Stephanie Decker, the Indiana mom who lost her legs shielding her two children from a deadly tornado, walked triumphantly across the Oval Office with President Obama on Friday -- thanks to her new prosthetics, and a personal invitation from the president.
Decker was home with her kids on March 2 when a 175-mph tornado ripped through Kentucky and Indiana, killing 36 people. Taking shelter in the basement, she threw a blanket over her two children and shielded them from flying debris with her body as their house was torn apart by the storm. Her children made it through without a scratch, but Decker nearly bled to death and ended up losing both legs, one below the knee and the other just above.
Decker has blogged for TODAY Moms throughout her recovery, and wrote about having a surprise phone conversation with the president back in April.
On Friday she spoke with Obama about new prosthetic limb technology used for the military, the Associated Press reported, and a foundation that helps children with prosthetic limbs play sports. Decker and her family are huge baseball fans; for Mother's Day, the TODAY show surprised her with a day of fun in New York City, including makeovers and a chance to meet the Yankees.
Decker, 37, walked arm-in-arm with Obama, along with her husband, Joe, 42, and their son Dominic, 9, and daughter Reese, 6.
On her Facebook page Friday, Decker called the presidential visit a "phenomenal moment."
"To have the president know and (take) the time to talk to us, it gives us motivation," she told The Associated Press.
More: Find out about Stephanie Decker's fund for tornado victims, the Stephanie Decker Foundation.
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