Mothers Who Risked Everything for Their Kids
They say you can't ever underestimate a mother's love, but what about her strength? When a child is in danger, moms will risk it all to protect their precious babies - even if it means putting themselves in danger. Join us as we pay homage to these incredible moms who went above and beyond to save their little ones - you'll be amazed what a mother is capable of in the face of extreme danger.
Burn or Jump
Back in 2014, 23-year-old mother, Christina Simoes was caught in a fire, trapped in her apartment in Haverhill, Massachusetts. With no way out, Christina could only think of her 18-month-old son, Cameron. The only way out of the burning building was the balcony.
It takes a lot of guts to chose between burning to death or risking everything by jumping two stories, but Christina knew she had to try to save the life of her son. Nestling Cameron on her front, Simoes threw herself backwards off of the balcony, landing on the concrete. See what happened in the next slide.
A Good Decision
Amazingly, both Cameron and Christina survived the fall. Cameron was unharmed, but his mother had shattered her spine so badly that the doctors told her she would never walk again.
Thankfully, Christina proved them wrong after she underwent several lengthy surgeries, largely paid for by a successful GoFundMe campaign. Simoes told the media that she would make the same decision again in a heartbeat, but "only if completely necessary." It's true what they say, moms really will do anything to protect their children, regardless of what it costs them. If the kids are okay, then mom is okay, too.
Dog Fight
When it comes to dogs and kids, it can be a tricky business. Some dogs simply don't understand children, and even the most loyal pups can panic and feel like they're being attacked, savagely turning on the innocent kid. Chelsi Camp was pet-sitting for a family friend when the dog turned on her daughter.
The once-friendly pet began to savagely maul Chelsi's child, but mom wasn't about to sit back and let events play out without putting up a fight. This mom did what any mom would do and ended up getting hurt in the process. Read on for Chelsi's amazing story.
Chelsi the Champ
Chelsi didn't hesitate to grab the dog's jaw as he mauled her daughter, prizing him away. While her hands were at work, she also employed her teeth, biting off the dog's ear in her efforts to free the poor youngster.
Thankfully, the dog let the child go and Chelsi shoved her fist down the throat of the animal to subdue it. Both Chelsi and her daughter made a full recovery, all thanks to this feisty mama's willingness to put herself in the line of fire for her child. When it comes to moms vs dogs, moms are going to win every time.
Runaway Car
Parenting isn't easy, and we're often in such a rush that we forget the little things. Mom Mindy Tran pulled up in her car, parked and thought she had put the handbrake on when she hopped out for a moment. When she turned around, she realized that the car was rolling toward a busy road... with her twins in the backseat.
What did Mindy do? Knowing she wouldn't be able to slow it down any other way, the devoted mom threw herself between the tires to buy some time for neighbors to intervene and stop the car. Her body did cause the car to stop, and although Mindy injured her back and legs, everyone survived.
Bear Hunt
It's quite lucky that most of us don't have to deal with deadly animals on a regular basis, but maybe we shouldn't take that for granted. Lydia Angiyou of Northern Quebec was horrified when she stumbled across an angry polar bear whilst with her 7-year-old son.
When the bear started to attack, Lydia protected her son and took the brunt of the force, fending off the bear to the best of her abilities. The bear continued to defend itself until shots were fired and it ran off into the wilderness. Luckily both Lydia and her child fully recovered.
The Terrible Tornado
Tornado's are not to be messed with - we've all seen the kind of devastation that they can cause. When you're in the midst of a storm, the only thing you need to focus on is the safety of your family. Stephanie Decker was inside her home with her children when it became apparent the entire house was being sucked into the vortex.
The Henryville, Indiana woman recalled the tale to ABC afterward in 2012, stating, "It was nothing I expected. I never, ever thought in a million years my house would be blown away." Read on to discover Stephanie's incredible story.
Human Shield
When Stephanie realized that her house was being sucked up, she rushed to the basement with her son Dominic, 8, and her daughter, Reese, 5. Throwing a comforter over them as the house began to disintegrate, Decker protected her children from the debris with her body.
Her legs were crushed in the process and had to be amputated the following day. As for her children, both Dominic and Reese didn't have a scratch on them thanks to their superhero mom and her incredible actions. "I remember the whole thing," said Stephanie. "I couldn't afford to pass out. They needed me." Decker has seen appeared on The Ellen Show to tell her story.
Naughty Kitty
We all know that cats like to play, but have you ever come face to face with a frisky cougar? Maureen Lee and her daughter had a very close encounter while they were out picking berries in Squamish, BC. The mother and daughter were having a lovely time until the cougar pounced from the bushes, rolling the 3-year-old to the floor.
Maureen instinctively wedged herself between the cougar and her daughter, and with the animal on her back, she stood up and threw it off. The cougar took off into the woods. Thankfully her daughter was fine and asked, "Why didn't the kitty play nice?"
Shark Attack
Shark attacks happen around the world, but you'd never think it would happen to you. In 2012, Valeh Levy was out surfing with her 15-year-old daughter, Sydney, in Miami. The pair were enjoying the waves when suddenly, a shark grabbed Sydney's legs and pulled her underwater.
