Many people have heard about the Mother who lost her legs saving her children during a disastrous Henryville Indiana tornado in March. However, most of us don’t know her name or the details of her story.
Stephanie Decker wrapped her eight-year-old son and five-year-old daughter in a blanket, and used her own body as a shield from the huge pieces of debris that used to be their home.
Decker relived the horror during the height of the devasation:
“They’re screaming, ‘Mommy, I can’t live without you, I don’t want to die, please don’t let me die,’ and I said, ‘You’re not going to die. ‘”
“I prayed to have the strength to survive,” she told NBC. “I wanted these kids to have a mom. I did not want them to have to grow up without me.”
A poignant moment for me was seeing Stephanie Decker give the first pitch for a Louisville Cardinals game. She rolled her wheelchair out with her children walking by her side. The children were completely unscathed, and she was beaming with satisfaction.
Seeing her happiness, knowing she was victorious in keeping her children healthy and safe, no matter the cost to herself, was inspirational.
She is the definition of a mother.
Excellent feature, and I can’t even imagine the fear she felt in those moments, both afraid of losing her children and of her children losing their mother. And the most heartwarming part is, that to her, it was likely just blind instinct to throw herself over her children.
A mother’s love knows no bounds. Such an inspirational story!
What an inspiring post, and a nice reminder to me to be grateful when I get a bit whiny.
I just got choked up…she really does define mother.
Imagining my children living without me is something that really upsets and terrifies me.
This story made me cry. Just wow! I want to be that kind of mother
Heart wrenching, humbling, and inspiring. Thank you for this wonderful reminder of how fortunate we are.
What a great story!
She is such an amazing Mom. Thank you for sharing