SPOKANE, Wash. – You don’t have to be a mom to know that they work incredibly hard. Most moms would do just about anything for their kids, even if it means sacrificing their own happiness. Today two local moms are telling their stories and how they go above and beyond for their families every single day.
Stacy Kitchens works as an Emergency Room (ER) nurse at MultiCare. On any given day, she will work her 12-hour shift in the ER, and regardless of how it went, she will drive home and take care of her family…
Her 14-year-old daughter Sierra and 11-year-old son Skyler are a huge part of her support system.
Stacy is good with her family. She normally leaves work, and as soon as she gets home, she makes it look easy to transition back into mama mode, but on those days when work is harder than others, she’s thankful that her family has her back.
“You’ll be in a room, and maybe somebody didn’t make it, and you’re expected to walk in the room two seconds later and deal with another family that’s dealing with their own issues and make them feel just as important,” said Kitchens.
Stacy says on days like that, if she walks quietly into the house and seems down, her family knows to respect her space and give her the time that she needs to get back to normal.
But regardless of how she is feeling, when her family needs her to be their rock, Stacy has their back too.
“I just think that moms have it,” said Kitchens. “You pull the strength. You love your children unconditionally. You know what you need to do to support them, and you keep moving forward…”
Stacy says she is looking forward to having Sunday off to enjoy Mother’s Day with her family. She’s been married for 15 years, and she says her husband always has a surprise up his sleeve.
Adian Opalhart is another mom in Spokane who is going above and beyond this Mother’s Day. She has two kids with special needs, and it can be hard for others to understand why they are the way they are.
“It’s really hard to go places, and people are staring at your kid having a meltdown, and you know why they’re having a meltdown, but other people don’t know,” said Opalhart… “They just think that you have a bratty kid…”
On any given day, you could see Opalhart working in all different sections of Meals on Wheels Spokane (MOWS). She could be doing anything from stocking shelves to taking calls at the front desk. When there are special events, she volunteers to do whatever it is that MOWS needs.
But whether she’s working or volunteering, she is always putting her best foot forward because she wants to be a good example for her children.
Opalhart’s kids are 5 & 3, and because they have special needs, it was a real challenge for her to find them a preschool.
For months, she went school to school trying to find someone who could work with them. At the same time, she and her kid’s dad were on a break, so she had to do this as a single mom.
All while working a part-time job at MOWS, participating in various events as an artist to earn extra income, and caring for 6 animals at home.
And that’s just when she’s not getting woken up 2 hours after she went to sleep because her kids need attention.
Adian also has a heart condition where she gets monthly infusions in her arm. She also has seizures if she does not take her medicine that costs her thousands of dollars each year.
Opalhart says all she hopes is that her kids can learn from her perseverance.
“Hard times are just temporary,” said Opalhart. “No matter how hard and bad it gets at the time it’s just a temporary feeling.”
Thankfully, Adian recently found a school for her children, and their dad is back in the picture, so she has some support heading into Mother’s Day.
On Sunday, all she wants is to be able to sleep in past 4 a.m. and not have to make breakfast.
