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Our Work TJC 2009 Mothers of the Year Working with families in times of crisis, TJC has witnessed the extraordinary love of mothers. We have seen women struggling to care for families that include critically ill children, and do so with grace and humor. We have heard women, whose children have died, bravely testify in Court, so that other mothers will be spared such grief. We have stood with parents who persistently advocate for not only their own children, but all children in need of health care. We have a deep respect for each of these women and the difference they are making in the world. Every Mother’s Day we honor the TJC Mothers of the Year. We choose as many as six women per year who, in the midst of their own family’s medical crisis, speak out to help other families. Our staff recruits volunteer photographers, providing our honorees with framed family photos in addition to “Mother of the Year” certificates. This year, we continue a new tradition - the second annual reception and ceremony honoring the mothers in person. “The responses from the women TJC honors have been overwhelming. When I called my client, a single mother who was working full-time while finishing high school, and told her she had been selected, she cried for 20 minutes,” says Kate Crosby, a former paralegal at TJC. “For many of our clients, this is first time in their lives that anyone told them that they are leaders, examples, heroes.”
Read about the 2009 Community Mothers of the Year and 2009 Father of the Year. To read Mother's Day stories from past years, click here.
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Velma’s teenage granddaughter and foster daughter, Rebecca, struggles with scoliosis and ADHD (attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder). A high school junior, Rebecca loves animals and the outdoors. She plans to continue her education and hopes to become a nurse’s assistant. She requires physical therapy for severe back pain, and medication for her ADHD. At age 18, as she aged out of state custody, but due to a bureaucratic oversight, was dropped from TennCare. At this vulnerable time in Rebecca’s life, as she entered adulthood, the healthcare safety net showed gaping holes. 
Vicie loves children, and has adopted three special needs children, including her son Trevor. Trevor is extremely medically fragile, but he loves sitting in laps and being snuggled. He is non-ambulatory and non-verbal, and uses an overhead lift system to move and a percussion vest to help him breathe. Still Vicie takes Trevor and his siblings out to the carnival and car races to enjoy their favorite activities. 
Judy’s adopted son, Ladontay, age 6, loves skateboarding, coloring, watching wrestling on TV, reading, and going to school. However, Ladontay has cysts on his nose that make wearing regular glasses painful. Judy knew that if Ladontay’s glasses were more comfortable, he would leave them on at school and be able to learn more easily. His doctor ordered special glasses, however, his TennCare vision plan would only cover non-flexible glasses. 
Mrs. Rodriguez provides in-home care to her daughter Sarah, age 28, who suffered a traumatic brain injury in a car accident two years ago. Sarah is confined to bed and requires round-the-clock care, but she still takes joy in life, and lives to watch her children grow. Mrs. Rodriguez and her husband are also raising Sarah’s three young children, ages eight, six and three. 
Brittany is the mother of 18-month-old identical twins Addleigh and Kennedi. She runs a church day care, and gets to work with children throughout the day. However, Brittany’s twins get her extra love and care not only because they are hers, but because they both have medical conditions that cause seizures, muscle weakness, and developmental delays. Neither Brittany nor her husband have health insurance through their jobs, so TennCare has been essential in caring for the twins’ special medical needs. 
