Why I Support the Healthy Families Act

When Sen. Patty Murray and Rep. Rosa DeLauro introduce the Healthy Families Act March 14, Christina Hayes from Detroit, Michigan and a leader in Mothering Justice, will be among the speakers. Below is her statement in support of the HFA, which will ensure working people can earn up to 7 paid sick and safe days each year.

My name is Christina Hayes and I stand here today in support of the Healthy Families Act. Thank you so much to Rep. Rosa DeLauro and Sen. Patty Murray for introducing this bill.

Last year, I was part of the group that delivered hundreds of thousands of signatures from people across Michigan in support of a statewide paid sick and safe days. I knew there were signatures of parents who have dealt with a sick child or those who’ve cared for an aging parent. And I’m sure there were signatures from people like me who suffer from chronic illness.

Over a decade ago, I was diagnosed with lupus, a chronic autoimmune disease that affects nearly 1.5 million Americans. With the initial shock came all the questions about how it would shape my life, what treatment would look like and whether or not there was a cure.

Proper treatment for lupus included getting blood drawn every two weeks, infusions and many follow-up doctor appointments. The treatment left me exhausted, and adding to my stress was the lack of enough paid time to ensure I could get the care I needed.

I quickly used up days that were supposed to be for vacation. This led to write-ups that put me on the brink of losing my job. The bills for my treatment kept coming, so I had no choice but to go to work and miss blood draws and treatments. Ultimately, my illness made the choice for me and I had to leave the job I had invested years and energy in after I passed out at work and was taken out on a stretcher.

My experience led me to become an activist for earned paid sick time for everyone.

Sickness and injury are universal, but they don’t affect everybody equally. For anyone unable to earn paid sick time, getting ill or needing to care for a sick child could mean the difference between scraping by or falling under.

I am so happy to see this bill introduced. I urge anyone who has ever had to worry about choosing a day’s pay over a doctor’s visit to join Mothering Justice, Family Values @ Work and long list of other groups supporting the Healthy Families Act.