Thank you, mum!

These three daughters have a special reason to celebrate their loved ones on Mother’s Day

Three readers share their heartwarming stories for Mother’s Day

Hayley Entwistle, 33, from Manchester, was shocked when her parents split, but she couldn’t believe what her brave mum Sandra did next…

‘Growing up, me and Mum were a team and had so much fun together. I’ll never forget walking to school when I was five years old, holding her hand on one side and leading a sheep on the other. It was fancy dress day and we lived on a farm, so naturally she’d dressed me up as Little Bo Peep, complete with a live lamb!

I have lots of wonderful memories from my childhood with my parents and younger brother George in the Derbyshire countryside. Mum was shy and never strayed far from her comfort zone on the farm. She and my dad had been married 40 years and had a happy, quiet life – so it was a real shock when the marriage broke down last year. They sold the farm and everything Mum had known disappeared. I worried about how she’d cope starting a new life on her own.

But, rather than shrinking away from the world, she’s charged at life with a kind of energy I never knew she had.

It started when she renewed her faith and joined a pop music dance class at church. Mum has never done anything like that before, and I couldn’t believe it

when she said they were going to put on a performance – my mum, dancing on stage!

She also joined a slimming class and took up running, losing 3st in the process. At first, Mum could only run for a minute before she had to stop. The last time she texted me after a 6am session, she’d been going for half an hour!

I’m so proud of her. The friends she’s made through her classes have sparked an active social life, and now she always has something going on. But no matter how busy Mum is with her new life, she always has time for her grandchildren.

My three boys – twins aged four and my youngest, now two – adore her.

They call her “gorgeous grandma” – at her request – and love to dance around the garden together. Mum’s enthusiasm for life is infectious. She’s refused to let such a huge emotional knock keep her down and has come back fighting.

One of the most surprising things

Mum did was travel to Spain last year to help set up a charity shop with a friend. I couldn’t believe it when she told me – she’d hardly left the country in years and her passport had long since expired. She loved the experience so much that she went back again two months later and has now planned a trip to Uganda to help out in schools over there.

Her strength is so inspiring and the way she’s embraced life again is astounding. It just goes to show that no matter what happens to you, it’s how you react to it that makes the difference.’

SANDRA, 61, SAYS:

‘I went through a devastating and unexpected change in my life, but I decided I had to make the best of the situation and grab every opportunity. Hayley has been so supportive. When I started dancing and running, she took me shopping and helped me choose new gym clothes to get me excited about my activities. She’s supported me as

I’ve learnt how to put myself first and try new things. I’ve always been a shy person, and if you’d told me a few years ago that I’d do all the things I’ve done, I’d never have believed you! I’m so proud of the intelligent and caring person Hayley is today – now it’s my turn to embrace a new life. I really do feel like I’m 17 again!’

‘After a devastating change in her life, Mum has surprised me so much’ ‘The way she has embraced life again is just astounding’

‘She stayed with me when I couldn’t sleep in my bed alone’

When Natalie James, 30, fractured her spine, it was her mum, Carol, who pieced her life back together.

‘Shaking and crying as I lay in bed, I reached for my phone. It was 4am, but in the midst of a panic attack, there was only one voice I wanted to hear: my mum’s.

She was asleep on the other side of London, but she answered instantly. “I’ll be there as fast as I can,” she reassured me, hearing the distress in my voice.

Mum got straight out of bed and drove across London to collect me. Today, she’s still the first person I call in a crisis. She and Dad are divorced and I know that, after everything I’ve been through over the last 10 years, she’ll always be there for me, no matter what.

My life changed one snowy day when I was 19 years old. I was walking along the icy high street in Birmingham, where I was studying at university, when I suddenly slipped and fell hard on my back. I knew instantly that something was very wrong and lay helpless in agony as passers-by called an ambulance.

My mum was more than 100 miles away in London when she got the call that I was in hospital. I felt so scared and alone, but she rushed straight to be with me. I’d fractured my spine and damaged my bladder and kidneys, leaving me in a lot of pain and needing a full back brace for six months. Mum got me transferred to a London hospital and, when I was discharged, took me to her home and cared for me, balancing her time between my needs and her job in education.

I needed a lot of help with walking and even getting out of bed was a

‘I’ll never forget everything Mum’s done for me’

struggle, but it was Mum’s emotional support that was truly vital. I went from being a fun-loving student starting my own life in a new city to being trapped in a brace in my childhood home. I started experiencing panic attacks and was eventually diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) from the fall. Being alone or in the dark was very distressing; I’d feel like I couldn’t breathe, my heart would race and I’d be overcome with a terrifying sense that something awful was going to happen, so Mum would get in bed with me and stay until I fell asleep. It was more than nine months before I recovered physically, but the panic attacks continued.

GROWING CLOSER

Then, last year, it was my turn to get a call. Mum had been in a car accident. My brother, John, and I were so worried, but thankfully she wasn’t seriously hurt. She still needed months of physiotherapy and, after my experience, I was worried how she’d recover, but Mum stayed strong, refusing to let me worry.

Yet there’s so much more to Mum than her big heart and selfless nature. She’s very stylish and I’ve inherited her love of fashion. We also share our guilty pleasure of trashy TV – and Sunday afternoons spent watching the American reality show The Hills together are some of my favourite memories.

We’ve always been close, but everything we’ve been through has brought us even closer. I still suffer panic attacks from my accident, but thanks to Mum I know I’ll be all right. I’ll never forget everything she’s done for me, and it’s wonderful to pay tribute to her and tell the world just how amazing she is.’

CAROL, 67, SAYS:

‘When Natalie had her fall, there was never any question about whether I’d take care of her; I’m her mum and I’ll always be here. It’s hard to see your child in pain, so I wanted to do everything I could to make things better.

I’m so proud of how far Natalie’s come, but I’ll never stop worrying. Whenever she calls, I still hold my breath until I hear her voice. I can tell instantly if something’s wrong and I’m prepared to drop everything if she needs me.’