The Kansas City Star: Here’s how these Kansas City area moms find joy, despite COVID-19
By Tammy Ljungblad
This is a Mother’s Day like no other.
Extended families yearning to hug and kiss loved ones are keeping their distance, planning virtual celebrations and phone calls for fear of spreading the coronavirus if they gather in person.
At the same time, mothers of younger kids, after weeks of balancing Zoom meetings and parenting, are still appreciating the extra time together.
We talked to seven Kansas City area moms — a nurse, a grocery cashier, a Hallmark manager, a teacher, twin students and the Kansas City fire chief — about life in the age of COVID-19 and how they’ll be celebrating this Mother’s Day.
THE NURSE
Theresa Jo Lady — call her Terry — works with young cancer patients as a registered nurse at Children's Mercy Hospital.
And now, so does her daughter.
Alexandra Breann Lady, 23, graduated last year from the University of Missouri and is also a registered nurse in the hospital’s hematology oncology unit.
“She shares the same passion for the career that I’ve chosen,” said Terry, “and that’s pretty special and makes me proud.”
Alex, who lives in Kansas City, followed in her mom’s footsteps because, for her future family, she wanted the kind of life her mother has had.
“We watched my mom come home with a big smile on her face every single day,“ Alex said. “Her job working with kids with cancer is super rewarding.”
And the job gave her flexibility so she “never missed anything when I was growing up.”
Terry, 55, a mother of three, lost her own mom a couple of years ago.
“Mother’s Day will be a more intimate gathering this year,” she said. The family, which includes husband Roger and sons Zane, 19, and Chaz, 26, will probably spend time together outdoors near the lake where they live in Lee’s Summit. “I’m fortunate to have three children that I adore.”
And they adore her.
“She’s not just a hero this year during the coronavirus pandemic,” Alex said. “My mom has been my hero my entire life.”
Read more Mother's Day stories via The Kansas City Star
Learn how you can help a Children's Mercy mom