Emily Smiles

A drunk driver nearly destroyed my family's Christmas. My mother and sister, who are incredibly close, haven't seen each other in years. Our extended family and friends joined forces to make it possible for my mom to visit Emily, who moved to Charlotte several years ago to be closer to our (now deceased) father while he battled cancer. When Dad died last October, Emily decided to stay in Charlotte. She'd made friends and our Dad's side of the family lives close by, and a move wasn't financially viable, to say the least. When my mother's best friend offered to use her frequent flyer miles to buy a ticket for Mom to go see Emily, the rest of us figured out how to make it work. A neighbor is taking care of her dogs; her sister sent some money so that they could buy groceries while Mom was there. Emily, working two jobs, can barely make ends meet and my mother's meager government disability stipend barely covers her living expenses. My boyfriend and I arranged to drive Mom to and from the airport. Emily couldn't even take time off while Mom was there; they visited around my sister's considerable work schedule. But we were all so happy that Mom was going to get to see Emily; we all knew it would be the best Christmas gift they could possibly receive.

They had barely arrived at home on Christmas Eve when the drunk driver of a Trans Am hit Emily's car. He smashed into it so hard that he shoved it some 30 feet down the street; the car is so badly totaled that they can't move it anywhere (right now it's blocking a driveway). We can't even scrape together enough money to have the car towed anywhere, and her insurance company picked a fight with her when she called them to report the accident last night. The driver fled the scene but miraculously a neighbor was outside when it happened, saw the whole thing, and got the guy's plate number...then went to Emily's door to let her know her car had just been destroyed. My mom is leaving tonight and instead of spending these last few hours together enjoying each other's company they are calling around frantically for help to get Mom to the airport. Emily has to work a thirteen hour day tomorrow and will have to take buses two hours there and back. She's a 24-year old bright spot of sunshine and good humor in the lives of everyone who knows her; there is not a more compassionate, vivacious, beautiful person in the world than Emily Barrowclough. She has also lived through some horrific incidents in her very young life, from being the victim of an armed home robbery while living in Colorado to the death of our father to losing a dear friend in Charlotte to a heroin overdose just this past year. She's such a good, kind, loving person; I don't know why these terrible things keep happening to her.

I spent my Christmas Day today setting up a donation fund for her so that she can get some help securing transportation. Please consider donating to the Emily Smiles Fund (there is a donation button at the top right on this blog). Thank you.