On Friday, I was able to leave work a little early and visit a healthcare rally held in Newark. The event was a stop on an 8 day march from Philadelphia to Washington. The march is called The March for Melanie in honor of an activist from Philadelphia, Melanie Shouse, that recently lost her battle with breast cancer.
Melanie’s death certificate certainly said that the cause of death was breast Cancer, but it was just as much caused by a lack of healthcare. President Obama had this to say about Melanie, who was a volunteer on his campaign:
She was fighting that whole time not just to get me elected, not even to get herself health insurance, but because she understood that there were others coming behind her who were going to find themselves in the same situation and she didn’t want somebody else going through that same thing.
Melanie’s fellow activists decided to dedicate this march to her memory, braving cold weather, huge snow piles, uncleared sidewalks and likely rain tomorrow. Remarkably, when I saw them on Friday, they looked ready for anything and they were undeterred by the elements.
Each marcher has a story to tell about how their lives have been affected by the flawed health system that we have in this country, either through poor health that cannot be properly treated or from financial hardships originating from healthcare expenses. They are a group that puts a face and a story on the issue that we all to often discuss in technical terms.
John Kowalko was on hand to point out that we have some strong allies in the health insurance companies, since their recent jacking up of rates is just another egregious act by an industry that sees their monopoly slipping away.
Their final destination is a rally in Washington DC on Wednesday, February 24 at 2PM. If you can make it, meet at Union Station at 12:30 to walk the last mile of the walk to the Dirksen Senate Office Building.