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About Mothers From Hell 2
Board of Directors

The Board calls itself a loose knit (or Velcroed due to limited time) group. They advocate for the rights of their children with disabilities. Don't let their name (or face) frighten you; these are activists for their children's rights, and for their disabilities.

We have several board positions open at this time. If you're interested in being on the board (and are a member in good standing), Contact Kim.

Meet MFH2 newest board member, Michelle Brooks

Below are biographies of our current board of directors.

President and Acting Treasurer: Kim Morrell
Peru, Il

Hi, I'm Kim Morrell...some call me FlyKimmie because they say I'm cool.  Hey, I'm not going to argue with them!

Let's see...where shall I start?  I was married and then divorced 7rys later.  There were other issues but this was one of my main reasons for looking for a way out!  My son has Down Syndrome, Apraxia and Autism.  To be honest, I've not read all the books out there.  I've not completed my "disability education" for reasons stemming from being a parent full time and on my own.  I've got the books-I just haven't read them yet!  I reference them here and there and the covers have been opened...just not all words glanced at.  Taylor (my 11yr old special needs son) is a day-to-day surprise.  I brushed up on the basics of autistic behavior and things that pertained directly to my son, so I'm on my way to that degree . . .of sorts!

My son was threatened, manhandled and finally physically abused by his teacher, individual aide and principal..  The teacher and aide were arrested but were quickly acquitted due to the inbred legal eagles where we live.  Well, there's that and the setup by the State of IL was not the greatest either.  So many holes; so much evidence disallowed, including written admission statements from the teacher, aide and a witness. 

Anyway, I was a peeved mom on a mission and instead of moving to another area, I decided to wreak havoc on this community and make them wake up and pay attention.  I'm quite vocal, have a sense of humor that hits all corners and I own businesses in the community.  So let's make some waves.  I started with the school, then mouthed off in public quite a few times...informing major business owners and various residents what had gone down. 

All in all, I'm proud for being a pain in the arse and not sitting by and letting this crap go.  I can't say the school caters to my every desire, but the minute they sense I'm "testy" they jump quickly to find out why.  I'm not afraid to call the papers and news stations...NBC5-Chicago (YOU ROCK!) covered our story.  Gotta love those investigative reporters! 

I run a daycare and have been doing daycare since I was 10 yrs, starting with my 3 siblings.  I'm 34 now (2005) and still love my daycare kids!  I own a dart league that hopefully will be sold soon...God help me through that!  I work with Stampin' UP, run a Brownie Girl Scout troop (roughly 12-15 7-8yr olds!) and work with a toxin free product company.  I volunteer for Special Olympics, assisting with practices and competitions.  I am available for my kids 24/7 and work at home so they have constant access to me.  My kids rock and I'm up to the call of duty.

I'm a good public speaker and love people.  I'm a quick learner and am currently looking at putting together a software program for a future business, in which I cannot say as of now.  Ask me in two years... evil grin!  I work with internet a great deal for my currently running dart league with stats and communication between my darters and myself.  Not sure what else you'd like to know about me...so if I forgot something, just ask!!!

Thanks! Kim Morrell (FlyKimmie)

Be sure to read Kim's article:  "Keep the Sympathy, Give me Humor!"

Vice-President & Web Mistress:  Cilla Sluga
Springfield, IL

I am the mother of five daughters:  some step, some adopted, some home-made and some with disabilities.One daugher started special education in 1977, the year the regulations for Public Law 91-142 (The Education of All Handicapped Children's Act, what is now IDEA) were first published.I joined other potentially revolutionary mothers and co-founded "Progressive Action for the Handicapped," a local direct-action advocacy organization. We immediately became a thorn-in-the-side by holding public meetings (with a budget of left over grocery money), on the dangers of segregated schools and the illegality of inaccessible public meeting places.  We also held workshops for parents to educate them about the new law .We often said that they were working so hard, "so parents 20 years from now, won't have to fight these fights."

Thirty-plus years later... we're still fighting the same fights, aren't we?

