National Nurses United

9/11:2 3/17/08 2:15 PM Page 17 EMERGENCY (Left to right) The author Donna Smith, 9/11 rescue worker Reggie Cervantes, and former Colorado Senator Gary Hart at a political event. Smith and Cervantes were featured in the healthcare documentary SiCKO; Cervantes still has major health worries. On a normal day, the 47-year-old mother of two sees to the needs of her family through a haze of medical and emotional trauma that would render many people incapable of normal functioning. But she does it for her kids. "The lack of medical care has impacted and worsened my health both physically and mentally—living on the edge daily between one catastrophe andanother becauseI've been reduced to the poorestlevels of life, both in terms ofincome and morally through the indignities of begging to make ends meet," described Cervantes of her daily challenges, which have remained largely unchanged since 2001. "Not only do I have to exist demoralizedwith a horrible feeling of constant unworthiness because I became sick but I have constant anxiety of figuring out how to notlet itimpact my small children." Sometimes she wonders how her life would have been different if she had not gotten sick from her 9/11 work. "Had I not beeninjured at ground zero by the chemical toxicity in the air, I would have continued to be middle class, successfully employed, and maintained my insurance, and thus maintained a level of health I do not have now," she said. The other 9/11 workers featured in Moore's film struggle under similar stresses. Billy Maher continues his battle with dental and jaw issues—along with PTSD—while John Graham still works on breathing problems and his emotional scars. Graham said his health has remained "pretty much the same" since the filming of SiCKO, but that he does now have some monthly benefits from Social Security that help offset some of his medical and living expenses. "So I am not in the best shape financially but better than before," Graham said in an interview from his New Jersey home. But he added that he is still struggling to get his pension from his union. After he wrapped up filming for SiCKO, Graham fell and broke his wrist while helping his elderly father on an outdoor project. He had to navigate through much red tape and bureaucracy to get his surgery MARCH 2008 and care paid for and now is still working to rebuild his bone density and strength. Disturbing dreams still haunt Graham from time to time, but he said he tries to dwell on having a bit of the tranquility and peace he saw Cuban families enjoy in spite of their poverty and other stresses. "That was one of the great things I brought home after going with Michael Moore to Cuba," he said. In the months since SiCKO was released, Graham said he has enjoyed some recognition among people who have seen the film and that's "nice," but what he'd really like to see happen is single-payer healthcare reform for everyone in the nation. "We sure need it—all of us," he mused on the eve of a Feb. 26 Washington, D.C. protest by 9/11 workers to keep pressure on government leaders to fund their healthcare. Billy Maher had extensive work done on his teeth while he was in Cuba for the filming of SiCKO, but since his return he has not been able to afford the additional work that would have truly healed his jaw and teeth after years of teeth grinding due to PTSD from his postGround Zero work. "Basically, the teeth didn't work out," Maher said. "All the work they did over there [in Cuba] is really useless now." Maher believes all the political fighting and pushing won't result in long-term change until the profit motive is removed from providing healthcare. "Greed knows no bounds," he said, and he believes that so long as private healthcare companies and insurance corporations in the United States control the government and healthcare policy, it will be a long, hard fight to get care for 9/11 workers and for all Americans. Cervantes, Graham, and Maher continue to share their stories in hopes that the nation will join the nurses of CNA/NNOC in making single-payer healthcare the law of the land simply because it is the right thing to do for the country and for one another. I Donna Smith is a communications specialist with CNA/NNOC and was featured as a patient in SiCKO before joining CNA/NNOC. W W W. C A L N U R S E S . O R G REGISTERED NURSE 17

• Cover