They cook, they clean, they work hard. Moms are real-life superheroes who don't always get the recognition they deserve.
WKYC wanted to change that, so we're introducing you to a group of local moms who are changing lives everyday.
We asked our social media fans to nominate the inspiring mothers in their lives. Here are some of their stories.
Kelly
Kelly McGuire is a two-year survivor of Glioblastoma and a mother of three. She was nominated by her husband, who writes, "Since undergoing surgery in 2017, Kelly maintained a positive attitude through the ups and downs of her treatment. She had a scare in May 2018 that her tumor was regrowing, but it has since stopped and remained stable. With all that, she has found time to focus on the kids and their needs, no matter how she felt. She continues to fight this disease while ensuring that her family sees minimal impact through all this. Her attitude and perseverance through her ordeal can offer others hope and hopefully inspire others in a similar situation to look for the positives and not focus on the negatives!"
Shawna
Shawna Ogint does it all for her daughter. She was nominated by her daughter with some help from her grandmother. They write, "My mother is the most outstanding mother because she and my dad work on weekends so I can get a good education. My mother is so supportive of my juvenile arthritis. She is there every second I'm in pain or I need her. I bet every person out there would be more than happy to know how amazing my mom is. My mom cooks, cleans, works, etc. just for us. I am just so lucky to have her as my mom. My mom comes to every doctor appointment and she holds my hand when I get nervous during it. She is just such a hard-working mom, I can't even explain in words how my mom is special to me, and how much I love her. My mom should be featured on Channel 3 because people will know how amazing she is, and when they see her, they will smile because she puts off such a positive vibe."
Allison
Allison Danielson works two jobs, volunteers at her church and is a mother to three kids. She was nominated by her husband, who writes, "Allison is the most amazing mom ever, she has two jobs; she is a franchise development manager at Health Source, a chiropractic franchise company headquartered in Avon with over 300 franchises nationally. She is also a part-time real estate agent for Keller Williams. Most importantly, she is a mom to three kids: Kamryn, Halston and Hadley. Hadley was just born on March 22, and some complications almost resulted in losing both of them in childbirth; both are doing great now. Allison is amazing and I don't know what I would do without her. She not only takes care of our kids but she is an amazing cook, she runs our house and is the most organized person I know. Allison also volunteers at our church, Avon Lake United Church of Christ, with the youth group. She is loving and caring and beautiful inside and out. She is the most amazing mom, and person you could ask for."
Amanda
Amanda McCrary is a teacher, church volunteer and mother to three children. She was nominated by her mother, who writes, "Amanda has always known what she wanted out of life. First, was to be a teacher. She stayed an extra semester in school to get a K-8 plus special ed degree. Amanda taught school for six years before becoming a mother. She has two sons, ages 12 and five, and a daughter who is 8. Amanda's husband travels quite a lot so Amanda does most of the shuttling, homework and activities. Ry, her 5-year-old, has down syndrome and is a joy to her but also requires much of her attention. Amanda gives so much to her family. She also makes sure that when her husband is home to make time to get caught up with him and her friends by making plans to meet for lunch or dinner. Sunday is our family time and she is always the one to coordinate what's for supper and who is fixing what. Most of the time, she will be the one who brings the most. Amanda somehow finds the time to volunteer to her church community, too. She is in charge of the monthly cleaning at their church. She gets her teaching fix by being the preschool teacher for Ry's class so that he can participate in the program. She gets her other two kids to weekly mass to either serve or sing in the choir, often at different times on Sundays. Amanda really steps it up to be a wonderful daughter, sister, wife, mother, friend and volunteer. She is really a special girl."
Jacqueline
Jacqueline Castro is a mother to five who has cardiovascular dementia. Despite that, she continues to help others. She was nominated by her daughter, who writes, "Mom is 77 years old now this year. Mom had to go to new assisted living, and everyone there tells us what we, her children, have already experienced. Mom now has cardiovascular dementia, but still wants to take care of others. Mom has five children and stayed home and volunteered at our schools when we were young, helped us with homework. Our family had one car, so she picked dad up downtown and cooked three meals per day, including hot lunch for us at noon when we came home. I remember women in the neighborhood coming to my mom to get advice, and teenage girls coming to mom for help. Mom never told you anything she herself would not do. But it's her smile and her love that make it evident that my mom is spectacular with love that is hard to copy. Mom helped me at my business for some time and my clients were over the top with mom, talking with her and getting advice. She would hug each one and always tell them how special they were that and she loved them."
Erin
Erin Julian is a mother of three, one of which has special needs. She was nominated by her aunt, who writes, "She is remarkable. Erin and her husband, Bill, are the proud parents of three beautiful kids, Liam, 8, Regan, 6 and Clare, 4. Clare is a special needs child. She was born with a condition called Nemolene Myopathy. Her muscles have not developed, meaning she is unable to walk or speak and is on a ventilator 24 hours per day, requiring around the clock care. This condition is very rare so there is very little knowledge or research that going on to help these victims or their families. Along with her normal mothering role, Erin has become a champion for kids born with NM. She has gone to congress on behalf of the Cleveland Clinic to lobby for more research dollars. She is helping to form support groups for the families. While Clare was born with mountains of physical disabilities, she is very smart. She uses sign language to communicate. Erin is always looking for ways to improve Clare's life, who is registered to start kindergarten in the fall. Along with her total commitment to Clare, Erin is a great mom for Liam and Regan, doing all the things a mom does, baking, field trips, volunteering at school, helping with extra curriculars, and keeps a part time job at Villa Angela St. Joseph High School in the Development Department. Erin is dearly loved by everyone in our giant family - she is the first to offer help for anything, she is so much fun to be around and she is a great inspiration for all the younger cousins and anyone who crosses her path."
