Name : Annette Camlin

Age: 39

City: Lawrence

State: Kansas

Why: I chose to vote early so I could get my vote in ASAP & avoid long lines on Election day. Am also disabled.

My vote: I voted for Obama. I also voted for Obama in 2008.

Biggest issue: Universal Health Care for All.

I strongly believe that there should be an affordable universal healthcare plan available to everyone regardless of one's financial state or class.

I lost my healthcare insurance at the age of 33 when I had to stop working due to poor health. Without health insurance I could not afford to see my doctor on a regular basis to address my health concerns. Imagine my shock & heartache when on my daughter's 6th birthday in 2007, I was diagnosed with an aggressive stage 4 Cancer after visiting the ER with chest pain & shortness of breath. I was only given a 25-30% chance of survival due to the late stage of the cancer. Because I had no health insurance I was directly billed for my hospitalizations and life saving treatments. My medical bills eventually exceeded 2 million dollars. My medical bills were eventually paid by Medicaid, but only after being approved for permanent disability(SSDI) a year later. I now solely depend on Medicare & Medicaid for my health insurance.

I was fortunate that with aggressive & grueling cancer treatments the doctors were able to get my stage 4 cancer under control and I am in remission for now.

Had I had affordable health insurance when I had to stop working I honestly believe that my cancer would have been diagnosed in a much earlier stage & I could have possibly avoided the disability that I live with today because of the side effects of such an aggressive cancer & the treatments that followed. I am grateful to be alive, but l continue to struggle everyday with the basic activities of daily living.

My mother-in-law was not so fortunate. She died only a few months after finding out she had terminal cancer. She also did not have health insurance and I can't help but wonder if she would still be alive today had she been able to have early interventions & been able to get the lifesaving treatment that she needed & not have had to worry about the costs.