Amazing feats of real-life moms
Any woman who can prepare every meal, nurse every wound and remember every dance recital and soccer match is already a hero in our book. This Mother’s Day, we raise a glass to some regular (and a few red carpet) moms who took their daily deeds to a new level. They saved the day and, in some cases, made the ultimate sacrifice.
Ashley BrownIn
October 2011, this mom found her apartment on fire. When she realized she couldn’t get her 2-month-old and 3-year-old out the front door, she headed to the building’s third floor and got resourceful .
Dawn Manning
This Canadian mom and her family were hiking through a U.S. National Forest in September 2009 when a cougar attacked her 5-year-old son and attempted to carry him off by the head. Manning quickly put up a fight.
Deborah Dermack
Dermack and her two children were strolling throughthis Manhattan neighborhood in August 2011 when an out-of-control truck came barreling onto the sidewalk. She pushed the children out of harm’s way.
Heidi Klum
The supermodel-turned-reality TV host watched her spring Hawaiian vacation take a horrific turn when she watched a riptide sweep away her 7-year-old son (his dad is her celeb ex-husband). She and her bodyguard beau dived to the boy's rescue but found the good little swimmer could save himself.
Kate Ogg
Dermack and her two children were strolling throughthis Manhattan neighborhood in August 2011 when an out-of-control truck came barreling onto the sidewalk. She pushed the children out of harm’s way.
The supermodel-turned-reality TV host watched her spring Hawaiian vacation take a horrific turn when she watched a riptide sweep away her 7-year-old son (his dad is her celeb ex-husband). She and her bodyguard beau dived to the boy's rescue but found the good little swimmer could save himself.
In August 2010, hospital staff told this new mom that her premature newborn daughter was healthy, but the baby’s twin brother couldn’t be resuscitated.
Kate Winslet
In August 2011, the star of "Titanic" and "The Reader" was vacationing at the home of her billionaire friendwith her family in tow. A major fire engulfed the posh estate and Winslet ushered her kids to safety. But they’re not the only ones she rescued.
Monique Zimmerman-Stein
In August 2011, the star of "Titanic" and "The Reader" was vacationing at the home of her billionaire friendwith her family in tow. A major fire engulfed the posh estate and Winslet ushered her kids to safety. But they’re not the only ones she rescued.
Due to a rare medical condition, Zimmerman-Stein lost her right eye at age 16 and, as of 2009, she was beginning to lose sight in the left. There are pricy treatments that could save her remaining eyesight, but she opted against receiving them.
Nikki Bradshaw Carpenter
In April 2010, a massive tornado swept through Carpenter’s Mississippi home, threatening the lives of her three sons. The twister was the largest of many that struck the area at the same time. Her quick thinking saved them all, but she did not survive the ordeal.
Stephanie Decker
When one of the devastating Midwestern tornadoes of 2012 hit Decker’s Indiana home, she shielded her son and daughter with her own body.
Sulmi Guerra-Sandoval
This Midwestern mom was caring for two of her own children and baby-sitting two others in early April when a fire broke out in the first floor of her apartment. Guerra-Sandoval lowered three of the children out a second-story window and into the hands of onlookers.
In April 2010, a massive tornado swept through Carpenter’s Mississippi home, threatening the lives of her three sons. The twister was the largest of many that struck the area at the same time. Her quick thinking saved them all, but she did not survive the ordeal.
Rhonda Carlsen
Carlsen was waiting for the school bus to pick up her kids when she found herself thrust into the role of heroine. That February 2012 morning, it became clear something was amiss with the driver, and the kids on the bus were afraid for their lives. The mom took off running to save them.
Carlsen was waiting for the school bus to pick up her kids when she found herself thrust into the role of heroine. That February 2012 morning, it became clear something was amiss with the driver, and the kids on the bus were afraid for their lives. The mom took off running to save them.
Stephanie Decker
When one of the devastating Midwestern tornadoes of 2012 hit Decker’s Indiana home, she shielded her son and daughter with her own body.
This Midwestern mom was caring for two of her own children and baby-sitting two others in early April when a fire broke out in the first floor of her apartment. Guerra-Sandoval lowered three of the children out a second-story window and into the hands of onlookers.
Tess Guthrie
In January, this Aussie mother awoke in the middle of the night to an odd sort of alarm. What raised all the ruckus? A python had found its way inside her home and wound itself around her sleeping 2-year-old daughter’s arm.