COMP student's Op-Ed focuses on caring for all

The Stump – OregonLive.com

By Guest Columnist Sean Weaver

Health care reform: one woman’s journey

My mother, Robin Weaver, a longtime resident of Newberg, passed away Jan. 2 at the age of 54 after a decade-long struggle with congestive heart failure, a 10-month hospitalization and a brief yet heroic battle with an aggressive lymphoma.

As a first-year osteopathic medical student, I was urged by several people to speak at the memorial service about my experience watching and interacting with my mom during her journey. At the time, I didn’t believe that I could articulate how this experience would impact my life or my practice of medicine. While I still feel that way, there is one specific, prominent national issue that I feel led to share about.

Robin, my mother, went without health insurance from approximately 2003 to 2008. After her divorce in 2003, she was too sick to work, could not qualify for private health insurance and could not afford the Oregon Health Plan insurance premiums. Read the full story >>