"When I was in fourth grade, my mother was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma—a blood cancer that will never go into remission. At the beginning of my senior year of high school I was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma and went through surgery to remove the tumor. Now, in the summer before my sophomore year of college, I have just eight months of chemotherapy left to complete. Both my mother and I have been able to get excellent treatment at affordable prices because our family has great health care, and no one in our family has had to go without or lessen their goals because of an overburdened budget. But I believe that we should be the rule and not the exception—no one should have to lessen their dreams or worry about making ends meet because they can’t afford to treat an injury or illness, mental or physical. That’s why, in my first election this November, I will be voting for President Obama."

—Rosie, Virginia