Photo from ABC news, courtesy Mindy Tran.
Mindy Tran was just starting to feel like her life was improving. The 22-year-old mother from Lawrence, MA spent a hard season in a homeless shelter with her 2 year old twin girls, Saleen and Sydney. Her circumstances changed for the better when she found an apartment and got her girls into daycare.
On an ordinary morning Mindy buckled her girls into the car and went to shut the door of her home. As she was shutting her door the car began to roll towards traffic. What happened next is being described as an act of sacrifice brought on by a mother’s love. When Mindy saw the car rolling towards the street she made a quick decision. She told ABC news, “My daughters are everything; I knew it was me or them.” Realizing her daughters’ lives were in danger, Mindy lay on the ground and stopped the moving car with her body.
A neighbor rushed over to help and got her daughters out of the car. As for Mindy firefighters stabilized the car with wooden blocks and used an airbag to lift the car off of her. Mindy was airlifted to a Boston hospital where she is currently recovering. Mindy’s daughters were safe but she dislocated her shoulder, crushed her knee and injured her hip.
Mindy’s story is sobering and challenging. There’s a reason it has captured the attention of the nation. We’re all moved by acts of genuine self-sacrifice. We secretly wonder if we would do the same if put in a similar position. One reader’s comment on the ABC article sums up what many are thinking:
What an awesome mom. Some moms drive their kids into ponds and oceans. This one laid down her life to safe her children’s. THAT is what being a parent is about. Raising your babies to live and thrive in adulthood, and protecting them with your life.
Mindy’s example should cause our nation to ponder the true meaning of motherhood. Deep down we want mothers to do everything they can to protect, nurture and care for their children. We praise them when they sacrifice because we know it’s the right thing to do. Where would we be as a nation if all mothers sought to protect their children’s lives at any cost?
Mindy told ABC, “I don’t consider myself a hero … I am just a mother.”
Mindy, I’d say you are both.
