West Pittston woman is 'Super Mom' to her sons

May 14—WEST PITTSTON — Leigh Zawacki Ballew's three sons think she's a "Super Mom."

For the past few weeks, many people across the country believed she was, too.

A disabled single mother of three from West Pittston, Ballew was nominated for the "Super Mom" contest run by Women's World Magazine as a fundraiser for the Children's Miracle Network.

"I've been a complete solo parent for eight years now. I have not had a 24-hour break from my children in eight years. I love them to death, though," Ballew said.

Ballew, 53, made it through three voting rounds of the contest, but last week didn't receive enough votes to advance.

She was looking forward to possibly winning the grand prize for the eventual "Super Mom" winner — $20,000, a feature article in the magazine and a vacation to Palm Springs in California.

"The Palm Springs trip sounded the best of them," Ballew said.

A native of Luzerne County, Ballew moved away in 1993 to Colorado and then San Diego. About eight years ago, she fell off a ladder at her bartending job and suffered severe back and hip injuries, rendering her disabled and unable to work.

Then her marriage collapsed.

"We moved back to the area to get back on our feet. We lost everything," Ballew recalled.

Ballew and her three boys lived in public housing for a year before finding a single family home for themselves to rent.

"It's wonderful to have a place of our own again," Ballew said.

Ballew has three children at home, Ethan, 20, Aiden, 19, and Liam, 17.

Ethan goes to college while Aiden and Liam have significant health problems themselves.

Ballew said she doesn't know who nominated her for the "Super Mom" contest.

"The fact I got that far is amazing to me. My whole life is about my kids. For someone to see that and nominate me, it means a lot," Ballew said. "I have a very solitary life because of my health issues and their health issues."

Her eldest son, Ethan, attested to his mother's devotion.

"She is an amazing mom," Ethan said. "She fights so hard to get everything done for us. We had to move across the country. She managed to keep us afloat this entire time, which is incredible."

He said he was happy to see his mother fared well in the contest.

"It's a real cool competition," Ethan said. "She's excited to be in the contest in the first place. It's nice to see people from all around support her."

Contact the writer:

bkalinowski@citizensvoice.com

570-821-2055; @cvbobkal

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