SBM
Gitana, it may be a cultural/regional thing. I haven't seen the HLN interview but I've watched a bunch of other clips.
To me, as an Iowan, both moms are acting normal for the circumstances. They are being Iowans, plain and simple.
Iowa was founded, in large part, by Scandinavian settlers. If you think Garrison Keillor and Lake Wobegon, you're not too far off. It is absolutely normal here to be stoic and hide one's fear or pain.
Most Iowans would rather cut their own hand off using a rusty toenail clipper than cry in public except at funerals. There's a lot of social pressure to put other people at ease, which means doing a lot of smiling and not being too "out there" with one's intense emotions.
For instance, after my mom died, my father, sister and I went around and thanked all the hospice staff. We smiled and shook hands with all of them as we thanked them for the wonderful care they gave my mom. This was less than an hour after she died.
We didn't cry because we didn't want to make the staff feel bad and because, well, we'd rather cut our hands off with rusty toenail clippers than cry in front of strangers.
It's not good or bad, it's just the way Iowans are.