That's me and my grandson, Trey, at our Savannah Health Care for All rally last Sunday. We didn't get the thousands I had fantasized about, but we had 75 people and coverage by two TV stations. Some of the people knew Mike, but many didn't. They came because they had heard about the rally and wanted to tell their stories -- and they did. They talked about serving in the military and being abandoned by thye government, about having insurance cover so little they were left tens of thousands of dollars in debt. They talked about struggling to get the care they need and about trying to get disability.
Several people had spoken by the time Trey, a shy 8-year-old, came up and asked to say something. He stood there for a full two minutes before he finally said, "I miss my Uncle Mike."
Then he went over to my daughter-in-law and cried his little heart out.
Mike was supposed to teach him to play the guitar. Uncle Mike was as silly as Trey, and he hardly ever told Trey to settle down or stop being silly. He had a soul mate and a mentor in his Uncle Mike. And now he misses him something terrible.
My older son, Danny, talked about having to leave the hospital before he was ready because some insurance company executive who never met him thought he was ready.
Janet talked about having no insurance and hoping she can stay well until she can find a job with benefits. She graduated from college more than a year ago.
So, buoyed by our success in Savannah, we're moving on to Asheville on Oct. 19. Maybe this time we can get the thousands of people I dream about.
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