VOP Front Porch Diaries

Atlee Webber

Northern VA Team

After ten weeks of canvassing, I have spoken to many people that have suffered because of the broken health care system in America. Each day over the summer, as Congressmen continued to debate over health care legislation, I heard justification after justification that reform was necessary. As I talked to people at the door, I often wished that an anti-reform Senator were standing beside me, listening to the candid, moving stories. When a mother in Fairfax City explained to me that her son was recently diagnosed with Metachromatic Leukodystrophy (MLD), I sensed her feeling of helplessness. The boy’s disorder required 24-hour care, and as the mother was waiting to hear from Medicaid, the bills were piling up quickly. She spoke quietly, sadly, and I was hesitant to ask anymore questions after she finished. When I got home that day, I looked up MLD, and discovered it’s a neurological disorder with a grim life expectancy. With chagrin, I acknowledged that MLD patients would be poor investments for insurance companies.

People should not be considered “poor investments.”

Fortunately, I got a chance to relay her story to in a congressional office. Though the congressman is generally supportive of health care reform, I got a sense of satisfaction that I could pass on her story to those in power. By sharing their stories, we ensure the victim’s presence as indignant, hurting, and very real human beings in the minds of Americans and the legislators.