For the last 18 years I have been the Director of Training at the Illinois Assistive Technology Program (you can make non-paying advocacy work look good enough on a resume to get a good job in the "real world"). I travel throughout Illinois, and occasionally the rest of the country giving what are humorous, and informative, presentations at conferences, and other places parents and professionals gather; and I continue to offer, "Parents Get Your Act Together... And Take It To School" for any group that will sit for four hours.

I am on the Campign for Better Healthcare, Social Justice Committee and a proponent of single-payer universal healthcare coverage for every citizen.

I write a lot...authoring pieces as varied as agitational leaflets to romance novellas. Check out my Blog!

My husband, Michael Meiselman and I are active in progressive politics and are proud of the enemies they've made.  We enjoy visiting and being visited by our now grown daughters. But, it is our black Labrador Retriever, Lucy, and Spike (the cat that shades the south side of Springfield) who shares our love, 24-7.

Secretary: Holly Lu Conant Rees
Nashville, TN

Holly Lu Conant Rees is the mother of a 21 year old young man who has ring chromosome 15, which results in a variety of disabilities, including a profound affection for professional wrestling. Since she herself is a vegetarian pacifist feminist Quaker poet, it is her contention that the SCSA gene sequence (Stone Cold Steve Austin) CANNOT be traced to maternal heritage. Holly Lu has worked with families of kids with disabilities and special health care needs for more than 15 years & occasionally has even gotten paid to do so. She currently is the director of the Nashville Family Alliance Center, a federally funded project providing outreach & support to families of students receiving special education services [& okay, she's as committed to people first language as anyone, but she does wish that the appropriate phrases weren't always 42 words long...]. She is a widely published poet & satirist [do make sure you editors don't stick an extra "y" in that word...]; a somewhat involuntary cat keeper; and the Queen Mother of the middle Tennessee Region Mothers from Hell & Friends, thereby also the keeper of the bag o 'tiaras. 

Board Member: Michelle Brooks
Concord, NC

It has been brought to my attention over and over that I have: learned more information; gained more experience; and grown more as a person by parenting my two special needs sons, than any university opportunity could take credit for. I have a degree and although it was work to achieve, it did not require my actual blood, sweat, and tears, as being a mom has.

Zachary, age 10, has been diagnosed with: Asperger's Syndrome, Bipolar Disorder, ADHD, tics, insomnia, and has been rushed to the ER for severe reactions to medications. Zach requires behavioral, medical, and educational plans to function daily but he refuses to let that define him. He has a heart of gold and a vocabulary that most adults would kill for.

Riley, age 8, has been diagnosed with; Autism, Type I Diabetes, a Seizure Disorder, ADD, Insomnia, and has also had severe reactions to medications. In addition, after slipping out of the house, Riley was found in the neighbor's pool. My college education finally paid off as I was able to perform CPR and revive Riley by the time the rescue teams arrived. This child has behavioral, medical, educational, therapy, and emergency plans in place at all times. He requires an institutional level of care and must be monitored 24 hours a day. All that being said, the hard work has certainly paid off. Riley was non verbal at the age of four but by the age of seven, he was on the general NC curriculum. He can read, write, add, is very creative and animated, and can do anything he sets his mind to on a computer. He is on a student computer at school and yet they found him shopping on eBay for dinosaurs. They still haven't figured out how he got there in order to prevent him from doing it again.

Who knew you needed a degree in medicine, pharmacology, psychology, education, and law just to raise children? Oh, and also throw in: the skills of a hostage negotiator when dealing with schools; the ability to be in at least two places at once; absolutely no need for sleep; and the multi-tasking abilities an octopus might have.

I may not be able to get my shoes on the correct feet on some days, and on other days my blonde moments are constant, but I've made the school's administration sit up and take notice.(I'm almost positive they start each of their meetings with a ritual that includes a voodoo doll bearing a remarkable likeness to me.) I've managed to train a whole team of doctors, nurses, and therapists; and, I seem to be on a first name basis with the pharmacy staff.

What's missing? (Well, other than a large number of brain cells due to sleep deprivation) Being a benefit to other parents. After all, it would be a shame to waste a great education. Don't you think?