Sarah Panzau

Living Proof

Focused. Determined. Successful. As a two-time member of the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) women’s volleyball All-America team, Sarah Panzau knew what it was like to be on top of her game – and on top of the world. But not long after, she nearly lost it all.

Somewhere between life as a competitively driven high-school athlete and the early years of college, Sarah began heading down a destructive path. She found herself hanging out with the wrong crowd, getting more out of drugs and dangerous levels of alcohol than hitting the books and spiking a ball. She was trapped in a pattern of making poor choices.

On August 23, 2003, just before 4:30 a.m., Sarah's car – and her life – spun out of control. With a blood-alcohol level nearly four times the legal limit, the 21-year-old decided to drive home drunk, missed a highway exit and rolled her car four times. Without a seat belt, she was ejected through the rear window of her car, her left arm was torn from her body and she was thrown onto the roadway. Sarah's decision to drive drunk landed her in the hospital for several months and resulted in more than 30 surgeries.

Sarah is Living Proof that poor choices can have drastic consequences. Since the crash in 2003, her life has taken a new direction. Sarah reaches students with her messages about underage drinking, drunk driving, making smart choices, respecting parents and rising above disabilities. She poignantly describes the physical and emotional pain of a life that is forever changed because of the poor decision she made. Sarah also talks about determination, perseverance, peer pressure, the “wrong crowd” and the meaning of “real” friends. She pleads with students to spot the telltale warning signs in others and underscores the need to seek help.

Sarah delivers her messages in a powerful and emotional manner that leaves young people spellbound. She makes a lasting impression by walking among the students donning athletic wear, so her scars help tell the story of her poor choices.