One voice, strong, passionate and sincere catches the attention of a president
Meeting the POTUS
One voice, strong, passionate and sincere catches the attention of a president. That voice belonged to bestselling author, mother, sister, friend; L.A. (Leslie) Esdaile Banks.
Her health insurance sky-rocketed until she was faced with a choice; drop her own insurance or her daughters. She was so unhappy with her choice she wrote a letter to the White House online never suspecting it would bring her face-to-face with President Obama. And it would give her an opportunity to use her voice to speak out for others.
You can learn about her experience directly from Leslie in this podcast where she gives the details from start to finish in the exciting and often funny way only Leslie could do.
Click Here to Listen to Leslie’s stunning testimony of how she met President Barack Obama
Or read right from her blog! 3/8/10 is a day I will NEVER forget!
http://leslieesdailebanks.com/blog/3810-is-a-day-i-will-never-forget/184/
The experience amazed her, humbled her and if you knew her, you heard all about it.
Heartbreaking Irony
You can read the article on the White House blog that talks about Leslie and her story. It’s called What Americans Deserve http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2010/03/10/what-americans-deserve.
But more haunting is the video where you can hear and see Leslie as she talks about her fight for healthcare.
She talks about being blessed to have good health. She talks about the fear of a catastrophic health event should she not have coverage. She speaks with such passion and conviction that after the event the President asked to meet her in private. Hearing Leslie, seeing her passion, even the POTUS was affected by it and wanted to speak to her himself.
Less than one year later, the eerily ironic speech about a catastrophic health event came in the way of a fast acting cancer. Stage 4 adrenal cancer took the life of this dynamic, passionate, loving individual.
Did the words of this novelist make a difference? Did the Healthcare Bill that was passed do harm or good? Where did we go from there?
According to the government website, the Affordable Care Act has:
- Ended the worst abuses of the insurance industry
- Helped more children get health coverage
- Ended lifetime and most annual limits on health care
- Allows young adults to stay on their parents insurance until age 26
- Gives access to preventative services without cost.
- Discounts on prescription drugs
- Tax credits to small businesses
For additional information: http://www.healthcare.gov/law/introduction/index.html
And though it is a step in the right direction it is too little, too late for so many, including Leslie. But her voice is still strong even now as her actions inspire others to stand up and be heard.
