[originaltext] [29/30] Patricia Pania never wanted to be a national public f

[29/30] Patricia Pania never wanted to be a national public figure. All she wanted to be was a mother and homemaker. But her life was turned upside down when a motorist, distracted by his cell phone, ran a stop sign and crashed into the side of her car. The impact killed her 2-year-old daughter. Four months later, Pania reluctantly but courageously decided to try to educate the public and to [32] fight for laws to ban drivers from using cell phones while a car is moving. She wanted to save other children from what happened to her daughter. [31] In her first speech, Pania got off to a shaky start. She was visibly trembling and her voice was soft and uncertain. But as she got into her speech, a dramatic transformation took place. She stopped shaking and spoke with a strong voice. For the rest of her talk, she was a forceful and compelling speaker. She wanted everyone in the audience to know what she knew without having to learn it from a personal tragedy. Many in the audience were moved to tears and to action. In subsequent presentations, Pania gained reputation as a highly effective speaker. Her appearance on a talk show was broadcast three times, transmitting her message to over 14 million people. [32] Her campaign increased public awareness of the problem, and prompted over 300 cities and several states to consider restrictions on cell phone use.