Most girls rebel at the idea of ever becoming their mother. The passive aggressive judgments, the dancing in the grocery store, and of course, the embarrassing stories.

As described by one woman in a post on Portland Press Herald’s site, being like her mom is the best thing she can imagine.

Her whole life, Gina Ranzoni Tapp’s mom, Pat, was a champion for disability rights. There was nothing PC about it; just pure belief that everyone has the right to access the same opportunities as everyone else. Her accomplishments in her small Maine town include:

• Getting an accessible entrance installed at the post office
• Having town hall meetings on the first floor
• Demanding an elevator in the high school so a young women using a wheelchair could get to the library and other classes

Dystonia can lead to a variety of disabilities. Some even result in the inability to write a simple sentence!

But the Wheel of Fortune turns in mysterious ways. In the middle of her career, Pat was diagnosed with dystonia. As the disease progressed and Pat lost more and more mobility, suddenly she found herself in the position of benefiting from all the progress she had made.

Moving around in a wheelchair in their small town was a big deal, and Pat spent most of her time at home. But as a life-long disability rights advocate, Pat refused to let this keep her down. She fought tirelessly for legislation to protect the rights of other people with disabilities.

Gina fondly recalls the summer of ’95 when she joined her parents at the 5th year anniversary of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act. She was part of the crowd who made their way as best they could, with every sort of assistance they had (wheelchairs, canes, crutches) to the celebration. It was a sign that no matter what the struggle, some things are always worth fighting for.

“It was overwhelmingly beautiful and powerful, and it made me realize once again how much I admire my mother for always standing up (even when she couldn’t) for the right thing.”

Visit Portland Press Herald’s original featured story to see the full letter from Gina.

It may not be mother’s day, but mom’s like this should be celebrated daily anyway. Pass this fantastic story of an honarable woman along by clicking one of the social buttons below!