Judy Malinowski with her daughters, Kaylyn (left) and Madison (center).Photo:Judy’s Foundation
Judy’s Foundation
Before she died in 2017 after spending two years in a hospital bed,Judy Malinowskimade her mother promise her something: that she would raise her daughters to go to college.
In an interview with PEOPLE, Malinowski’s mother,Bonnie Bowes, says her daughter spoke about her own young daughters, Kaylyn and Madison, saying, “Mom, you have to teach them to be successful. They have to go to college, they have nothing. They have no inheritance. They don’t have parents.”
According to Bowes, Malinowski added, “I know that your resources are limited. You have to help them understand that they have to get it right the first time.”
On Aug. 2, 2015, Malinowski was arguing with her boyfriend,Michael Slager, outside a gas station in Ohio when Slager doused her with gasoline and set her on fire with a lighter. The attack left 90 percent of Malinowski’s body covered in burns. She endured more than 50 agonizing surgeries to stay alive and needed to be revived seven times.
Shortly before she died, Malinowski, a cancer survivor, recorded videotaped testimony that led to her husband’s murder conviction, whichput him behind bars for life. In order to testify, Malinowski spent weeks weaning off pain medication to a point where she could prove to a judge she was of sound mind.
Michael Slager.Franklin County Common Court
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Bonnie Bowles, Judy Malinowski.Columbus Dispatch-USA TODAY NETWORK
Columbus Dispatch-USA TODAY NETWORK
According to Bowes, before she died, Malinowski told her to bring up her daughters wisely.
“She said they couldn’t go to a dance until their 11th grade year of high school. … She’s all, ‘They’ll just be a bag of hormones. Make them wait to at least [their] third year,” says Bowes.
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“She made me, if they were getting a cell phone, monitor it. And she made me promise I would monitor their time on the cell phone or social media,” Bowes says, adding: “She had a lot of foresight, even though she was on a lot of pain medicine.”
After Malinowski’s death, her family — including Kaylyn and Madison, sister Danielle Gorman, brother Patrick Bowes, and mother Bonnie — have carried on her fight for justice. The family pushed for tougher legislation stiffening penalties for assaults using an accelerant that leave victims seriously injured. On September 7, 2017, Malinowski’s family stood together at the Ohio Statehouse as “Judy’s Law” was enacted.
For Kaylyn and Madison, the law is a tribute to a loving mother who wanted nothing but the best for her children. Says Bowes, “She loved her girls with every breath.”
If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go tothehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
source: people.com
