Together They've Come a Long, Long Way
Decades after a debilitating drunk driving crash left her with permanent injuries, Mary Ann McCunn and her family thrive.
Mary Ann’s Story
With the Olympics just around the corner, consider how a 17-year-old drunk driver changed the entire life of one active, 21-year-old gymnast, springboard diver and former cheerleader when he hit her and her fiancé on August 16, 1980.
Orlando resident Mary Ann McCunn is permanently disabled, despite 34 surgeries and endless failed bone grafts. Paralyzed from her left knee down, she must wear a leg brace or use a cane to support her left leg. She even had to endure antibiotic nails inserted into her bone for months at a time. A chronic bone infection, osteomyelitis, has killed her bone, tissue and everything in its path. She says the worst injury was being unable to bear children. “It really is a life sentence,” Mary Ann says.
A Life On Hold. . .and Fulfilled
Kevin and Mary Ann’s wedding was only three months away when the offender, driving without headlights and with a .10 BAC, struck the college coeds. Nevertheless, they married three-and-a-half years later, finished their college degrees and recently celebrated their 25th anniversary. Kevin is her hero. “His life would have been so much easier [without me]…his commitment has been such a huge thing. He is a remarkable man.”
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| Mary Ann, Katie and Kevin McCunn |
The McCunn’s crash occurred just a month before Candy Lightner founded Mothers Against Drunk Driving, recognizing the importance of supporting victims/survivors and advocating stronger laws against drunk driving. The offender in the McCunn's case was only fined $200 and sent to defensive driving school, while the couple’s lives were upended forever.
“It was so hard to believe that a drunk driver could take so much away,” says Mary Ann. “And it seemed he kept taking things away. It never seemed to stop.” Determined that the driver’s actions wouldn’t destroy them, they adopted “the most beautiful three-day old baby, Katie, who is now 11 and the joy of our lives,” she says.
MADD Victim Advocates Help
Mary Ann has also brought joy to the lives of others. Several years after her crash, she became a MADD victim advocate in Central Florida Chapter, later serving as a board member and as a victim speaker. She also started the Victim Services Unit with her alma mater’s police department at the University of Central Florida.
She could understand the daily frustrations of dealing with injuries and how much they change everything in a person’s life. Ironically, Mary Ann discovered her favorite doctor, orthopedic traumatologist Dr. J. Dean Cole, while serving as the victim advocate for another crash survivor during one of his surgeries.
“You go through some really dark days. Each situation is different – and very personal. A trauma like this teaches you patience and compassion, besides wanting to do what you can to help others,” says Mary Ann. “It’s a good lesson in not sweating the small stuff. We find joy in a lot of simple things.”
Learn more about MADD Victim Services. Call our Victim/Survivor Helpline at 1-877-MADD-HELP (877-623-3435) to speak with a Victim Advocate.
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