Joliet Mom And Stroke Survivor Has Overcome So Much, Family Says

JOLIET, IL— Moms do so much for everyone around them. We try to celebrate them all year long, but Mother's Day is a perfect opportunity to shout it from the rooftops and post it on Patch: Mom rocks!

Here at Patch, we've launched an initiative to help recognize the awesome moms and mom figures in communities like yours.

This submission comes from Rodrigo Montoya, who nominated Lidia Ortiz of Joliet.

What makes your Mom extra special?

My Mom is a strong woman. She is a warrior and a kind person, too, and it doesn't matter what life throws at her—she faces it with strong faith. She has dealt with health issues since my siblings and I were kids—she had a stroke and she overcame that issue, and now she is dealing with chronic health problems, but she is a fighter and keeps on seeing life in the best positive way. She has given me the best example in life. She has been there for my siblings and I every single time we need her. She is a lovely soul, and the best mother we could have.

Why do you feel your Mom deserves the spotlight?

Because she is a great woman and all her life she has been doing the best to live and see life in the best positive way, since I was a kid she had a stroke in Mexico, half of her body paralyzed and since we are from a little town in Mexico, she could not have physical therapy, but that did not stop her from gaining movement in her body. She relearned everything, from speech to writing and to be able to walk again and in the last few months she has been living with dialysis, and she still has a lot of faith and courage to face every day with positivity.

Happy Mother's Day to Lidia Ortiz, and thank you for all you do!

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Know an amazing mom? Nominate them here.