The power of being a parent – Mom loses two legs saving kids

The story of an Indiana woman who lost parts of both her legs saving her two children from a tornado that ripped apart their house is a great example of the power of parent’s love, said 97.3 KIRO FM host Dori Monson.

Stephanie Decker, a 36-year-old sleep specialist, lost one leg above the knee and the other above the ankle but managed to save her two children from a tornado.

“She’s not going to have either foot, she’s lost one leg above the knee, but those kids are going to have mom,” said Monson in a discussion of the incredible story.

“I wanted these kids to have a mom. I did not want them to grow up without me,” Decker told ABC.

Decker told her husband she was in their walk-out basement, which had French doors leading outside and a wall of windows, when she saw the tornado approaching, moving across the family’s 15-acre plot. Stephanie Decker had already tied a blanket around both children and to herself, and she threw herself on top of her brood.

“That’s an example of a parent giving up their life, willing to risk their life to protect her kids,” said Monson.

“It’s really amazing the sacrifice she made,” said 97.3 KIRO FM Ron & Don Show host Don O’Neill. “You lose two legs, you gain two kids.”

“It’s the power of being a parent,” said Monson.

By JAMIE GRISWOLD, MyNorthwest.com Editor
The Associated Press contributed to this report.