Spotlight Series: Robbie Chandler (My mom!)

I couldn’t do a series about the important women in my life without discussing my mom.  From the very beginning, my mom and I have had a very strong connection.  My dad’s side of the family has some STRONG genes.  All the babies born on that side of the family look identical when they’re little and very similar as the get older.  When I was born, my paternal grandfather famously said “Who does she look like?”.  My mom.  While I have a lot of Lindgren family characteristics, I’m a Freeman kid.  Red hair, freckles, and blue eyes.

My college graduation - 2008

My mom was an awesome stay-at-home mom while I was growing up.  She could sew pretty much anything (every one of my Halloween costumes since birth!), she was PTO president, she carted us around to our many events...  She even used to set up my sister’s stuffed animals in the window at the front of the house so she would see them when she walked home from school.  Awesome.

My Christmas present one year was that my mom took me to
Madame Toussaud's Wax Museum in NYC.  It was awesome.

My mom was always really honest and open with me.  I’ve never had any hesitations about talking to her about my friends, my relationships, my school, my jobs, and even the more controversial subjects.  I’ve learned a lot from my mom.  My strong desire to be a blood donor comes from her, as she was always an active donor while I was growing up.  I don’t know that I would have donated my kidney if she hadn’t instilled that value in me.  My beliefs about a woman’s rights to health care and choice definitely come from my mom, who explained to me (in a very unbiased way) when I was 11 what abortion meant, because I had asked her.

In Atlantic City

When my parents divorced and my mom went back to work, it was a struggle for all of us.  Going from a mom who was ALWAYS around to a mom that worked nights and took classes to get her teaching certification renewed was challenging.  But, she was still a strong presence.  I guess when all kids get older, they realize how much their parents sacrificed for them, and that’s definitely the case for me.  My mom worked really hard for us and for herself.  It was good for me to see that.  I think it’s a big part of why I work as hard as I do now.

She teaches high school English in Philadelphia

Maybe you know my mom, and you know how awesome she is.  Or maybe your mom is also awesome, and this post is reminding you why.  Regardless, I don’t want my mom or yours to be the 1 in 8 women diagnosed with breast cancer.  My mom deserves a lifetime, and I deserve a lifetime with her.  So, I walk 60 miles every year to make sure that my mom will be here for a long time.  I’m asking you to donate to that cause.  So my mom, your mom, or any woman in your life who has been a mom to you will be here for a long time to come.

Not sure how much to donate?  Here are some numbers that are important to my mom’s life:

$30 donation - In honor of her birthday on the 30th of November.

$27 donation - In honor of the number of years that she has had the privilege of being my mom :-)

$60 donation - In honor of the number of miles I walk for her

$52 donation - In honor of the year she was born (Sorry, mom!)

$100 donation - In honor of the “hundreds” of times she’s been there for me

$82 donation - In honor of the year she first became a mom

Donate an amount that is significant to you, or just donate what you can.  But help me in my journey to end breast cancer and keep the people we love in our lives.

Christmas 2012