PF.A Year After a Drunk Driver Crushed Their Lives, This Mother Faces Surgery #16 and Still Fights for Her Kids

A year ago, a single reckless decision changed everything.

Ana Gutierrez and her daughter Briana were just two blocks from home when a speeding, uninsured driver—fleeing a high-speed chase—slammed into their car. In the blink of an eye, their lives were shattered, their world turned upside down, and a future they had counted on vanished.

For Ana, the past twelve months have been a battle through unimaginable pain. She has endured fifteen surgeries so far, and a sixteenth looms on January 26. Her injuries read like a horror story: broken ribs, fractured neck vertebrae, a brain bleed, punctured lungs, a degloving injury that left her hand bare of skin, and the loss of a finger. Surgeons are preparing to take nerve from her leg to try to restore movement in her hand.

Briana, too, has been living in constant pain, facing a reality no child should ever know.

Life hasn’t paused for recovery. Ana lost her job. Then her home. Despite her pain, she drives Uber three to four hours a day to feed her four children, carrying not just their weight but the crushing burden of trauma she never asked for.

This was not their choice. This was someone else’s recklessness—and yet, Ana and Briana are still fighting.

This Christmas, there’s no tree. No decorations. No gifts. What there is, is resilience, courage, and a plea for hope. Ana is turning to the world—not for pity, but for support, prayers, and messages that remind her she is not alone in this battle.

Every scar Ana bears is a testament to her strength. Every moment she spends behind the wheel of her Uber, in pain but determined to provide, is proof that hope can survive even the darkest of years. And every step Briana takes forward, through pain and recovery, is a reminder that love can be stronger than tragedy.

This family’s story is heartbreaking, but it is also inspiring. It’s a story of perseverance when the odds are stacked impossibly high. It’s a story of courage when life demands more than anyone should have to give. And it’s a story of community—the power of people who see the struggle and respond with compassion, prayer, and support.

Ana and Briana need reminders today that the world is still on their side. They need to hear that their fight matters, that their courage matters, and that this Christmas—and every day beyond—it’s okay to lean on others.

For every person scrolling through this story, take a moment. Send a message of hope. Share a prayer. Offer encouragement. Let Ana and Briana know that even in the wake of devastating tragedy, they are not alone. That their strength is seen. That their fight inspires more than they can imagine.

Because while this year has brought unimaginable pain, it has also revealed something powerful: a mother and daughter whose love, resilience, and courage cannot be broken.