Toni Corbin

Toni Corbin of Lebanon is being honored as a 2018 Mother of the Year by the Tennessee Justice Center (TJC) for her fierce commitment to making sure that her family, especially her son with a disability, has the health care they need.Toni is a mother of two, with three grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. She lives with her son, Wallace, whom she calls “Wally.” In 2009, Wally was in a motorcycle accident that left him in a coma and with dangerous brain swelling. Over the next few years, against all the doctors’ predictions, Wally came out of the coma and began to build his strength. Today, Wally doesn’t let his wheelchair or his frequent seizures stop him from living a full life. Toni and Wally are devoted activists for the disability community, championing at every turn the medical cannabis movement. The highlight of their advocacy so far was being present when Governor Haslam signed a bill allowing CBD oil for medical use for people with seizures. As a hepatitis C survivor also suffering from heart problems and severe arthritis, Toni has faced more than her fair share of health problems. Managing these health issues gets expensive, so Toni is on a TennCare program that helps people on Medicare cover their premiums and copays. Last summer, though, Toni was kicked off this program without any warning, even though she was still eligible. Not only did this take a huge chunk out of her Social Security check, but it also caused the costs of her doctor’s appointments and her prescriptions to skyrocket. Without her medications, Toni’s health was rapidly deteriorating. She called TJC, and the attorneys there were able to get Toni back on the program and get her reimbursed for all the costs she had incurred in the meantime. In the future, Toni is more than likely going to need a liver transplant. But that doesn’t keep her from serving as the glue that holds her family together. Whether caring for her aging parents (her father is a Korean War Vet), occasionally keeping great-grandchildren, participating in Boy Scouts with her grandson with autism, serving as a full-time caregiver for Wally, or keeping up with Gimli, Frodo, and Chloe (the family dogs), it is clear Toni has an advanced degree in being a mom. TJC is proud to honor Toni as a 2018 Mother of the Year.