Natoma Canfield as Obama Health Care Face

 
“You want to know why I’m here?” President Obama yelled into a microphone at a health care rally in Ohio today. “I’m here because of Natoma.” That’s Natoma Canfield, a 50-year-old cleaning woman and cancer survivor pictured above from Medina, Ohio, who had to drop her insurance due to skyrocketing premiums. Canfield is back in the hospital after living more than a decade cancer-free. She was diagnosed with leukemia last week. The president had invited her to introduce his appearance today, which comes as we begin what may be a make-or-break week for health care reform. President Obama used her as an example — along with “countless others” — of someone facing a personal health crisis with the added strain of uninsured medical bills. “When you hear people more worried about the politics of it than what’s right or wrong,” Obama said, “I want you to think about Natoma and the millions of people all across this country who are looking for some help, and looking for some relief.” Our Senior White House correspondent Jake Tapper, who interviewed Natoma Canfield from her hospital room and was traveling with the president today, got a chance to ask Obama about her — as well as the general state of the debate. ——————– UPDATE 2: Here’s is the full report, “Do or Die: Obama & Health Care,” in which President Obama tells Jake “I believe we’re going to get the votes, we’re going to make this happen.”