Political Quotes

“I would like to spend just a moment talking about a courageous young girl in my hometown of Boise, ID. Nine-year-old Susie Hamilton, a bright, vivacious, and loving girl suffers from a rare and deadly form of leukemia. She has been in and out of hospitals in Boise, Salt Lake City, and Seattle for the past 8 months. A bone marrow transplant is her last hope for life. Mr. President, Susie is blessed with two outstanding parents who are leaders in the community. Her father, Steve, is a Boise Fire Department battalion chief, dedicated to saving lives. I have worked with him personally on a variety of projects. Her mother, Becky, works at Boise Cascade Corp. Both have spent many long hours away from their jobs to tend to Susie's needs. There have been some rough times for Susie, Steve, and Becky. I would like to read from a newspaper column by Tim Woodward in the Idaho Statesman, who wrote about this family: Leukemia along is bad enough, but there were other heartbreaks. When a match was found for a donor after hundreds of tests, the donor turned out to have hepatitis. Susie got it through a transfusion. Last month, she had to have a lung removed. When a doctor praised her courage, she whispered, ``What choice, do I have? I want to live.'' The community has responded, raising over $12,000 to offset medical bills. Today there is a silent auction at Susie's school to raise money. Boise firefighters have switched shifts so Steve can spend time with Susie.”