School essay leads to award for mom

Woman suffering from multiple sclerosis named county's 2009 Mother of Honor

JIM MILLER/VIEWCindy Nowicki, who was named Clark County Community Mother of Honor, was nominated by her son, Tim, 11. Advertisement

A mother doesn't have to be a celebrity or boast outstanding talents to be a hero in her kids' eyes.

It's the everyday stuff that counts, according to Tim Nowicki, who nominated his mother to be a Clark County Community Mother of Honor.

Cindy Nowicki was one of five local moms who were named Community Mothers of Honor by Clark County and American Mothers Inc.

In celebration of Mother's Day, 11-year-old Tim was asked to write a short essay for his fifth-grade teacher at Hill Elementary School, 560 E. Eldorado Lane, about what makes his mother great. Tim had no idea the essay would be turned in as a nomination letter for the county's Mother of Honor.

"I thought it was just a letter for school," he said. "But it was all true. My mom is great."

Tim said his mother, who has battled multiple sclerosis for six years, takes him camping, lets his friends stay the night, attends his baseball games and drops to her knees to catch his pitches.

"Even when she is tired or doesn't feel well, she does the best she can to make our time together special," he wrote in the essay.

"She can't do a lot sometimes because of the MS," he said. "But she works hard to do it, anyway."

Nowicki, 47, suffers ongoing pain in her legs and feet. Her speech often is slurred, and some days she can't walk. She wears a pump that automatically injects pain medication into her abdomen, and she manually injects copaxone, a MS treatment medication.

"With MS, you look fine on the outside, but you're hurting on the inside," she said. "Some days it feels like someone is burning your feet with a blowtorch."

Nowicki got the call about her Community Mother of Honor award on an evening she felt that unbearable pain.

"I prayed the night before if there is a reason for me to continue, show me," she said. "When I got that call, I just started crying."

Nowicki worked as a journeyman and union steward for Teamsters Local 631 before she could no longer work. She was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in September 2003 and quit work shortly afterward.

She spends much of her time in her backyard gardening until Tim, her 17-year-old daughter Ashley and her husband, Mike, come home. In the evenings, she works with the kids on their homework, or, if she feels up to it, steps outside for a game of catch with Tim.

Anytime she can be with the kids is special, she said.

"One day I tried to ride a bike with Tim to school," Nowicki said. "That just made his day."

Ashley Nowicki said her mom is always there for her, whether she needs help with schoolwork or advice.

"She is just a caring person," she said.

The family celebrated Father's Day on June 21 with Mike with a weekend camping trip. Tim said his dad also is worth a nomination essay.

"He's actually a really nice guy, too," he said. "We work on projects together."

Clark County and American Mothers Inc. of Nevada received 70 nomination letters praising mothers around the valley. Candy Krausman, chairwoman of the Clark County Mothers of Honor, said one of her favorite nomination letters read "My mother changes the way I look at the world every day."

"That's what makes a good mother," she said. "Someone who can help their kids find value in everything they see."

The four other women named Clark County Community Mothers of Honor are Centennial Hills residents Jessica Estrada and Melinda Gutierrez and Summerlin residents Shawna Lapria and Kimberly Malloy. Clark County and American Mothers Inc. also named Henderson resident Mary Beth Scow the 2009 Mother of the Year, and Kimberly Wright of Summerlin the 2009 Young Mother of the Year. Wright went on to be named the national young mother of the year. The seven women were honored with a ceremony early last month at Spanish Trail Country Club, 5050 Spanish Trail Lane.

Contact Southeast and Southwest View reporter Danielle Nadler at dnadler@viewnews.com or 224-5524.