Confronted with the worst, mom bloggers are at their best.

When most marketers or journalists talk about “mom bloggers,” it’s as if they’re describing some powerful-but-faceless crowd that exists solely to interact with corporate America.

The truth is that these online moms are incredibly diverse in opinions, motivations and tone. In fact, the only thing that really unites them is their connection, their commitment to one another, no matter how different they might be on a personal level.

Most days, this incredible network of support goes unnoticed by those outside the digital mom community, but the past week has shown how powerful and inspirational it can be.

A week ago today, blogger Anissa Mayhew suffered a massive stroke, one that left her struggling not only for consciousness but for survival itself.

I was in Atlanta (Anissa’s home base) the next day, when word was quickly circulating that she was in a dire situation. When I saw “PrayingForAnissa” was a trending topic on Twitter, my blood ran cold. Over the past year, Anissa and I have become good friends, and she was even one of our featured presenters at Luckie’s Marketing to the Modern Mom event last month (the photo above shows Anissa at the center of our blogger panel, with friends Mishelle "Secret Agent Mama" Lane, at left, and Lotus "Sarcastic Mom" Carroll.)

For tragedy to strike Anissa is doubly painful. Not only is she one of the most beloved and outspoken women on the Web, but her family has also overcome more adversity than anyone should have to live through. Anissa recovered from a previous stroke in 2005, only to learn a year later that her youngest daughter had been diagnosed with leukemia. The family's struggle against cancer inspired Anissa to begin blogging at Hope4Peyton.org.

By the time I’d learned of Anissa’s stroke, less than 24 hours after she was hospitalized, the blogger community was already in motion. Tributes, prayers and hundreds of donations poured in to help support Anissa’s husband and children.

Here are just a few of the blog posts Anissa’s friends posted to help raise awareness:

• "My Friend Anissa" by Izzymom
• "Love and Help for Anissa" by Sarcastic Mom
• "Anissa Mayhew Needs Our Help" by SomestimesParentingSucks.com
• "Come Together: Help for Anissa" by Belle of the Blog
 
The mom blog community continues to support Anissa’s family each day, spreading news of updates and reminding readers how they can help. Meanwhile, Anissa's husband, Peter, has done an commendable job of keeping friends up to date on Anissa's original blog, Hope4Peyton, and each of his new posts is being shared across the Web by the family's countless supporters.
 
What many outsiders might not realize is that, with mom bloggers, such widespread cooperation is more often the rule than the exception. We saw it with the heart-breaking loss of blogger Heather Spohr’s beautiful daughter, Maddie. Equally amazing was how the moms of the Web rallied to find a kidney for the seriously ill daughter of “Domestic Diva” blogger Lisa Carroccio.
 
But in less dramatic ways, those of us who work with online moms see it each day as bloggers help give their many online friends emotional support and advice.
 
I continue to hope for Anissa daily, and I’m thrilled to hear that she’s showing positive signs for a hard-fought recovery.

But I also hope that the marketing community is watching this unbelievable show of support, something that says more about today’s digital moms than a thousand surveys or focus groups could ever hope to illuminate.

To make a PayPal donation to help support Anissa Mayhew's family during her recovery, click here, or e-mail helpforanissa@gmail.com to learn how else you might be able to help.

Comments

[Angie [A Whole Lot of Nothing]]

Shouting YES!

She will come out of this. She must.

[To Think Is To Create]

I love this, thank you D.

[Sarcastic Mom / Lotus]

Beautiful and true. Thanks for writing this, David.

[Redneck Mommy]

Thank you for writing this. Anissa would be so thrilled. She'll totally smother you with her boobs when she is up and recovered.

[Lindsay Lebresco]

A very important thing you point out, David.

Too often we're hearing the mainstream media talk about "mommy bloggers" in a negative or questionable light when this exact show of community is what mom blogging was all about to begin with. While it's usually supporting one another in hectic school schedules, toddler meltdowns and weaning babies, we come together to rally around each other in love, support and deep caring- all for people, for a lot of us, we've come to know simply online. I'm grateful that I had the pleasure to meet Anissa at your conference last month and she and her family are in my thoughts every single day.

Thanks for taking the time to point out what should be the obvious - the greatness of "mommy bloggers."

[ExtraordinaryMommy]

So true. So wonderful. Thank you for recognizing the true love and spirit that motivates so many of the wonderful mothers in our community. Thank you, as well, for a beautiful tribute to such an amazing person.

[Kim Tracy Prince]

I got choked up reading this post, as if I was learning about the emotional support of mommy bloggers for the first time. But the truth is I am right there in it. I hope your writing reaches outsiders, so they'll see what this community is really like.

[@AngEngland (UntrainedHousewife)]

You're right - it IS the rule. In less than a month these moms spread the word about Baby Jaeli and raised more than $24,000 on her behalf. Now with Anissa's situation we see it again. #Maddie is another example of the community reaching out to support another mother in a time of crisis.

Type-A-Mom's magazine this month is going to focus on the power of moms, doing what they can, and how incredibly moving that can be multiplied across hundreds of blogs, involving thousands around the world. Immeasurable. Truly.

And it's the power that each of us hold in small part, that is so much bigger when we come together. And you're right - it IS the norm. I had NO DOUBT that Jaeli would have enough milk once I told others her need. No doubt. Just like we have no doubt that we will see Anissa up on stage, cracking us up again in the future. :-)

Thank you for your post.

Angela

[Will Blog For Shoes]

Wonderful post!

[Deb on the Rocks]

Beautifully said. I hope that any critics of the women in the blogosphere finds their way to your observations here, which says so much about getting inside of a community to really understand it.

[Amy J in SC]

I'm somewhat of a newbie but I already had those days when I think "Why the heck am I doing this?" And then comes the direct email from a reader whose husband has cancer and she's struggling and needs someone to tell because everyone around her is telling her how to be and she just really needs someone to hear her. (how's that for a run-on) And I say, "Okay, if that's all that this blogging thing is about, then that's enough." To connect. To encourage. To pray. To make someone laugh.

That's enough.

[Kim ~ CraftyMamaof4]

perfectly said, the commitment to each other and to those we don't even know in our community amazes me every day.

I feel so fortunate to have so many arms to embrace me when I need them.

We will all continue to embrace Anissa and her family ~ She WILL come out of this

[Julia]

How have we never met??? David, you are obviously one of the very good ones! Not only was this a moving tribute to Anissa as an individual - it was also a beautifully painted portrait of the mommy blogger community and the power that lies within...thank you for sharing. And forgive me for being so late to the Luckie party!

[Musings from Me/Jill]

You expressed what I am thinking. I met Anissa at TypeAMom. She's an extraordinarily warm, kind-hearted, and funny person. The outpouring on twitter shows how much she is loved. Her husband's updates show the progress she is making -- baby steps.

[VDog]

Thank you, David. We all love Anissa and this community always comes together for the big AND little things that affect us.