MUM STORIES: My mother is my hero and my role model

Isabella Anyango (right) and her mother Rose Mudogo. PHOTO | COURTESY

What you need to know:

  • My parents divorced and my mother was left to care for five daughters, one of whom was just three months old.
  • She would wake up at 4am to cook chapatis for sale and struggle to earn money to take care of us.
  • She put aside her beauty, her dignity, her happiness, to ensure that everything goes well with us
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My mother is my hero. She’s a superwoman and one of the strongest people I have ever met.

When I was young, I would look up to my dad for almost everything. In fact, I worshipped him. The love he had for us was unconditional and special, but it was short-lived.

My parents divorced. After the divorce, dad left and never looked back. I was just 10 years old then and mum had just given birth to our youngest sister. The emotional turmoil was evident. Dad was the sole breadwinner before the divorce and after he left, things took a very different turn.

My mother was now a single parent of five girls, one of whom was just three months old. Most women at that time would have just left the children and started over, but my mum did not.

FAMILY

Instead, it seemed as if she gained new strength. She woke up as early as 4am to make chapatis that she would sell at her work place. I saw her hustle, I saw her struggle. Not even once have I seen her on a sickbed. Even when she was unwell, she would hide it from us and would still work, despite being weak, to ensure we do not go hungry or lack any basic need.

Sometimes, I wonder why people would not choose their mothers as role models and instead opt for socialites or celebrities. I would choose my mum over and over again. My mum really knows how to make money and at the same time be there for her family and support us emotionally. She put aside her beauty, her dignity, her happiness, to ensure that everything goes well with us.

I’m in my final semester in a medical college and I have never had any school fees areas courtesy of Ms Rose Mudogo, my brave mother. One of my sisters has completed college, another recently completed high school. My other sister is in high school, while our youngest is in Standard Eight. Now, what more do I need in this life if I have such a mother?

I thank God for her and I pray that she lives to taste the sweet fruits of her labour. I love you mum and I will work to make you proud of me.

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