[Hlthpol] Just had to share my Edward Kennedy memory

[Barbara Greenwald]

It must have been my third DO-Day on Capitol Hill as a staff editor for 
The DO magazine. I was confident enough to criss-cross among 
congressional offices and senate buildings by myself so that I could sit 
in on meetings with actual legislators and get those close-up camera 
shots of real lawmakers. I was rushing across the lobby of one of the 
senate buildings when I spotted Sen. Kennedy walking with an aid. His 
hair was pure white and his face was creased. He looked really old. But 
I was thrilled. I walked up and said "Sen Kennedy?" He looked startled, 
as I shook his hand. "I just wanted to shake your hand," I said. That 
was it, nothing too dramatic, but I felt as if I had met a rock star.

Sen Kennedy's death makes me sad and nostalgic about the Kennedy 
idealism, which I grew up believing in. I also feel that I have to do 
SOMETHING to make a difference in the healthcare debate that's going on 
right now. I think we should all be encouraging our friends and 
colleagues to GET INFORMED before they take a stand. No matter what side 
of the aisle we are on, we have an obligation to know what we're talking 
about before we "mouth off." I would hate to see healthcare reform 
efforts fail this time around because of half-truths and misinformation.

Barbara Greenwald
Executive Director
New York State Osteopathic Medical Society
Project Development Coordinator
Office of the Vice President for
Health Sciences and Medical Affairs
New York Institute of Technology
Old Westbury, New York 11568-8000
Phone: (516) 686-3958
bgreenwa at nyit.edu