My Mom, My Superwoman!

Today is a very important day – my mom’s birthday!! My mom is my oldest friend, literally there from the very beginning! She has spent the last 23 years of her life raising Nina, Nick and me into the smart, strong, passionate and unique souls we are today. And I’m proud to say that I’m a lot like her. We both take on any opportunity to travel to new places and meet new and interesting people. We both can spend long hours on the phone talking about not much in particular. We both hate shopping for ourselves, but can always find a reason to buy for others. We are both serious nerds when it comes to reading and discussing infectious diseases. We love taking photographs, and will make you smile for five minutes straight if that’s how long it takes to get a good shot. The list goes on and on!

My mom is such an incredible, constant pillar of strength, love and support in my life. She has always been there for me through everything. From the piano recitals to the Honolulu Marathon, from helping me get ready for school dances to helping me through multiple moves in New York City. She’s the one that’s always there to listen when I get emotional (which is often), and has found a way to talk me through every difficult moment in my life. Unfortunately, her birthday this year comes at a very difficult time for our family, and I’m very sorry that I am so far away, when she has always been there to support me no matter what.

My mom and me in Hawaii (after the marathon!)

MY MOM IS A SUPERWOMAN. Her selflessness is the inspiration behind the work I do every day for Keep a Child Alive. Keep a Child Alive was founded on a mother’s love, inspired by one woman’s fight for the AIDS medication to keep her little boy alive. In 2002, royalties from Leigh Blake's previous fundraiser, Red Hot & Blue, built the AIDS Research and Family Care Clinic in Mombasa, Kenya. When Leigh arrived at the clinic, she met Anne, desperate to obtain the anti-retroviral drugs that her three-year-old son Brine needed to survive. Leigh was so moved by Anne and her courage that she decided to pay for the medicine. What started as payment for the drugs for one young boy has expanded since with Keep a Child Alive to fund the treatment and care of more than 45,000 people in Africa and India.

The AIDS pandemic in Africa is bringing more superwomen like Anne, Leigh, Rhona and my mom to the forefront. With more and more parents dying from AIDS, grandmothers are raising their grandchildren and teenage girls are raising their younger brothers and sisters. In addition to becoming the primary caretakers, these superwomen are actively seeking AIDS medicine for these children left behind. Keep a Child Alive funds the anti-retroviral therapy at the Blue Roof, and we welcome all mothers and children in need!

Happy Birthday Mom! Take today to take care of yourself. Jam out to Alicia Keys, and celebrate the superwoman you truly are!!

“The state of humanity is wearing on my shoulders, I got to find the strength in me…’cause I am a superwoman, yes I am…’cause even when I’m a mess, I still put on a vest, with an S on my chest, oh yes, I’m a superwoman.

This is for all the mothers fighting for better days to come…and all my women, all my women sitting here trying to come home before the sun…and all my sisters coming together saying “yes, I will,” “yes I can,” ‘cause I am a superwoman, yes I am…’cause even when I’m a mess, I still put on a vest, with an S on my chest, oh yes, I’m a superwoman.”