We need to talk about distracted driving to all we love for one reason – Distracted driving kills and injures.

The injuries Xzavier sustained when a distracted driver struck him down in the confounds of the Lee Elementary School crosswalk were near fatal and so very serious.  Xzavier is paralyzed from his diaphragm down and now depends upon a respirator for his every breath.  This equipment requires 24/7 monitoring by trained staff who are also able to trae-vent Xzavier as needed.  We are talking about some pretty serious injuries.

The driver who did this to Xzavier was fined a little over $160 dollars and she only had one hundred thousand in insurance coverage and because Xzavier’s operations totaled into the millions, Valetta Bradford, Xzavier’s mom only received $25K dollars to care for Xzavier for the rest of his life.

There are thousands of survivors of collisions with distracted drivers out there and there is no special agency that helps victims of texting recover damages or obtain the capital it will take to care for these victims.  Not only are they severely damaged now, they have to struggle for supplies and sustenance.

The mission statement of The X-Man Foundation is to educate drivers to the dangers of distracted driving with an emphasis on texting.  Valetta never wants what happened to X to ever happen to another child.  Her advocacy has led to public appearances at colleges, high schools, and driving schools.  Valetta and Xzavier are also able to appear at your events provided you provide transportation and accommodations. Appearance fees are negotiated on an event by event scenario.  Please keep in mind that although Valetta and Xzavier are so generous with their time and it is a sacrifice for them to travel, they are able to do so with the assistance of Xzavier’s night nurse.

AT&T, Sprint, and Verizon took notice of Valetta’s advocacy through The X-Man Foudation and so they featured Valetta and Xzavier in a PSA for the ‘It Can Wait’ campaign.  The legendary director Werner Herzog was consigned to direct the PSA and he later said Valetta inspired him on to create the documentary ‘From One Second to the Next’.

Valetta, Xzavier, sister Aurie, and Super Nurse attended the premiere in Hollywood, California of ‘From One Second to the Next’.  Valetta said there wasn’t a dry eye in the house after the showing.  Xzavier had fun meeting girls at the airport.  Click on the link below to read about their trip to Hollywood.

http://aurieisawesome.wordpress.com

We believe that ‘the Story of X’ is the most powerful tool we have at this time to emphasize to all drivers that the warnings are not for those other drivers.  We run across a lot of people who state “Yeah, but I can handle it.  I can’t go a minute without my phone, the temptation is too great.” or “I only text at red lights.”

After meeting Xzavier and Valetta those excuses fade away.  To meet them is a profound moment in anyone’s life.  We volunteers at The X-Man Foundation can’t wait for Valetta and Xzavier along with their family and support team to get out there in front of as many drivers as they possibly can.

We are a grassroots organization, newly formed, and we need donations.  Much of these appearances have cost Valetta out of pocket for expenses required in this work.   The fundraiser that accompanied ‘Xzavier Day’ did not cover the expenses of the event.

Our volunteers keep reaching out for sponsors and we will keep reaching out until we get those sponsors needed to promote the campaign ‘Don’t text 4 X’ through The X-Man Foundation.

Contact Valetta Bradford through Facebook at this link;

http://facebook.com/valettabradford

Email Valetta Bradford at this address;

valettabradford@gmail.com

Or call Valetta at 414-324-6623.

God bless you and ‘Don’t text 4 X’