A highlight of the annual Mother & Baby Magazine Awards, Mum of the Year recognises those mums who have gone above and beyond for their family and community. Many exceptional women have been nominated and we’ve sifted through their stories to find the most inspiring. Meet our five fabulous finalists.
*Fiona Groves, 50, mum to Jonathan, 27, Jack, 24, Alice, 20, Claire, 15, long-term foster child Mitchell, three, and 25 short-term foster children over the last six years
A registered nurse and midwife, Fiona has always loved children. Through her work she saw many children being taken into care and, after discussing her options with her biological children, decided to begin the long screening process to becoming a foster carer. Over the course of six years, she’s looked after sibling groups of two or three and newborns to eight-year-olds, sometimes caring for up to five children at a time. She’s also fostered children with autism, developmental delays, congenital abnormalities or who are victims of abuse. She regularly collects and donates clothing and baby equipment to the Dandelion Support Network, which passes them onto families in need.
“I want to broaden my children’s view of the world, teach them to give and not take, to share what they have and to love other children who come into our home as much as I do. There are many challenges as a foster carer, but I pride myself on treating children in care as normal children who go to playgroup, have friends over to play, celebrate birthdays with parties and gifts and take holidays. Seeing their faces light up when Santa has been or doing special things they may not have done before is an exciting challenge for me and my family.”
Narelle Vakalaros, 41, mum to Nicholas, four
Following a healthy pregnancy, Narelle’s baby, Nicholas, was born in a critical condition with a minimal chance of survival. At the same time, Narelle was caring for her mother who had terminal cancer. Baby Nicholas spent a month in intensive care at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney, before going home, but returned frequently for medical appointments and therapy until he was 14 months old.
A year later Narelle joined Little Wonder, a support group and charity for RPA’s neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), and has helped raise over $70,000 in funds and equipment. She was elected vice president of Little Wonder in late 2012.
“I want all parents to know what a NICU is and what it does. Having a baby in NICU robs you of all the ‘normal’ things you expect when you have a newborn – visitors, gifts, short hospital stay, breastfeeding and cuddles. I want to give these families some of the normal back – the celebration that having a new little person is supposed to be. I want other families to see what we have achieved with our own children and our Little Wonder work, to have hope and know we have had a similar journey and have managed to get through it okay.”
Carolene Waldon, 27, mum to Rylan, six, and Bastien, two
Ill health is a constant in Carolene’s life – she has chronic fatigue and arthritis, which can leave her bedridden, her eldest son has ADHD and her youngest son has a serious heart condition. However, Carolene is studying for a business diploma and also managing a not-for-profit organisation which she founded, the Defence Partner Employment Network (DPEN). This provides free employment assistance and low-cost workshops to help partners of Australian Defence Force employees find work, and also offer them online support.
“My children motivate me to be the best I can be. Waking up to their smiling faces is what keeps me going – they are my world! I’m passionate about what I do and believe my work with DPEN is making a real change in people’s lives. I love seeing the gratitude on my clients’ faces and, in their words, they really appreciate what we do. Instead of crying over the abilities I lost when I was diagnosed, I decided to embrace the abilities I still had. My self-confidence increased, I became more positive and developed the courage to achieve things I never thought I could.”
Cheryl Crumblin, 39, mum to Jayden, nine, Karson, eight, and Sierra, four
Cheryl was living in Canada and five months pregnant with her third child when she learnt that her husband, who had returned to Australia to fight bushfires, had been involved in a helicopter accident and had severe injuries to his back, knee, sternum and elbow. A month after her daughter was born, Cheryl sold all her possessions and moved back to Australia to look after him. She returned to work full-time to support her family and commutes three hours a day while juggling her job and husband’s rehabilitation, plus looking after their three children.
“After the accident, I remember opening Christmas presents with my boys in the hospital car park and trying to keep it together so they wouldn’t see me cry.
It’s been a tough few years for our family but we’re extremely lucky that I have a husband and my kids have their father here with them. As I work full-time through the week, I try to make the most of my weekends with the kids. I enjoy spending time with them and ensure they get to experience different things. You never know where life is going to take you, but you deal with it and handle the situation as best as you can.”
Sonya Lopes, 36, mum to Jesse, seven months
After being diagnosed with bowel cancer 22 weeks into her first pregnancy, Sonya was advised by medical professionals to terminate her baby. Following an agonising discussion with her husband, Alfredo, Sonya decided to continue with the pregnancy and delay the chemotherapy treatment that would save her life. At 25 weeks, she underwent surgery to remove a tumour the size of a large grapefruit, along with almost half her colon and 48 lymph nodes. Baby Jesse was born at 32 weeks and Sonya immediately began six months of chemotherapy while caring for her son.
“Against all odds our baby came safely into the world. My life was in danger and his life was also in danger. But we are glad to have been through this time because it has deepened our relationships with each other, our family and our friends.
“At times we needed to count on others to help us and we’re really grateful for their support. Friends and family have been a wonderful example to us, and now we want to be able to help other people going through tough times.”
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