake hands with the President.\u00a0 She wasn\u2019t looking to inspire thousands of people.\u00a0 She didn\u2019t care about being on TV or radio and she had no goal of speaking at a press conference from the Rose Garden of the White House lawn.\u00a0 In fact, for as much good as she hopes she\u2019s accomplished, if she could trade all of it for a life without this story, she would.<\/p>

On August 14, 1971, Millie, who was 7 months pregnant, was in the car with her husband,\u00a0Roy<\/a>; their 4-year-old daughter,\u00a0Lori<\/a>; and their 19-month-old nephew,\u00a0Mitch<\/a>.\u00a0 They were headed home after going to pick up fresh peaches.\u00a0 (Millie had been craving them and Roy had bought her a bushel.\u00a0 But, he forgot them at work, so they had gone to get them.)<\/p>

Suddenly, a driver with a .08 blood alcohol content (BAC) rear-ended them and caused the car to burst into flames.\u00a0 Millie and both children were thrown from the car.\u00a0 As it toppled over them, gasoline and flames spewed onto their bodies.\u00a0 Roy did his best to save them using his bare hands to extinguish the flames from his burning family.<\/p>

Millie sustained a broken neck and burns on 75% of her body, including a partial mastectomy by fire.\u00a0 To save her unborn baby, doctors had to perform an emergency c-section three days after the crash.\u00a0 But because of her condition, they felt it was unsafe to sedate her in any way.\u00a0 The c-section was performed naturally.\u00a0\u00a0Kara\u00a0<\/a>was born two months pre-mature and legally blind as a result.\u00a0 It was eleven days before Millie would see her newborn daughter.<\/p>

In 1971, no burn victim had ever survived with over 60% burns on their body.\u00a0 There was no hope for Millie\u2019s survival.\u00a0 But she miraculously held on!\u00a0 Her oldest daughter, Lori, lay suffering from burns on 75% of her little body for two weeks.\u00a0 When she died, on August 28, doctors decided that Millie\u2019s condition was too fragile for the devastating news.\u00a0 When she finally was told that Lori had died and been buried, she was still so bandaged that couldn\u2019t even reach up to wipe the tears from her own eyes.<\/p>

Eventually, she was released from the hospital and began a long road to physical recovery that plagues her to this day.\u00a0 She has had more than 40 surgeries over the years.\u00a0 She still walks with a slight limp and, after 40 years of therapy, still can\u2019t straighten her arm.<\/p>

\u201cAlthough originally my scars were a painful reminder of my trauma, I began to see my scars as a living testimony of resilience and rebirth,\u201d says Millie.\u00a0 In 1981, she helped found the Tennessee chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) and began serving as a Victim Advocate, helping other victims of drunk driving cope with the emotional aftermath of a crash.<\/p>

In 1988, she was part of a crisis response team sent to help victims of the Kentucky Bus Crash, the worst alcohol related crash in U.S. history.\u00a0 A drunk driver had hit a bus head-on as it returned from a church outing, causing it to burst into flames, killing 24 children and 3 adults and injuring 30 others.\u00a0 One little girl, in particular, found comfort in Millie\u2019s arms.<\/p>

\u201cShe would rub my burn scars and talk and talk about how terrible it was to watch her friends burn alive. She felt at ease with my arms around her,\u201d Webb says. \u201cThere is beauty in that. Scars are ugly. But she saw me living with them and knew that she would too.\u201d\u00a0 The child hadn\u2019t been able to open up to anyone, even her parents, but she felt safe talking to Millie.<\/p>

In 1991, Millie began serving on the MADD National board.\u00a0 Over the next several years, she was part of a fight backed by research, other determined .08 victims, and a few dedicated legislators to lower the legal intoxication limit to .08 nationally.\u00a0 She knew it would save lives.\u00a0\u00a0 She had experienced its devastation first-hand.\u00a0 When she became MADD National President in 2000, the law was finally passed amid continuing opposition from the alcohol industry and many in the general public.\u00a0 She attended the bill signing in the Oval Office with President Bill Clinton.<\/p>

\"Millie<\/p>

\u00a0<\/p>

As they were walking out together for a reception and press conference in the Rose Garden where Millie was to introduce the President to the media, Millie told him, \u201cI\u2019m not going to tell you my story, but I just want you to know how much this bill means to me and the other .08 victims.\u201d\u00a0 She told him how painful it was to be told that her daughter had died and been buried and that she hadn\u2019t even been able to wipe her own tears.\u00a0 \u201cIt was like salt in the wound,\u201d she said.<\/p>

He took her hand and said, \u201cMillie, that\u2019s what the world needs to hear.\u201d\u00a0 He encouraged her to share her story during the press conference and\u00a0so she did<\/a>.<\/p>

\"Millie<\/p>

\"\"
President Bill Clinton reacts to hearing Millie Webb tell her story at the Rose Garden of the White House, October 23, 2000<\/figcaption><\/figure>

In 1971, Millie Webb had no desire to be the National President of an organization with a mission to end drunk driving.\u00a0 She had no plans for a story that would be heard all over the country and prompt legislative support from offices as high as the Presidency.\u00a0 But the story is hers.\u00a0 She took the story that had been given to her and she found strength in it \u2013 a strength she shares with others.<\/p>

Her term as MADD National President ended in 2002.\u00a0 Today, she still serves on the Ad Hoc Committee for Victims and Programs for the MADD National Board.\u00a0 She also serves on the MADD Tennessee State Advisory Board as the Victim Services Chair \u2013 a role near and dear to her heart.\u00a0 She still speaks and shares her story regularly at Victim Impact Panels helping offenders understand how important their choices are and how even one can affect their lives and the lives of others for a lifetime.\u00a0 And she still works tirelessly to end drunk driving by advocating for legislative change to continually improve DUI laws.\u00a0 “My dream is that one day irresponsible behavior will come face-to-face with responsible justice,” she says.<\/p>

She is truly an inspiration to all who know her.\u00a0 “For years, people would introduce me as ‘the lady who was burned.’\u00a0 It was like I didn’t even have a name,” Millie shares.\u00a0 All these years later, she feels a sense of purpose and accomplishment has changed that. \u201cMy scars still remind me, but they don\u2019t define me,\u201d she says.\u00a0 Instead, her scars shine like the brightest stars, sending a message of hope to all those who doubt that they can learn to live again after tragedy.\u00a0 And they are beautiful.<\/p>

“Life can never be the same after a drunk driving crash, but it can be good again.”\u00a0 – Millie Webb<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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