No Mother Left Behind

One has not felt their heart break until they have heard a mother say that they cannot afford to keep their child healthy. On an early morning NPR program about the mothers of Special Needs children, I heard one dispairing mother say just that. Her son has heart complications and numerous other disorders, including Down's Syndrome, and the family's monthly bill for the young child is 25,000 dollars a month. Quickly, she tied her worries in to the omnipotent election. Sarah Palin, a Specail Needs mother herself, has pledged to help out all other women in her same situation. She swore to be "a voice" for them, and to help make their lives easier. However, her record so far says nothing to support this promise. She has not been an outspoken advocate in the past, and even if she were to be one in the future, this morning's mother said, she needs more than words. Obama's health care plan would help her more than any sympathetic, air-filled speeches by Palin ever could. The mother said that she planned to vote for Obama, and hoped that his promises would pull through, and that the new governement would allow her to keep her child alive.

Another mother came on, talking about how she used to be able to get care for her little daughter for free, but with a change in policy she now paid $10 for each healthcare or psychology visit. This may not sound like much, but when the visits need to happen 3 times a week, it adds up. She echoed the first mother's sentiments about Obama and healthcare almost to the word.

Health care has always been a major issue in the current campaign, but it is one that I personally will be paying much more attention to now. The sound of the mothers' voices as they quaveringly spoke of hope for their beloved children struck me deeply, and I can only hope that whoever is elected will feel the same way.
And I want to know what I can do...
xoxo heN