Photo courtesy of Sarah Panzau

She said she was digging her own grave.

She was a two time member of the National Junior College Athletic Association woman’s volleyball All-America team and earned full ride scholarships to Southwestern Illinois College, but fell in with the wrong crowd and –– started drinking.

Now she said it̢۪s hard to believe she can̢۪t even tie her own shoes.

“I thought I was invincible, I had everything, I was a star athlete, I was pretty, I mean nothing could stop me,â€Â Sarah Panzau said.

But for Panzau, 26, one poor choice did stop her; it stopped her right in her tracks.

Panzau is coming to Fresno State on Wednesday to share her remarkable story as part of Anheuser-Busch’s “Responsibility Mattersâ€Â campaign.

On Aug. 23, 2003, with a blood alcohol level nearly four times the legal limit, Panzau decided to drive home drunk, missed her highway exit and rolled over her car. That one bad decision cost Panzau her left arm –– and her future.

Cherie Pettitt, from University Health and Psychological Services,who is helping coordinate the event, said stories like Panzau̢۪s have helped change student̢۪s social norms about drinking over the past few years.

“The media at large has created this negative stereotype of Fresno State students. They only tell the horror stories that portray students as heavy binge drinkers,â€Â Pettitt said. “When the truth is, most college students party safely, but you don’t see that make the top story.â€Â

According to the most recent National Survey on Drug Use and Health conducted in 2006, there has been a steady decline of full time undergraduate students drinking heavily.

Pettitt said this recent data is attributed to more widespread education about alcohol and people like Panzau telling their stories.

“Presentations like hers are changing students’ attitudes about drinking,â€Â Pettitt said.

Panzau said she believes she makes an impact because she is around the same age as the audience she tells her story to.

“‘Living Proof’ is a down to earth presentation, it’s me, my personality and I feel that’s what helps gets the message across,â€Â Panzau said.

Panzau does her presentation out amongst the audience in a tank top and shorts. She shared that she does this to show everyone what her choice has done –– which was not only the loss of an arm, but scars from 36 surgeries to help correct problems with her shoulders and fix a torn ACL.

“I know students, I have been in their place, and I want them to know to not take anything for granted,â€Â Panzau said. “And if they feel they don’t need anybody like I once did, just take one good long look at me and understand where that train of thought took me.â€Â

She hopes students get more than just the “be responsibleâ€Â message from her story, because it’s also a cautionary tale about taking your family for granted.

Before the accident, Panzau was not very close with her mother and often thought her mother was just trying to control her life. Now Panzau realizes her mother was just trying to protect her.

“My mom and I are closer than ever, we live together, I just don’t know what I would do with out her,â€Â Panzau said. “I guess that’s one of a only few blessings that came out of this tragic experience.â€Â