Preloading

What Happened to the "Most Hated Mom in America"?

Season 4 Episode 411
Aired on 10/05/2014 | CC tv-14
In 2008, Oprah met a woman who called herself "the most hated mom in America." Brenda Slaby was a busy wife, a mother of two and an assistant principal when she made a fatal mistake that changed her life. On August 23, 2007, Brenda forgot to drop off her 2-year-old daughter, Cecilia, at the babysitter and left her in a sweltering car for nearly eight hours while she was at work. By the time Brenda became aware of what had happened, Cecilia had died of heatstroke. Oprah says that show was a wake-up call for mothers around the world to slow down.

Now, seven years after Brenda's tragic mistake, she invites cameras into her home to discuss her recent divorce, career change and life with her daughter, Alison.

"After we lost Cecilia, I didn't want to go on. I was totally lost, but I knew that I had to go on for Alison," Brenda says. "She's the reason I got up every day."

Watch the above video to find out how Cecilia has inspired Brenda to help disabled children.

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