Debbie's story is a powerful testimony of forgiveness and redemption on a road of spiritual, emotional and physical recovery littered with alcohol abuse, depression and panic attacks. Her journey back to wholeness eventually brought her to teaching special needs children and a solid, fulfilling family life with childhood friend, Brad Morris.

Debbie's story, first told publicly on PBS Frontline, proved so inspirational she was encouraged by many people, including Sister Helen Prejean, to write about it. Forgiving The Dead Man Walking was published in 1998. Since the publication of the book, Debbie has appeared on the Today Show, Leeza, The Late Late Show with Tom Snyder, Focus on the Family, and National Public Radio's Fresh Air, among others. She has been featured in Ladies Home Journal, Marie Claire and Today's Christian Woman and many other of the countryÕs most popular home, womenÕs and Christian lifestyle magazines.

Today, Debbie is a highly sought speaker at conferences and retreats across the country, including Women of Faith conferences. In 2001 she is appearing with Dr. James Dobson on Focus on the Family. The subject of forgiving—how to forgive, when to forgive, why to forgiveÑhas become a topic of increasing spiritual interest across mainstream America, transcending religious affiliation. Debbie's mission is to share her transformational story of healing and graceÑone she prays will help others discover the same life-altering power and freedom generated by the act of forgiveness. Debbie lives near Cincinnati, Ohio with her husband and their two children.