LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) -- Her husband, a Lexington police officer, was killed in the line of duty. But nearly three years later a woman is turning that devastating loss into something that can help other crime victims.

Officer Bryan Durman was killed by a hit and run driver, in April of 2010.

A jury later convicted Glenn Doneghy of manslaughter. He's serving twenty years in prison.

Durman's widow, Brandy has now made it her mission to help crime victims navigate the criminal justice system.

"Everyone deals with grief and crime in a different way and you have to meet the where they are and hep them the best you know how," said Brandy Durman.

Brandy knows first hand what it feels like to be suddenly thrust into the court system.

Brandy's husband, Bryan's name is inscribed on the police memorial in downtown Lexington and it was less than two years ago when she was trying to figure out how to live without her husband, raise her young son, and deal with the legal system she knew nothing about.

"I couldn't voice my frustrations and how my whole world was ripped apart in a matter of seconds," said Durman.

Now, she is working to become a victim's advocate in Fayette County. She is currently studying social work at UK and interning in the victim's advocacy office. A place she feels she can truly make a difference.

"I realized I might have something to contribute in the field because I have a different perspective," said Durman.

A perspective that knows the pain of loss, the frustration that can come with seeking justice, and certainty that better, brighter days are in the future.

"I hope that I can be role model so they can see there is something beyond the criminal trial, and that this doesn't have to define you," said Durman.

Brandy Durman was studying to be a radiologist before her husband's death, but says she is certain this change in career paths was the right thing to do. As for her young son, Braeden, she says, he is also doing well.