Henryville, Indiana - March 2, 2012
The tornado sirens were screaming across southern Indiana. Stephanie Decker rushed home with her two children - 8-year-old Dominic and 5-year-old Reese - just before the storm hit.
Into the Basement
They headed for the basement. Stephanie wrapped both children in a blanket and positioned her body over them as a shield.
Then the EF-4 tornado arrived.
Winds of 175 miles per hour obliterated their dream home. The walls collapsed. The roof disappeared. Beams and bricks and debris came crashing down.
The Shield
As the house fell around them, Stephanie moved back and forth, intercepting bricks before they could strike her children. She absorbed impact after impact with her own body.
Her legs were crushed beneath the rubble. She lost almost half her blood. Eight ribs broke. Her lung was punctured.
But she never stopped shielding her children.
One Hour Alone
When the tornado passed, Stephanie lay trapped in the wreckage for an agonizing hour. She knew her life had changed forever. She could feel that her legs were nearly severed.
But Dominic and Reese were alive. Amazingly, miraculously unscathed. They were able to climb out of the debris and go get help.
The Cost
Stephanie Decker, 36, lost one leg above the knee and the other above the ankle. The price she paid to save her children.
"I remember it all," she said.
Eleven people died in that tornado outbreak. But not Dominic. Not Reese. Because their mother refused to let them go.
What Came After
Stephanie created the Stephanie Decker Foundation to help children who have lost limbs learn adaptive sports. She visited the White House. She appeared on Ellen, The Today Show, ABC World News, People Magazine.
"Nothing but great things have come into our lives," she said. "We have a home we love, my kids are well adjusted, they're happy. They're going on to college and doing all the things they want to do, and that's what you want for your kids."
She gave her legs so they could have their lives.
That's not a sacrifice. That's what mothers do.