An America I Can Believe In - Part Two

I just barely made it to the White House on time. The Secret Service checked my ID and I was escorted through the halls past paintings and photographs of previous presidents and their families, John Kennedy, Martha Washington, Jimmy Carter and Nancy Reagan. I placed my foot on the stairs that have been climbed by so many leaders in history. The fact that I was asked to be here, as a nurse and a working class American, filled my heart with a pride I can’t explain.
 
I joined my colleagues and we were escorted to the East Room of the White House and seated near the podium where the President would speak. I sat waiting and thinking about what it had taken for us to have our President in place.
 
President Obama came out greeting us. He was warm, kind and genuinely glad to see us. He began his speech. The way he spoke you would have thought that the entire population of America was in that room with us. And in a way, they were there. I know I brought my whole family and the families of the Ohio Valley where I live, along with the nurses, staff and patients of Allegheny General Hospital where I work, and my fellow union members of SEIU Health care Pennsylvania.
 
President Obama answered several questions sent in by Americans via the web. He answered questions about education, small businesses and the economic crisis. Then the president turned to us, the SEIU nurses in the room.
 
He called on Linda Bock from Maryland. She praised him for his work so far on health care reform and commented on the need to enact a comprehensive reform package. He responded by saying that he had a special place for nurses in his heart. He told a story of when his daughter was in the hospital and needed a spinal tap due to meningitis. He said that he was afraid, and that the expertise of the nurse and her skill during the procedure eased his and Michelle’s fears.
 
At that moment I was filled with so much pride for every nurse in this country and especially the nurses who take risks to make sure we are giving the highest quality of care everyday.
 
He talked about the need for quality care in this country and said it can’t wait! He also made it clear that we have to go back home and talk about health care with our legislators. Just like he said during his campaign, the work of passing a budget that funds health care reform and passing a reform bill that guarantees, quality affordable health care for everyone is in our hands more than it is in his.
 
When I left, I had to figure out how to get my car, find someone to fix it, or find some other way to get home. I got a tow to take my care to a local dealership in Hagerstown. The tow truck came and as the driver, Wayne, approached me, his grandson ran and gave me a huge hug. The child had been told that I met the President of the United States and he wanted to see my pictures. He wanted to know everything, so the tow truck driver invited me to eat with their family!
 
I was overwhelmed. This amazing man and his wife shared their story with me over dinner. Their grandson has Down’s Syndrome and they are raising him. They hope that our new president can change health care and give small businesses a lift.
 
The next day, Wayne drove me all the way from Maryland to Ohio in the tow truck. I made sure Wayne had a good Ohio welcome and a meal before his long trip home. I prayed for the help and strength to fix health care and the other problems we all face. I also prayed for each of the people I had met on my trip. Their generosity, sincerity and their hope for the future represent the kind of America we all can live in the kind of America we all can believe in.