ONCEkids Honors Heroic Mothers for Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day from ONCEkids! Mother's day is dedicated to all the women out there who have put in so much time and energy to fulfill the job of motherhood, without a doubt the hardest- and most rewarding- job in the world. Mother's day is the perfect day to just set aside some extra time to tell our moms how much they mean to us and how much they do for us, no matter how old we get.

Every mother is a hero and to remind us each of that on this special day, here are the stories of five inspiring women who made the ultimate sacrifices for their children. 

Get your tissues ready, because the first woman on our list of heroic mothers is part of a heart-wrenching story that is so moving, you may find yourself reduced to tears. Anyone who is a mother knows that they would trade their life for their child's, but the first woman on our list actually did when she knowingly gave up her own life to save the life of her daughter. 

Stacie Crimm had always longed to be a mother but was told she would never be able to have a child. So when, at age 41, she became pregnant she was overjoyed. Not long after this joyful news, she received the life-changing diagnosis of neck cancer. 

After hearing of this tragedy, she made the decision to refuse chemotherapy, despite the aggressive tumor growing in her brain, in order to save her unborn child. She was barely hanging on when doctors did an emergency c-section to save the 2-pound, 1 ounce baby girl, which Crimm named Dottie Mae. 

Although the end of her life was near, doctors and nurses told a desperate Crimm it would be impossible for her to see her child, who was in intensive care. It was thanks to two kind-hearted nurses that Crimm's dying wish was finally able to be fulfilled. Tiny Dottie was brought into her room and laid on Crimm's chest. The mother and daughter shared one beautiful moment that Crimm's brother, Randy, says he will never forget. She held her daughter just once before passing away. After Crimm's death, Randy kept his promise to his sister and took home the healthy 5-pound Dottie, whose father is not known, to live with his wife and four children. 

Has your family received a Nook, Kindle or iPad this year?  Find Fujimini Adventure Series award-winning books here.  Great family-friendly gifts.

Our next heroic mother sacrificed her own eyesight to save the eyesight of two of her daughters. Monique Zimmerman-Stein was diagnosed with the rare disorder, Stickler's Syndrome, that attacks your eyesight.

She was then given the opportunity to preserve the last of her vision through a treatment plan that included a series of costly injections. However, two of her daughters had inherited the genetic disorder, making it also possible for them to lose their vision.

Since she would not be able to afford their treatments as well as hers, she was faced with a heartbreaking decision. It was then she decided to forego her own treatment, which would result in her becoming blind, in order to be able to scrape together enough money to pay for her two daughters' treatments and preserve their eyesight. 

The touching stories continue in ONCEkids Heroic Mothers Part 2!

And we welcome you to tell us why your mother is your hero.

ONCEkids Unsung Female Heroes (Part One of Five)

When I looked up the definition of a hero my results included a statement that said a hero can be defined as "a man of distinguished courage or ability, admired for his brave deeds and qualities." Many of the people who meet this definition are recognized for their heroic actions in the news and through social media each day, but I found myself wondering- what about the heroes that are missed by the news and don't appear in the headlines? And notice, the definition stresses that a hero is a man who demonstrates these characteristics. So we at ONCEkids have compiled a list of the unsung female heroes of today, people who have reached out to others in a way that is both moving as well as inspiring, whose stories we feel ought to be told. 

Our first hero is our youngest female on our list, Allison Winn. Her organization, named the Stink Bug Project, has partnered with the Morgan Adams Foundation to give dogs to children with cancer, providing them with comfort and companionship during their difficult cancer treatments. Her idea came about after adopting a bichon frise during the time of her 14-month-long treatment for a brain tumor. She recalls that the dog's presence helped her feel better and more upbeat during her recovery. It was then that she decided she wanted sick children everywhere to feel the same type of affection from such a lovable animal- also did we mention that Allison is 10 years 
old? 
Has your family received a Nook, Kindle or iPad this year?  Find Fujimini Adventure Series award-winning books here.  Great family-friendly gifts.

She set her plan in motion by first setting up a lemonade stand. For the entire summer she worked the stand, selling homemade lemonade and dog biscuits. By the end of the summer she had saved up $1,000- which gave her enough to adopt and train two dogs to give them to two children. Since that summer, the program has raised $33,000 and organized the adoption of 10 different dogs, paying for everything from the adoption fee to the dog bed, crate, food, toys, and a collar. Allison and her family has continued their efforts towards helping kids with cancer feel just a little bit better and she has said that it is her ultimate goal to spread the cause to other states as well, instead of keeping it to just Colorado. 

To learn more about Modern Moms and The Mom Code, please visit ONCEKids Publishing website, Facebook and Twitter

Connor and Caden Ballard Beat the Odds Two to Nothing

Every parent's nightmare is to receive news that their child has been diagnosed with cancer. This nightmare became a reality for Chris and Lisa Ballard when not one, but two of their young children were given the same cancer diagnosis, lymphoblastic leukemia. 

In 2003, the Ballard's oldest child, Connor, who was five at the time, fell ill. After persistent complaints of what seemed like normal childhood symptoms, Chris and Lisa were hit with the devastating news of a cancer diagnosis. Connor's chemotherapy treatments, though very difficult on him, proved to be successful. It looked like cancer was finally behind the Ballard family, until later that year when their two-year-old son, Caden, began to show the same symptoms that Connor had exhibited before his diagnosis. 

To learn more about Modern Moms and The Mom Code, please visit ONCEKids Publishing website, Facebook and Twitter

Though extremely rare, Caden was diagnosed with the same type of cancer as Connor and the Ballard's nightmare was once again a reality. But it was in the darkest times for this family that Connor pulled through and taught his little brother how to be a fighter. When Caden's hair began to fall out, Connor told him that it was cool. He showed two-year-old Caden how to swallow the six pills he had to take each day for his chemotherapy and would constantly remind him that he could do it. 

Has your family received a Nook, Kindle or iPad this year?  Find Fujimini Adventure Series award-winning books here.  Great family-friendly gifts.

Fast forward to today, and you would never even guess what these two brothers have been through together. You'll find Connor out on the basketball court and Caden on the football field, joining in activities just like all the other kids. They have both finished their treatments and now only have to go to the doctor for regular check-ups. 

Even though no parent would ever wish this diagnosis on one of their children, never mind two, Conor and Caden made the most of their grim reality by supporting each other through the entire process and going through such terrifying times together. These two brothers are an inspiring demonstration of the power and strength that a family can have, even at such a young age.