In Memory of Darice

On June 24, 2007, I was awakened from my Sunday afternoon nap by a phone call. It was my daughter, Sara.
"Darice was in an ATV accident in Rocky Point", she informed me. "She hit her head and she is unconscious. Matt is with her and they're trying to get an ambulance to take her to the border. There's no blood or anything you can see so we don't know how badly she's hurt. Matt is frantic." And so began our long nightmare that we wish were only a dream. Darice is my step-daughter. I met her when she was four years old and we have been fairly close during the interim. She worked for me as a CNA for about ten years. We had been with her the week before at a small Father's Day celebration at P.F. Chang's. Sara's last words to her were "be careful in Mexico." I was sick of her going to Mexico. It had been the beginning of the end of her job with us as a private duty CNA. Mexico meant over-the-top partying and long recovery periods. The party just kept getting more and the recovery kept getting longer. In truth, I had been pissed at her for the last two years because of this. And her attitude toward me had changed accordingly. I will always feel guilty about that, I suppose.
Matthew drained his debit card and maxed his credit card to pay the $800 the Mexican clinic demanded for the ambulance ride. She was taken to the border and met by the Ajo, Arizona, Fire Department. From there she was taken to Ajo and then flown to St Joseph's hospital in Phoenix. The total trip took almost seven hours, not a bad time considering the circumstances of the injury but far too long considering the extent of the injury. The medical details are tedious and all too sad. She was moved from Trauma ICU to a hospice unit and passed away after a week there. She was 33 years old.
Dari's troubles are now over but the recovery process for her family and extended family has only begun. She and my other two children were the closest of friends. Sara is 25 and Matthew is 24. They never imagined that they would have to be dealing with the feelings of loss and sadness that they are struggling with. I never imagined it either but I am unfortunately a bit more experienced in dealing with loss. I will share more on that at a later time.
Darice was a sweet girl and a good person. She was in a downward spiral due to the ravages of alcohol and drugs. It broke my heart because I have been in that same spiral and I know how hard it is to reverse directions. That was my greatest hope for her and now it is too late. I am greatly concerned about others in her life being in that same pattern and am at a loss as to how to prevent further damage.