My sister is a Paris Hilton wannabe. I make this statement affectionately, perhaps even admiringly. She’s a beautiful girl known for her intelligence, motivation and talent. Sadly, early in 2004, she was in a horrendous car accident and her life was reduced to ruins.

A one-ton truck made an illegal left turn in front of her. The vehicles collided and the jaws of life were used to rescue my sister from her demolished vehicle. She suffered a broken back, shattered kneecaps, broken arm and ankle and a brain injury. Life as she knew - as we all knew it - was thereby officially over.

Since that time, my sister has become what she termed ‘a walking car accident’. Our whole family has been shaken and very nearly destroyed by this catastrophe. Many times I’ve feared that my sister would take her own life as her condition seemed to worsen and her future seemed to grow darker as the months passed.

Though it may sound trivial, the one thing that has really helped my sister through these dark days, is her obsession with Paris Hilton. Despite her accident, my sister is very beautiful and many people have commented on her resemblance to her fashion icon. This of course pleases her to no end. Although Paris has limitless funds at her disposal, my sister is truly a genius when it comes to putting together the hottest outfits, without spending a fortune. She recently revealed that many of her best buys and most commented on accessories were purchased at discount stores such as Walmart and Giant Tiger at a fraction of the price!

Her shopping prowess does not stop at buying clothing for herself. To aid in her recovery, she purchased an adorable chihuahua puppy a few months ago. Obviously, she named her Tinkerbell, in honor of the one-and-only Paris Hilton! Tinkerbell would definitely give her namesake a run for her money, for she has nearly as many hot little outfits as my sister does! What is more, many of these are matching outfits complete with carrier bag, so that little Tink can accompany my sister on all of her shopping excursions in the height of style. Paris would be so proud!

Thankfully, my sister’s likeness to Paris Hilton stops short of her acting ability, if you can call it that. Although, my sister does own and enjoy all episodes of Paris’ adventures in ‘The Simple Life’, even she draws the line when it comes to movies such as ‘House of Wax’, much to our relief!

It’s very interesting to observe how famous individuals can influence us in our everyday life. In the case of my sister and Paris Hilton, this influence has been positive in that it keeps her motivated and interested and distracts her from her pain and suffering, at least for a little while. It’s also sobering to think about the influence these individuals can have on young people, when their lifestyles are less than exemplary and their choices cause harm to themselves and others.

College Pro