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Chanhassen Villager Newspaper Article dated 8-3-2006The Chanhassen Villager I 'Roller coaster life' ends in highway crash Jenna Sorensen, who died last Saturday, was on top of the world in 2002, as she prepared to graduate from Chaska High School. (File photo by Pauline Chandra) 'Roller coaster life' Wednesday, August 02, 2006 By Pauline Chandra Correspondent ends in highway crash Page 1 of 2 In 2002, as Jenna Sorensen prepared to graduate from Chaska High School, she seemed to have turned the corner on serious health problems, and was looking forward to a happy future. But her life came to a tragic end last Saturday evening, when Sorensen died while speeding away from police on I-35 in Chisago County. According to the Minnesota State Patrol, a trooper attempted to pull over Sorensen's vehicle for speeding but she continued driving. Her vehicle struck a pillar of a bridge and she died at the scene. The investigation of the crash is ongoing. "She had lived a roller -coaster life these last eight years," said her father, Ken Sorensen. "She had times she really seemed like she was starting to find her place," he continued. "She was a great, loving, generous girl all of her life. She always tried and she always loved. She is at peace with our Lord and I am sorry she could not find her peace here." "She's not miserable anymore," said mom, Peg Sorensen. "She is with her dogs Oxford and Cambridge, and she's with Great Grammy (Peg's grandmother). They used to bake bread and put curlers in their hair." For Ken and Peg, of Chanhassen, it's the final chapter in a series of sad endings and hopeful beginnings since Jenna, their only child, suffered a life-threatening stroke at the age of 14 in 1997. At that time, Jenna was not expected to live. But Jenna, who had won a gold medal at a national swim meet in 1996, defied the odds, learning to brush her teeth, walk and speak all over again. She would start high school in Eden Prairie in ninth grade and again at CHS in the 10th grade, when the family moved to a home overlooking Lake Minnewashta. At times, Jenna showed remarkable progress, making the CHS dean's list, Peg told the newspaper in 2002. But she also struggled with Crohn's disease, and would experience several hospitalizations in the years leading up to her high school graduation. At that time, a hopeful Jenna said, "I'm looking forward to meeting new people. I'm ready to be on my own." She was headed to Morningside College in Iowa. Health-related setbacks would soon bring her back to Peg and Ken's home, where she struggled not only with physical problems, but with emotional ones as well. Since her stroke, Jenna experienced difficulty expressing her thoughts. She said her word retrieval problems were frustrating. It http://www.chanvillager.com/print.asp?ArticleID=8064&SectionID=2&SubSectionlD=2 8/8/2006 The Chanhassen Villager I 'Roller coaster life' ends in highway crash affected her social life and her ability to maintain friendships. She also struggled with depression. Page 2 of 2 "All she wanted was a friend," said Peg, earlier this week. Peg believes it was the quest for friendship that led Jenna down a dark path of methamphetamine and cocaine use within the past four years. "She thought these people (drug users) were her friends," said Peg. Jenna attempted to clean up her life and she regularly attended Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, said Peg. She took a job at Allweather Roofing, where her dad works, and since February had her own Minnetonka apartment. She was proud to be earning her own money and paying rent, Peg continued. "She came home for dinner a lot." Peg recalls a very happy time for the whole family in June, when Peg's 83 -year-old father got married in Boulder, Colo. "Jenna looked great. She liked the new step -family, with kids in her age group," Peg said. "She was just a 22 -year-old girl. She didn't have any history with them." During that week there was talk about future skiing trips to Colorado. Everyone was hopeful and upbeat. "I thank my dad for having us out for the week," said Peg, who has written a book, "Stroked: From the Pool to the PICU, a Teenaged Girl's Real Life Tragedy." Promotional copies of the book entered circulation just last week. Recently Ken and Jenna shopped for a 1998 Chevy Cavalier. Just last Thursday, Jenna had Peg look it over. "She was so proud," Peg recalled. On Saturday, Ken went to Jenna's apartment to change the tire in her older car, as they discussed options for getting rid of it. By Saturday afternoon, after Ken and Peg returned from an outing on the lake, phone calls from Jenna confirmed she was in a blue mood. Later on there would be another call from Jenna. "She was calm," said Peg. Jenna told her dad she was being chased by police cars. Jenna said "I love you and I'm sorry," her dad said. "Breaking news" on television at 10 p.m. would lead to their discovery that Jenna had died instantly when she crashed the Chevy Cavalier. "Everyone needs a friend," said Peg, and she hopes that people remember that when someone they know is going through a difficult time. Content © 2006 Chanhassen Villager Software ©1998-2006 1 up! Software, All Rights Reserved http://www.chanvillager.comlprint.asp?ArticlelD-8064&SectionID=2&SubSectionID=2 8/8/2006