Krystal Lynne Shipley, a resident of Forest Grove, has been named as one of 20 semi-finalists in Walmart's Mom of the Year contest.
The single mom of three young children battles daily with the difficulties of caring for her youngest, Ayzac Wilson, as he goes through final life stages with a rare genetic disease, RMND1 mitochondrial disease.
Ayzac is the only known living child with the terminal illness, which is expected to end his life within the next 12 months.
“He's fragile, and even small things like a cold could be devastating for him,” his mom says, adding her son's kidneys are failing.
“Each day is a blessing.”
Unknown to her, Shipley was nominated by her mother, as a Mother's Day gift. She says community support for her and Ayzac, in general, has been very strong and she is extremely grateful.
She has moved to the Lower Mainland in order to provide Ayzac with the medical services he requires now more than ever. While trying to maintain a normal life for her other two children, she also attends nursing school, which she is doing because she was inspired by her ailing son.
In addition, she is doing a documentary and interviews for magazines to spread awareness of rare diseases.
Shipley was chosen from among more than 24,000 nominations for Mom of the Year, and if declared the winner, will get $100,000 for the charity of her choice and $10,000 for herself.
“It's already such a huge honour and I'm in awe that I'm among these great women. Being in the top 20 is huge.”
Shipley has chosen Canuck Place Children's Hospice in Vancouver as her intended recipient, as Ayzac is a frequent guest at the facility where he goes for symptom management. He has stays of up to five days, which offers his mom much needed respite.
Currently, voting is underway on the Internet for the top 8 finalists, who will each receive a minimum of $10,000 for their charity and $10,000 for themselves.
Voting takes place until Aug. 1, 2013 at momoftheyear.ca, where you can read Shipley’s heart-wrenching story.
The candidate with the most votes automatically earns a spot in the top 8, and another seven will be chosen by a selection committee from among the remaining 19 semifinalists.
Shipley notes Canadian singer-songwriter Chantal Kreviazuk is a member of the selection committee.
Only one vote is allowed per person and a Facebook account is necessary.
The eight finalists will be announced the week of Aug. 6 and the winner will be named on the weekend of Oct. 5-7 at a red carpet gala dinner in Toronto.
Shipley is currently in the top 3 of the vote count.