Mother of the Year Award - Mary Zukowski
Given to a mother who displays unconditional love, devotion and tenacity in the face of great adversity
Mary Zukowski is a registered professional nurse. She was raised in Chicago attending local schools and Northwestern University graduating from the Wesley-Passavant School of Nursing.
Her various assignments have included occupational hospital and school nursing, but her work of 32 years in a public sector psychiatric hospital as a clinical nurse manager has been the foundation of her interest in the impact mental illness contributes to circumstances that leave vulnerable populations to incarceration and relapse.
Servicing these populations which include issues of addiction access to treatment, homelessness and poverty became seminal concerns in acute care settings and aftercare support of dually diagnosed, long term, Gero-psychiatric and forensic patients. She currently works providing in-house nursing services to immigrant and English non-proficient populations and advocates for justice and equitable services for the mentally ill and incarcerated persons.
Mary became acutely aware of how even strong intact family systems can become affected when her own daughter a University student and full bright scholar experienced a relapse of bipolar symptoms and was incarcerated for repeatedly texting.
Mary supported her daughter with love and tenacity throughout her incarceration in Cook County Jail. After 18 months in jail, her daughter was released as innocent in mental health court.
However, she was deeply traumatized by her experience and ended up serving a longer period than she would have had she actually been charged. There was no exit strategy and Mary stepped in to support her daughter with deep wisdom, caring and understanding during her reentry.
Mary is a real and passionate advocate for change. Mary is a volunteer co-facilitator of our weekly family HINDA CARES group and participates in our CARES advocacy presentations.
Mary says: “ We have a commitment to our families members to love them for better or worse. We don't turn our backs on them when they behave not according to our wishes. My experiences have opened my mind and heart to families experiencing incarceration.”