"This was my worst nightmare to see an animal that could kill my daughter pulling her underwater," said the 45-year-old mom. Sydney managed to pull herself back up onto her board, but the ordeal wasn't over yet. The shark grabbed the surfboard leash that was attached to Sydney's leg, jerking her under once more. Mom knew she had to act fast...
Not Today, Jaws
Valeh plunged head first into the water and grabbed her daughter's shoulders, yanking her away from the predator and pulling her onto the nose of her surfboard. Although the two were on the board together, the shark kept circling them, smelling the teenager's blood in the water.
They were able to hail two surfers nearby, and with their help, the mother and daughter returned to shore with their lives. "To me, it was like a scene out of Jaws, where the girl is getting sucked under and I said there is no way that this thing is going to kill my daughter," Levy told CBS.
Holiday Hell
Holidays are supposed to be a time when families come together to make precious memories to treasure for life, but Kristen Chappell recalls her trip to Spain in a different light. She was out walking with her son and husband when the youngster stumbled over a cliff.
Mom immediately threw herself over the rocks to get to her son, and dad was straight behind her. The child had managed to fall into a pool of water which protected him from injury, but mom wasn't so lucky. Kristen suffered several broken bones and a broken back from her rescue attempt - but it's all worth the safety of her child.
Crocodile Snap
Sharks aren't the only predators with big teeth we have to worry about - alligators and crocodiles pack a nasty punch, too. Rohima was in her village near the coast of Indonesia when she heard her 25-year-old daughter Trisna screaming for help from the river. When Rohima arrived on the scene, she saw an 18-foot crocodile had her in his grasp.
Trisna's leg was locked between the jaws of the prehistoric monster, and he wasn't about to let go any time soon. The young woman was trying to fight him off but was no match for the croc's strength.
Bare Braul
Knowing that her daughter would very likely lose her leg and possibly her life, Rohima knew that she had to take swift action. She rushed over to the scene and took the almighty animal's jaws in her hands, using all of her strength to pry her daughter from his grip.
Amazingly, it worked and Trisna was able to wrench her leg free - to the surprise of the entire village. She made a full recovery after having 50 stitches in her leg, but at least she lived to tell the tale. Let's hope she got mama some flowers to say thanks!
007 Mom
When parents split it can be a difficult thing to deal with. Custody issues often arise, but what you don't expect is for one party to kidnap the child and take them overseas without consent. It's immoral and illegal. Kalliopi "Kalli" Atteya from Pennsylvania was petrified when her son, Nico, was kidnapped by his father while he was visiting Egypt with his aunt.
Kalli wasn't about to let her son go without a fight and got on a plane to find him. She hired a private investigator, wore a hijab and a niqab to hide her identity and 007'd the heck out of that situation. Two months later she took her son Nico back to the US.
Super Moms
Moms in general are pretty incredible when it comes to helping children. Two moms intervened when they saw an unrelated 8-year-old boy get run over and pinned between a 1 ton Renault Clio on the street outside their homes.
Donna McNamee and Abigail Sicolo rushed from their houses and onto the scene, along with an unnamed man. All three of them lifted the car up to free the injured child. Now, that's not something you see every day. The boy recovered well and Donna and Abigail continue to be living proof that moms are the best darn people around.
Escalator Tragedy
What should have been an innocent trip to the mall turned into a family tragedy for one family in 2015. 30-year-old Xiang Liujan was enjoying her day out with her young son when a faulty escalator turned on them. Two workers stood atop the escalator as Xiang began riding it with her son, and called down to her that it was dangerous.
Protecting her son, Xiang lifted him off of the moving stars to step off, preparing to go on their way without incident. As they reached the top and the pair took a step, the panel beneath them began to give way. Learn more about Xiang's story in the next slide.
Ultimate Sacrifice
As the metal panel began to give way underneath her feet, the workers looked on in horror. Xiang pushed her son forward to safety, but it was too late for her and she fell to her death in the escalator shaft. Details emerged after the incident that the fault was known five minutes prior, but mall employees failed to shut it down.
Xiang's family were left devastated, but indebted to her for making the ultimate sacrifice to protect her young son above all else. "An ordinary shopping trip ended up in such a sudden tragedy," wrote her sister-in-law. "It almost ruined an entire family."
Toy Disaster
When you buy your kids something new to play with, the last thing you expect is that it's going to burst into flames. Michelle Kline was watching her two kids driving in their toy Jeep on the neighbor's lawn when smoke started pouring out from under the hood. Her instinct told her to get them out as soon as possible, so she dropped everything and ran across the garden.
"They were both buckled in and they are both little so neither of them could've got themselves out," said Kline. With the smoke increasing, the young mom knew that she had to get them out quickly. Read on to see Michelle's incredible story.
Furious Flames
Michelle unbuckled both of her confused children as quickly as she could, freeing them from the smoking car moments before it burst into a ball of flames. "It was alarming how quickly it went up," said Kline. "It went from a little bit of smoke to a full-on fire within like 2 minutes."
The fire department commended Kline for getting her kids out when she first noticed the smoke. Without her eagle-eyes the kids could have been seriously injured in the toy disaster, which was put down to a faulty battery. It makes you think twice about what to get for Christmas, doesn't it?
