All Episodes

July 22, 2025 28 mins

When a drunk driver crossed the freeway and struck Debbie head-on at 140 mph, it changed her life in an instant. The accident should have killed her, but it didn’t. In this powerful episode, Debbie shares how surviving that crash led to a deep battle with fear, and how faith, hope, and baby steps brought her out of it.

Though she experienced short-term memory loss and intense post-traumatic stress, Debbie refused to let fear win. From panic attacks on bridges to facing her triggers with courage, she recounts the emotional and spiritual journey of healing that followed. Now, at 65, Debbie is helping other women through her ministry, Grandmas to the Rescue, offering practical support and hope to moms who feel like they're drowning.

Her story is a reminder that fear is a liar. And that with faith and support, we can reclaim our lives.

Your Host: Angie Sedor Our Guest: Debbie Loffman

Trigger Warning This episode includes discussion of a fatal car accident, trauma, panic attacks, and fear. Listener discretion is advised. The views expressed by guests do not necessarily reflect those of the podcast.

What to Expect: · Debbie’s near-death experience in a head-on freeway collision · The emotional aftermath and the slow spread of fear · How she reclaimed her courage—one bridge, one panic attack at a time · Her practical advice on facing fear and creating new neural pathways · Founding Grandmas to the Rescue to support overwhelmed moms · How her faith, community, and scripture helped her heal

Key Takeaways: · Fear grows if you don’t face it—but it can be broken · You can create new pathways in your brain and overcome trauma · Community and spiritual mentorship can anchor you during healing · Scripture can be a lifeline—find one and cling to it · Give back: you may become someone else’s lifeline one day

Resources Mentioned: Grandmas to the Rescue If you are in Kootenai County and feel overwhelmed as a mom, you can reach Debbie and her team for help. debbieloffman@gmail.com

A Special Thank You to Our Sponsor: Safe Harbor Supporting survivors with compassion and care. https://safeharborforfreedom.com

Stay Connected www.thesurvivorsvoice.net @TheSurvivorsVoicePodcast on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok

If Debbie’s story inspired you, please share this episode to remind others that fear doesn’t have the final word.

New episodes every Tuesday

Follow, rate 5 stars, and leave a review

Have a story to share? Contact: booking@thesurvivorsvoice.net

Together, we remind survivors everywhere: Your story matters.

Produced & Edited by Krystina Elder | YouTube: @ElderHouseMedia

Special Thanks to Dan Wise | YouTube: @NorthIdahoPodcastProductions Bowman Carter | YouTube: @BowmanCarterMusic | Spotify: Bowman Carter

Mark as Played

Advertise With Us

Popular Podcasts

Stuff You Should Know
Dateline NBC

Dateline NBC

Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com

The Burden

The Burden

The Burden is a documentary series that takes listeners into the hidden places where justice is done (and undone). It dives deep into the lives of heroes and villains. And it focuses a spotlight on those who triumph even when the odds are against them. Season 5 - The Burden: Death & Deceit in Alliance On April Fools Day 1999, 26-year-old Yvonne Layne was found murdered in her Alliance, Ohio home. David Thorne, her ex-boyfriend and father of one of her children, was instantly a suspect. Another young man admitted to the murder, and David breathed a sigh of relief, until the confessed murderer fingered David; “He paid me to do it.” David was sentenced to life without parole. Two decades later, Pulitzer winner and podcast host, Maggie Freleng (Bone Valley Season 3: Graves County, Wrongful Conviction, Suave) launched a “live” investigation into David's conviction alongside Jason Baldwin (himself wrongfully convicted as a member of the West Memphis Three). Maggie had come to believe that the entire investigation of David was botched by the tiny local police department, or worse, covered up the real killer. Was Maggie correct? Was David’s claim of innocence credible? In Death and Deceit in Alliance, Maggie recounts the case that launched her career, and ultimately, “broke” her.” The results will shock the listener and reduce Maggie to tears and self-doubt. This is not your typical wrongful conviction story. In fact, it turns the genre on its head. It asks the question: What if our champions are foolish? Season 4 - The Burden: Get the Money and Run “Trying to murder my father, this was the thing that put me on the path.” That’s Joe Loya and that path was bank robbery. Bank, bank, bank, bank, bank. In season 4 of The Burden: Get the Money and Run, we hear from Joe who was once the most prolific bank robber in Southern California, and beyond. He used disguises, body doubles, proxies. He leaped over counters, grabbed the money and ran. Even as the FBI was closing in. It was a showdown between a daring bank robber, and a patient FBI agent. Joe was no ordinary bank robber. He was bright, articulate, charismatic, and driven by a dark rage that he summoned up at will. In seven episodes, Joe tells all: the what, the how… and the why. Including why he tried to murder his father. Season 3 - The Burden: Avenger Miriam Lewin is one of Argentina’s leading journalists today. At 19 years old, she was kidnapped off the streets of Buenos Aires for her political activism and thrown into a concentration camp. Thousands of her fellow inmates were executed, tossed alive from a cargo plane into the ocean. Miriam, along with a handful of others, will survive the camp. Then as a journalist, she will wage a decades long campaign to bring her tormentors to justice. Avenger is about one woman’s triumphant battle against unbelievable odds to survive torture, claim justice for the crimes done against her and others like her, and change the future of her country. Season 2 - The Burden: Empire on Blood Empire on Blood is set in the Bronx, NY, in the early 90s, when two young drug dealers ruled an intersection known as “The Corner on Blood.” The boss, Calvin Buari, lived large. He and a protege swore they would build an empire on blood. Then the relationship frayed and the protege accused Calvin of a double homicide which he claimed he didn’t do. But did he? Award-winning journalist Steve Fishman spent seven years to answer that question. This is the story of one man’s last chance to overturn his life sentence. He may prevail, but someone’s gotta pay. The Burden: Empire on Blood is the director’s cut of the true crime classic which reached #1 on the charts when it was first released half a dozen years ago. Season 1 - The Burden In the 1990s, Detective Louis N. Scarcella was legendary. In a city overrun by violent crime, he cracked the toughest cases and put away the worst criminals. “The Hulk” was his nickname. Then the story changed. Scarcella ran into a group of convicted murderers who all say they are innocent. They turned themselves into jailhouse-lawyers and in prison founded a lway firm. When they realized Scarcella helped put many of them away, they set their sights on taking him down. And with the help of a NY Times reporter they have a chance. For years, Scarcella insisted he did nothing wrong. But that’s all he’d say. Until we tracked Scarcella to a sauna in a Russian bathhouse, where he started to talk..and talk and talk. “The guilty have gone free,” he whispered. And then agreed to take us into the belly of the beast. Welcome to The Burden.

Music, radio and podcasts, all free. Listen online or download the iHeart App.

Connect

© 2026 iHeartMedia, Inc.